I have a 2 yr old dog and he gets separatioin anxiety when I leave and always has , he chews up everyting in?

Question

he is an angel when I'm home and when I leave he eats everything hes 76 pounds. he also drags me when I walk him how can I train him to walk nice/

Answer 1

I feel for you--- my dog used to have really bad separation anxiety.

Like the other answerers, I advocate using crates. But only if you introduce it properly and dog likes using it, as in the answer above. And, if he has severe sep. anxiety, this will not cure it, it will only cause him to have anxiety responses in the crate. Crating will save your property, but will still leave the dog in a stressed state every time you leave. Also, he could hurt himself trying to break out of the crate, so you must be very careful if you choose to go this route.

To help my dog, I dropped a lot of money on a behavioralist, and although it helped me a lot, it was very expensive ($400). I would reccommend it if you're doing well financially. You should at least research it as much as you can, several dog rescue sites offer good information. Here's a good site to get you started:
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/sep-anxiety...

I'll try to list as many general rules here that I can think of to get you started:

-- Ignore your dog when you come home (or back inside the house). Only give him affection once he calms down from the exicitement of you being home.

-- Ignore him when you leave. Don't say goodbye. Just leave. Don't pay attention to him for 20 minutes before you leave.

--Throughout the day, only give him attention when he is calm and doing something independently (i.e. NOT sitting or laying right by you). Don't allow him to demand when he gets petted. Give him lots of attention and praise ONLY if you see him sleeping or playing independently from you. Encourage him to hang out in a different room by teaching "stay." He needs to learn what you want from him-- and this is to be calm and independent when you are not around. This sounds strange but this is the $400 secret that I basically paid for. They don't stress this step in other info sheets, but this is 100% the most important step for your dog.

--Don't scold him for being destructive when you're gone. It makes them more anxious about your return, and they don't know what you're scolding them for anyway unless you are catching them in the act.

-- After several weeks of only giving him attention when YOU initiate it, then you can "practice" leaving. Leave for a second and come back. Once you can do that and he doesn't panic, do it for longer.

--If he's food-motivated, give him a very special treat-- maybe a Kong toy filled with cooked chicken or peanut butter. But only give him this when you leave, and pick it up when you return. Try to get him to associate you leaving with something good! My dog only gets wet food when she's being left alone, she loves it. Now that she's pretty much cured, she gets excited about my leaving because she knows she gets a special treat.

Good luck! It will seem for a long time that he's not making any progress, but don't give up-- Once he begins to make a noticeable improvement, he will progress much more quickly. I promise! The whole process took about 8 months for my dog, so you need to be consistent and patient!

For the walking question--- head halters, such as the Halti or Gentle Leader brands, are great. They are secured around the dog's head, so when the dog tries to pull, his nose gets redirected towards you, and he won't want to keep pulling with his head facing the wrong way.

Plus, dogs are a lot stronger in their shoulders, like when you're using a normal collar, than in the head and neck, like when you're using a Halti. So, even a strong dog will not have enough strength to drag you around while wearing a head halter.

Answer 2

My dog (a 25-pound cocker spaniel) once chewed through a wall, so overcome was she by seperation anxiety. What really worked for us was crate training. We bought her a wire crate (so she could see out every side) and put her bed, along with a piece of clothing that smelled like me, inside it, and then started luring her in with treats. We'd close the door and leave her in for a few minutes with us standing right there, and then let her out. We slowly lengthened the amount of time she'd spend in the crate, and introduced leaving and coming back, until she got used to it. Now, she feels like her crate is home, and its serves a double purpose; not only does it keep her from damaging the house when we go out, but it also makes her feel secure until we come back. In fact, if we leave without locking her in her crate, she cries. There are other methods that you can try (I'm sure some users will suggest them), but this was really effective for us. Good luck!

Answer 3

Try leaving your dog alone for 15 minutes at a time, come back and check on him.( to let him know you are coming back) Gradually increase your time away and see if it
has any difference in his behavior. Make sure to praise him every time you come back when he does good. Get his toys and play for a few minutes, give him treats, etc...

You can also purchase a product called "Anxiety" It is used to promote a sense of calm. This is a non-sedating liquid used for dogs with restlessness,separation anxiety, grooming visits etc. There is also a a room defuser spray you can get . Plug it into a wall outlet and it releases a pheromone that provides calmness. reassurance and comfort. Ther is also a collar you can get with the same effects. It lasts up to 4 weeks.

You can purchase this at your Vet office or Vet supply magazines.
There different uses. "Anxiety TFLN" for thunderstorms, fireworks, loud noises. etc. "Anxiety Travel" for fear of traveling and motion sickness.

If those do not work you can always crate your dog or put him in a doggy daycare, or hire a pet sitter.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

The dog should be kept away from the baby whether or not his "red rocket" is out. I don't think it makes much difference, in terms of hygiene. It's not as if you put the baby on any of the surfaces that your dog walks or lays on. My puppy is 5 mo old and tends to have the same thing going on, especially when he's happy to see me. I just ignore it. They're dogs, not humans, it doesn't mean what we humans think it does.

Answer 6

Separation Anxiety in dogs can be a pain. A lot of times SA is caused by lack of exercise and stimulation in dogs. Your dog has more energy than his body can take, so in order for him to get rid of this excess energy he chews on everything. Just crating your dog will not solve the problem. SA requires exercise and training in order to be fixed. It sounds like your dog feels he is the pack leader in your home and needs to be shown that you are the pack leader.

Don't pay attention to your dog right away when you get home, give him some time to calm down before you aknowlege he is there. DO NOT make it a big deal when you leave or return from home, this only reinforces the destructive behavior.

A dog with this much energy needs to be walked morning and night for at least 30 minutes each walk. Stimulating a dog mentally can be an easy task. Use basic obedience commands like sit, stay, and down on a daily basis. For instance, make your dog sit before putting his leash on for a walk. Make him sit before you feed him, before you pet him, before you give him any toys or treats. Work your way up to harder commands after the dog has mastered the easy ones. Have him down and stay for a few minutes before bedtime or before feeding.

The best method (in my opinion) in controlling a dog on walks is to buy a slip lead or choke collar. Keep the collar high on his neck, right behind his ears and just below his jaw (just like a show dog)...this makes for better control of the dogs head as well as keeps the dog from choking. If the collar falls too low on his neck it will ground him giving him more pull and more control of you. By keeping the collar high on his neck the control is in your hands.

Everytime he pulls on the leash pull the leash toward you, not toward the ground, but toward your body so that it pulls his head to the side rather than pulling him closer to the ground. This will mess up his concentration on pulling and make him focus on you. Make a sht noise or something other than saying "no" Every time he starts walking in front of you pull the leash toward you. You need to correct it everytime! The more you pull down on the leash the more the dog will pull you forward. Remember to pull toward your body so it pulls his head to the side and pulls him off balance.

Answer 7

You have to be stern with him and not give into him whenever he misbehaves. You'll have to take it slowly, teaching him what he can and can not do.

If he drags you when you walk him, you'll have to hold a firm grip onto the leash and let him know that YOU are walking him, not the other way around.

Answer 8

Learning how to train your dog will improve your life and hers, enhance the bond between you, and ensure her safety and it can be a lot of fun. Dogs are usually eager to learn, and the key to success is good communication. Your dog needs to understand how you’d like her to behave and why it’s in her best interest to comply with your wishes. Check here to learn how to train your dog properly https://tr.im/47a7f

Answer 9

Crate him when you are gone and get a book on training him to walk on a leash. He pulls because he sees you as his equal, not the boss.

Answer 10

Pooor baby darling