Leaving him home alone

[Franchize]

I am getting fed up with my 10 month old Tyson. I have had him since he was 8 weeks old and I work a 9-5 Monday thru Friday. You would think that by now he would be used to me leaving him alone in the house....but this is not the case. It's like every time I leave, its the first time all over again. He FREAKS OUT!!! The most common result....something gets chewed to shreds. I think he does it purposely to get back at me for leaving him. I know the recommended solution is to put him in a crate while I'm gone. Well I've tried that. I was told dogs wont go to the bathroom where they eat or sleep. Not true with Tyson. He will pee in his crate in a heartbeat....and then eventually lie in it....UGH! So its either get something of mine chewed up or give him a bath EVERYDAY! When will he grow out of both of these problems??? Does anyone else have this issue with their Boxer? Any suggestions?

 

[tanya22]

poor Tyson he sounds VERY stressed out.

 

[Rockys Mom 2]

What size crate do you have hm in? He should only be able to turn around and lay down. He may be having seperation anxiety. You might want to check with your vet or I've heard there are herbal medicines you can give him to calm down. I'm sorry I don't remember the name of it. Also have you taken him to any training classes? I put Rocky in his crate about 10 to 15 minutes before I leave and don't make a big deal out of leaving. He didn't like the crate for about a week. But now I say in crate and in he goes. Good Luck. Boxers are very smart just give it some time.

P.S. Also try giving him a Kong with some peanut butter in it. I freeze mine and put it in his crate and it keeps Rocky busy.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

I recommend a LOT of exercise before you leave him for work. And toys and kong and stuff in his crate to keep him occupied.

Also, make the crate only large enough so he has room to only lie down, sit, stand and turn around. No room in the corners for pooping or peeing.

Ignore the dog for 10 minutes before leaving, a quick good bye after crating and go. Ignore him again for 10 minutes when you come home.

He's still very young. You may need to learn a lot more patience for a few years as boxers are very much puppies for 2 to 3 years! So, take a cup of tea, calm down and resign yourself to dealing with puppy issues, maintaining your good disposition and teaching your dog what you WANT him to do instead of what he isn't supposed to do. Your calm demeanor and good attitude will help the dog be less stressed, more obedient and less defiant.

We have many threads here on separation anxiety. Use the search engine and your find tons of good information. Also use it to look up issues about crating. I also suggest some good training books. Please check out the book forum for some excellent ideas.

Good luck.

 

[BoxerLuv82]

It's a difficult road when trying tot rain the pup to behave as you wish him to. Maybe your pup has separation anxiety. I have the same problem with Rocky and understand completely how frustratin it is. On Saturday he managed to knock something down behind the door making it impossible to open. So I had to drive to my bf's house to pick up a latter and climb up to the second floor, break my screen and break in through my window. Once inside I had to be careful where to step. And through out the entire ordeal Rocky was crying like a little maniac. It broke my heart because although I should be mad at the mess, I realy think he may be suffering from seperation anxiety. I myself have anxiety so I know how horrible it feels, he has a vet appointment today after I get out of work. Maybe meds will be the only way :(
But like Tulsa said, try giving him plenty of exercise and maybe a bigger crate. It may work for your pup. Best of luck!



Claudia & Rocky

 

[hudson78]

I have gone thru a separation anxiety problem with my now 4 yr old wheaten mix, he was terrible. i did extensive reading about it as it is very stressful aswell as frustrating to come home to a dog who is pannicking and making a mess do to the separation anxiety. One sign to look for is panting before you leave. Hudson use to stalk us every morning, and they know your routine so I would suggest switching up how you get ready in the morning. The other thing I think someone mentioned was not to pay attention to your dog 15 mintues before leaving or 15 minutes when you get home. We both work 8 hour days and when we use to get home Hudson would be wimpering and extatic when we got home, jumping up on us and panting because he was so nervous. He also would lick his paws extensivley which is apparently one of the first signs for these types of problems. Our last straw was when our neighbour came over and told us that our dog would cry all day when we were gone. We never knew this cause we were at work. So we went and bought the this herbal remedy called rescue remedy, which is actually for humans who suffer from anxiety and is also commonly given to people who have had to deal with a death in the family/friend. We actually tried it ourselves and it does calm you down somewhat. We gave it to him directly but you can also put it in their water. However this did not clear up our problem as our problem had developed over a year and was quit severe. We went and got another dog(ALLY our boxer) and this seemed to clear his problem overnight(literally). It was all over after that, he was fine being left alone(with ally) and is to this day. They say getting another dog is NOT always the answer, fortunately it was for us. If you have a free day on the weekend I would recomend leaving the house several times for 5 mintues at a time, then ten minutes at a time and the maybe half hour at a time. Keep repeating as sometimes this helps the dog be reassured that you ALWAYS will come home. Cause that's what the problem is, your little guy thinks his pack has left him and is not coming back.

Hopefully you can solve the problem, I know how frustrating it is. Best of luck!!

 

[Franchize]

Thanks for all the recommendations. I check with a dog trainer at Petsmart and she also gave me some tips. I think the medicinal route may be too costly since a vet would require getting bloodwork done before prescribing something. But I bought the Kong and stuffed peanut butter, cheese and some treats. I think it has worked somewhat as he has not cried nearly as loud when i walk out the door. As for when Im at work....who knows since Im not there. I really want to give him freedom from the crate but I just cant trust him yet. I just have to hope he stops peeing in the crate the older he gets. I live in an apartment so getting another dog is probably not the best option right now.

 

[VTbxrFan]

Try a search on separation anxiety. If he's truly freaking out everytime you leave, it might be separation anxiety rather than just typical puppy behavior/boredom contributing to his destructive behavior. Try to listen when you leave him alone - while a lot of dogs will whine, cry, scratch, or otherwise show displeasure for a brief period of time when you leave, most will settle down shortly - and then get into something when they get bored. If it's separation anxiety, they will not settle down within a few minutes of you leaving. If you can leave him for shorter periods of time but just not the whole workday, it's probably the typical puppy boredom setting in. With separation anxiety, that kicks in as soon as they are left - it won't really matter if it's one hour or five hours.

 

[saveaboxer]

I have a current rescue that has sever seperation anxiety, Brandi, we tried medications, herbal remedies, a crate full of stuff to occupy her. We tried everything, it made no difference, she busted out of every crate, tore her foster moms house up, broke her dishes, pottied all over the house including on their beds, smeared it all over the walls from scratching at them to get out, chewed the drywall and door facing up by the front door, all of this while undergoing heartworm treatment. So her foster mom returned her to us, she has had no displays what-so-ever of the seperation anxiety, WHY, BECAUSE SHE HAS OTHER DOGS AROUND HER. She is perfectly fine now being crated by another, or just having one around uncrated. She does not feel totally alone. She will have to be placed in a home with another dog for company.
Sandie

 

[BoxerLuv82]

Hey Sandie, her seperation anxiety sounds just as bad as Rocky's :(
He isn't my only furbaby but even that doesn't stop him. When I get home and find huge messes I find my other pup laying there sleeping while Rocky is wooing and beaning like crazy.