dog people...please help

D

divagirl

Cathlete
Ok so I had a major struggle with my dog trying to get out of my apartment today. I have to put him on a leash and I bring my belongings outside to lay on the ground. When he's nervous, he's fast, strong and squirmy. So he will beat me to the front door and I'm practically throwing him across the floor because he won't let me leave. It was soooo stressful. No favorite toys or treats work to distract him. He is uninterested if he knows I am leaving. It has only been 5 days for him in his new surroundings.

My father said that maybe I should bring him back to his home for a few days so he sees everyone is still around.

Do you think this will be helpful or hinder his progress? Although I'm not sure we've actually made any real progress yet. At some point I may get a cat for company but cannot do it right now.
 
I don't know if I have any really good advice for this type of situation, but it does sound like he is suffering from some serious separation anxiety.

If it were one of my dogs doing that, I think I would make a point of before leaving, taking him for a long walk/run to help him get some of that nervous energy out of his system prior to my departure. I would also probably put on some quiet, soothing music at home for him to try to drown out some of the "strange" noises going on outside of the apartment throughout the day that he is not familiar with. I definitely think I would bump up the exercise though first thing in the morning to take some of that energy away from him and help him relax easier. Good luck!!
 
Have you ever crated him? Two of my dogs (Cheyenne & Montana) are nervous wrecks if we leave them in the house alone. They are only calm in their crates. Dakota has no separation issues and is fine staying out. Of course, if your dog has never been crated, that might freak him out too. :/
 
Divagirl, I recommend the crate as well. I know we discussed this a few weeks ago & you had concerns, but I really do believe those concerns are easily addressed & your dog would be much happier if he had a "safe place" of his own where he can go when he's feeling stressed.
 
How old is the dog?

I know you mentioned before that he is most attached to you. If he can be well taken care of at his previous home, it might be best to return him there. I know, it's hard. I have 4 animals, all my responsibility. I would never want to take them out of the comfort of their own home.

This is the main reason why I have not moved out yet (I'm 19). While my pets would be with me if I moved and they came along, they would lose so much in the process (larger surroundings, comfort of other family members, stability, etc.). While I could move without them, I would be depressed (and I tell myself that they would be too).
 
Yeah, we go for an extra long walk each morning now. I play extra long with him each morning with toys as he runs all around the apartment. I even gave him a dog calm pill with valerian root in it this morning to calm him....NOTHING.

I leave the TV on as well since he was used to that before. I'm at a loss for the moment.
 
My father was just in the area and wanted to take the dog so I let him bring him home. The dog was so excited to see him but even as my Dad was holding his leash as I'm getting his food bowls together the dog is watching my every move.

I will try the crate thing again since I do have it at my parents. He hated it as a puppy but maybe I can get him to enjoy it, who knows.
 
DivaGirl, I completely agree with trying to crate him. It probably will not be very easy at first but hopefully he'll get used to it over time. We crate our doxies when were gone because they would destroy the house. They freak out even if I go outside for a couple minutes. Walking and playing with him in the morning is also a great thing to do. Although it's relieving to know that you can fall back on taking him back to your parents you may regret it in the long run. He needs to learn to become comfortable and create his own space in your new place. That way he's not completely anxiety ridden everytime you walk out the door for any occasion. I know it's heartbreaking to see them so upset, sometimes I wish I could afford doggie daycare. Actually if I could my doxies would probably not be allowed back :7 They're such troublemakers. Good luck to you and your furry baby.

Take Care!
Chastity

http://www.picturetrail.com:80/chastgirl0205
 
>DivaGirl, I completely agree with trying to crate him. It
>probably will not be very easy at first but hopefully he'll
>get used to it over time. We crate our doxies when were gone
>because they would destroy the house. They freak out even if I
>go outside for a couple minutes. Walking and playing with him
>in the morning is also a great thing to do. Although it's
>relieving to know that you can fall back on taking him back to
>your parents you may regret it in the long run. He needs to
>learn to become comfortable and create his own space in your
>new place. That way he's not completely anxiety ridden
>everytime you walk out the door for any occasion. I know it's
>heartbreaking to see them so upset, sometimes I wish I could
>afford doggie daycare. Actually if I could my doxies would
>probably not be allowed back :7 They're such troublemakers.
>Good luck to you and your furry baby.
>
>Take Care!
>Chastity
>
>http://www.picturetrail.com:80/chastgirl0205

P.S. I forgot to ask what calming product are you using? I use Excel Calming Tablets. They don't knock them out or anything but they do seem to take the edge off a bit :)
 
I think you really need to bring him back to your parents home and transition him to your apartment over time. Otherwise you may end up with some behavior problems that are long lasting and very undesirable. I think given time he will grow to like the new place. It's too much change too quickly. Good luck to you both!
 
