separation anxiety, what do you think

[marian]

Hi, we've had Gilda for 10 years and had never any trouble of this kind, but we have Vilma now, she's 3 m.o. and when she's left alone (we leave her in the kitchen) she pees and defecates all over, no matters the amount of time she's left alone (never more than 3 hours). The vet told me a crate isn't a good option for separation anxiety and she's very young to be on clomicalm (and I would'nt like to give any medicine to her for this syndrome). We are trying not to loose our patience, but we are tired of cleaning. Do you think we'll be able to train her to be alone? Any suggestions, please?. Thanks.

 

[ownedbyZeus]

have you tried leaving talk radio or tv on when you are gone? I put on a home shopping channel on the T.V. because of the 24 hour talking. Why not a crate? I am new to boxers and it has been a long time since I had a puppy, but Zeus has done well with a crate.

 

[BasilStreets]

Both of mine had seperation anxiety and would pee on the floor and destroy everything in sight. It was terrible. They were about 8 months old, but I would assume that the same type of things would work for a younger dog aswell.
-make sure that before you leave the dog had gotten lots of excersise. Tire them out as much as you possibly can. This will go a long way in helping with anxiety.
-keep your schedual as consistant as possible. Walks, feeding, leaving the house and returning shouls all be as much the same from day to day as you can manage.
-keep your exits and returns as low key as possible. This means no long good byes or really excited hellos, just act very calm and talk in a neuteral voice.
-A very key thing is to get rid of any behavior which indicates that you are getting ready to leave, giving the dog time to get all work up and anxious before you have even left the house. For instance, leave your bag and coat right next to the door so that you can just scoop them up as you leave instead of letting the dog watch you get ready. If you always leave with keys or a purse, pick them up at various times while you are at home, walk around with them, whatever, but break the association of the sound of keys or the picking up of a bag with leaving the dog alone.
-leave the dog in the area that she is left alone in normally for 1 minute, then a while later 2 min, then 5 and 10 and on and on. If at any point she starts to bark or freak out in any way, back up to a time period she is comfortable with and start again. Ideally this would be done over 4 or 5 days, but I did this over a weekend and it seemed to help.
-leave the t.v. or radio on so that there are voices around during the time she is alone, this really helps a lot of dogs.
-get a Kong and fill it with peanut butter and treats or whatever she likes. you can freeze it aswell to make it last longer.

-if you need more help than that, consider using Bach Flower Remedies instead of medicating (which I agree is not really the greatest option if every other alternative hasn't been explored). They are generally available at health food stores and at worst just won't do anything, although I have had great success using them along with training in some circumstances.
There will be specific remedies for lack of confidence and anxiety.

 

[marian]

Thanks for your help. I will try not to left her alone too many times, but I have a shiftwork and my schedule isn't a constant one. I leave her with music, but this doesn't seem to work. I'm beginning to try breaking her associations with our leaving (keys, purse... ). If situation doesn't get better, we'll try a crate, Bach flowers.. everything we can.
I don't know how to use Bach flowers, where we live there isn't any vet who prescribes them, do you have any advice? She is only 3,5 months old.
Thanks again.

 

[bucca]

oh boy can i relate to you, chloe had the worst seperation anxiety also. no matter what when i left to leave i would take the girls outside and they do their business but chloe used to pees and poop in the house when we left her and would get all nervous. the vet suggested i leave her alone starting with 5 mins, then 15 then 30 and so on. and this way she would see im not leaving her. dont make a big deal when you leave and dont make a big deal when you get home. she will eventually get the idea. chloe is 5 and i have finally gotten to the point i can go out for a few hours. i know the feeling of coming home or just dreading coming home because i knew a mess was waiting. good luck your not alone.

 

[BasilStreets]

Bach Flower Remedies are basically flower essences that help emotional problems, like if you have constant anxiety their is a formula for that.
They were originally used for people, but many use them on there animals and there is a book, called something like 'bach flower remedies for animals' about using them on dogs, horses, cats, any animal really.
I have the book somewhere, I'll try and find it and post the specific remedies which would help with seperation anxiety.
In anycase, you can get them at health food stores, no need for a prescription at all.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

If she's only three months old and has the entire kitchen to herself, it doesn't surprise me at all that she would mess when you're gone. She hasn't really gotten to the age that she understands how to hold it. Have you talked to a behaviorist to verify that it is separation anxiety?

I tried training a pup without the crates, and I went through the same thing. What else is she doing that points to S.A.? Because it really sounds like normal puppy behavior so far and a crate would be your best bet for taking care of it.

Also, there are mixed reviews on crating pups with S.A. Tucker is crated while I'm away from home to keep him from hurting himself (he has severe S.A.). If left out of the crate, he goes nuts, chews on doors and windows (cedar frames = tons of splinters), destroys household items, etc. He actually does better in the crate. So, I would check with a qualified behaviorist for more advice.

 

[jksjkc]

I didn't think you can leave a three month old puppy alone without crating.

I think you may want to reconsider the crate. It seems like a set up for failure straight from the start.

By leaving a young puppy, just like a child, alone to make it's own decisions is not a good idea. She has obviously made her decision, and that is that the floor is a convenient place for her to go to the bathroom. I was told by my trainer that a dog's long term memory doesn't develop until around 16 weeks so it doesn't matter if you got mad at her yesterday for peeing in the house, today she had the opportunity to pee at her convenience, and so she did.

The only way to really help her is to constantly take her out on potty breaks, praise her when she's done or say, "No, no no" while she is in the actual act. I think the more accidents she's left to have the harder it will be to reverse the habit.

Why not the crate?

 

[BeckyNC]

I agree with the previous posters in that it's possible your girl is just gonig potty like any puppy would. She's got all this space to go and she's probably not potty trained at 12 weeks, so when she needs to go, she does. It might be that you need to try crate training her before deciding she has SA. I totally understand your vet's comments about avoiding a crate with an SA dog, but the crate would be worth a try. Some think crating is cruel, but it's really not. It is safer for the dog and for your house!

 

[knjsBailey]

I also agree, she is a pup. If that is all she is doing it is not S. A. it is being a little puppy.