it seems that my dog has separation anxiety and claws up the whole house what do i do?

Question

he has torn up blinds, chewed up the wood on the doors and howls and barks. i cant keep him outside in the freezing cold though.
i have a beagle.

Answer 1

I have a beagle too!! He is a pup and has a slight occurance of this problem however its not easily fixed. Seperation anxiety can break an animal and cause a lot of stress for them. If he is not Kennel trained he NEEDS to be. Beagles are a very hyperactive breed. Kennel Training protects your house and the animal from hurting himself. Its cold here a lot but they are warmer than you think, as long as you are going for short walks it helps.

Kennel Training: Start small. Place a toy/treat/like item in the kennel. Start with the door open and use your hand to keep him in for small amounts of time (minute- couple of minutes). You slowly increase the time (keeping the door open). Then when he is comfortable he will show you by being in there by himself.

Allow him to be comfortable with it for awhile, than start to close the door (again at most 5 minutes the first time- slowly increased) until he is comfortable- you must remain in the room. I sit on my bed and read something.

If he whines do not let him out until he settles down or you will train him that every time he whines you will come to his rescue and let him out.

when he is comfortable being by himself for 1/2 an hour. go somewhere else in the house (he will cry a lot at first) again wait til he settles, then go let him out.

Increase the time away- shouldnt be any more than 4 hours at a time at any point in their life. Thats not fair to the animal.

It will take a lot of treats to make him want to be there but Kennel training them teaches them its ok to be by themselves, the kennel keeps them safe, and they wont eliminate if it is the right size for them. Also helps with Potty training!!! (big blessing)

Also- Do not sleep with the animal in the bed. This teaches them bad habits (i know its hard not to cuddle up with them), sleeping time is not cuddle time, on the couch or naps during the day can be cuddle time. When you return- also dont make a big deal or he will be super hyper everytime you come home.

DO NOT hit the dog, or restrain food, or punish him. When you do kennel train him, NEVER place him in there as punishment or he will associate the two together!!! Always make sure he knows that is his space.

Most likely he will chew through things in the kennel, unfortunately I dont know how to fix this issue, every animal I have had does it. Make sure you get a strong but comfortable mat, not one easily torn up, also always provide a chew toy he cant choke on while in there, itll give him something else to chew on besides the pad.

On a side note: Beagles dont know they arent your equal... they are extremely big on being part of the family. Make sure they are treated as such!! You wont regret it!!

Answer 2

I would confine your dog to a small area when your not home,
or crate the dog, but not for long periods of time. Alot of
dogs suffer from this conditon, and you don't want to treat
them to harshly, it's just because they miss you when your
gone. Try buying a bone that you can fill with some food, and
treats, and a little peanut buttler. This will entertain your dog
for a while, and leave him some toys and hopefully he will
be ok. Also when you come home, don't make a big deal
out of it. Do the same thing when you leave. The dog
needs to adjust to your coming and going. But when you do
come home, and your ready to give your pet some attention,
play ball with him, and do it for about twenty minutes.
The dog needs to feel he has time to be with you. Do it
every day at the same time if you can, that way the dog
will have something to look forward to. I have tried this
before and it works well, you just have to stick to it.

Answer 3

Crating is probably the best answer. Get a crate big enough for him and some of his toys and his blanket. Try training him slowly. As well, during the day I put my Pom-Chi in one of those big exercise pens in the kitchen, so if he makes a mess it's easy to clean up. Bribe your doggie into his crate: if he goes in, he gets a milk-bone or something tasty!

Answer 4

A beagle did all that damage, wow!
Have you considered a crate so he can't get at all the things you mentioned?

Answer 5

This is becoming a common problem. You might want to beta-test a solution that I have come up with and let us know how it works out. Try taking a pair of plyers and tearing his claws right out. Let us know how successful this is!

Answer 6

YOU CAN CRATE HIM WHILE YOU ARE OUT...MANY DOGS LOVE THEIR CRATES AND MAKE IT THEIR SPECIAL PLACE...YOU CAN ALSO TALK TO YOUR VET TO SEE WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS THEY HAVE WITH REGARDS TO MEDICATION AND TRAINING