My question - what are YOU doing that enhances this behavior? Dogs do what works. His object is to get you to pay attention to him. To me it sounds like when you lay out your belongings that's his signal, not that you're leaving, but that it's time to play. I would suggest changing the routine a bit. Can you bring out your belongings earlier? Maybe even before the walk? If he starts to display the "you're leaving me!" behavior, ignore him. Do not yell or even speak to him, do not move him, do not touch him. Totally ignore him. Turn your back, sit in a chair, pick up a book - whatever - but just let him know that he does not get rewarded for this behavior. If this means you need to start "leaving" earlier to accomplish this, do it. Be consistent. When he does settle down, calmly pet him and call him a good dog. But, don't go overboard. Honestly, it should not take long for him to learn that the behavior is no longer going to be rewarded.

I would recommend a crate as well - I think it's better over all - and the dog actually feels more secure. So much destruction is done because the dog feels he has to guard the entire house and is overwhelmed. When you crate him, he only has to protect the crate and that's much more manageable. But read up on crate training and make sure you do it right.

You should not have to tranquilize a dog to stay at home alone and a lot of the tranquilizers actually make behaviors worse because the dog is aware of what is going on, but cannot react - and it makes them more anxious. I would rethink that tactic, actually.
 
Simple:

To break anxiety in a dog - you have to make them realize that you coming and going is NOT a big deal.

1. Don't greet your dog immediately when you come home.
2. Don't make a big production out of leaving. Just walk out the door.
3. Walk out the door without your keys, then 2 mins later, walk back in a grab your keys, then walk out and leave for 10 mins and come back. DON"T PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DOG - this trains them to realize that you come and go and its not the end of the world.

We did that with our dog - slowly leaving her longer and longer until now she doesn't even flinch when we come and go - she is able to be in our home all day long without destroying a thing and we do make sure she gets worn out good at night before the next day ;)
 
and yes - use a crate until he can be trusted at home by himself -but seriously the above really worked for us - you have to be consistent with it though until your dog realizes that you will come back and its not a big deal when you leave
 
oh yes and last but not least - now whenever you leave - your dog won't know if he/she gets to come along - so they dont' SPRINT for the door thinking its walk time.

My dog usually knows anyways bc she hears me grab her leash and collar, but I did the same thing - I just used to pick it up and put it on the counter, then move it to the bedroom, then not take her for an hour, ect.....so she never knows if she is going or not ;) TRICKY!
 
I guess he's better than I thought because he actually hasn't destroyed anthing when I'm gone. Its just me getting out the door. I will have to try the ignoring route as well when I come and go.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will have to make a new game plan with all of them once I pick him up on Saturday and this time he's not going to my parents for overnight stays until he gets used to his new home.
 
I am certainly not the best dog trainer in the world (me and my humping Newfie!) PS. George has not gotten frisky with any guests for a month now!

But when we leave Georgie for longer than usual, I put in this movie for dogs called, "The Movie For Dogs!" You can find it at themoviefordogs.com

I swear, its the funniest thing ever, its just a bunch of different scenes of dogs playing at the beach, in the park, fetching balls, etc...and George will lay there for a whole hour watching it! he barks at the dogs and whines, growls, its totally cute!:7 But it keeps him occupied and he seems to like the stimulation. Worth a try right? I sometimes think I am the one that likes the movie better!:)
 
Oh gosh tneah, my pug does that too.........I think it's a dominance thing b/c the dumb monster is neutered. How does he even get the urge? Weird.

However there's a world of difference betw. a humping Newfie & a humping pug.........:+

Diva, I'm not sure about transitioning your dog betw. your new place & your parents place. I think that might even make the situation worse b/c it'd be confusing for him. I've moved maybe 9 times in the last 12 years & the dogs always adjusted in time, it typically took 4-6 weeks.

Your dog needs you to be strong & give him structure. As a previous poster mentioned, it's actually a RELIEF for them when YOU are the alpha animal of the house. Just hang tough & don't give in to his pleading & misbehavior. If you do you'll never solve your problem & both you & your dog won't get to be happy together! :)
 
If nothing in your house has been destroyed, I doubt it seperation anxiety. Chewing soothes dogs and it's a common sign of seperation anxiety.

I seriously think you inadvertantly trained him to think it's play time when you get everything out and the more he reacts by blocking doors, etc, the more play time he gets. It could have started with something as simple as you feeling guilty for leaving him, so you got your stuff out, and turned and started acting sad and apologetic to him. Dogs are funny.

I think you know the game now, so you know how to break it. Good luck.
 
I would leave him with your father for now. Then, have your dad bring him over to your house every few days and you can all hang out together. Then dad takes him back home with him. Get him used to your place in little steps. Then you can graduate to keeping him overnight, then over the weekend and then increase his time with you until he is ready to stay with you full-time. Ease him into the transition. Good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top