separation anxiety in dog

[TsPoet]

I've thought of the kong, I may get one tonight. He's not terribly food motivated, though, so hopefully he'll be into it.

I'd actually feed him his meals in the kong. I've never bothered with kong=treats, just put b'fast and dinner in there. He'll love it, and that way it takes him 30 min or more to eat and distracts him while you leave the house.
Some good ideas on here.
Good luck.

[berkeley]

I deal with this a lot with our adoption group.

- Don't only crate when you leave. Pick random times, toss a treat in there and have him in the crate when you're home. This avoids the whole you leave=the crate bad association.

- Make the crate the best place on earth! All treats, food, etc. happen in the crate (this can be temporary, until he's used to it). Never use the crate as punishment.

- Make sure he's getting enough exercise - a tired dog is a happy dog!

- Don't give in to the whining. This is sort of like a little kid thing too - if you let into the whining and let him out of the crate, he'll keep trying to use that to get out. So when you come home, if he's carrying on and crying, ignore him until he calms down. As soon as he's calm, he can come out.

- Learn the difference between true crate anxiety (heavy panting, trying to escape, urinating or pooping in the crate), and the above whining to get what they want. True crate anxiety means you may need some other means of confining him until he's housebroken.

- Housebreaking is all about vigilance and consistency. If you allow him the chance to sneak away and pee, he will. Most dogs don't have "signs" right off the bat, so you'll have to keep on him like a hawk. The second he starts peeing in the house, a quick "NO!", and then leash him up and take him outside to finish and praise like heck. The more accidents he has inside, the more confused he's going to be about appropriate bathroom behaviors.

Hope that helps! PM if you have any other questions.

[Biciclista]

wow, great advice here!

[badger]

thanks everyone, they truly are good suggestions. he won't be my last foster and I'm sure separation anxiety is something I'll be dealing with again.

I'll have to get on him about putting him in a crate at random times. I usually only crate him when I go to bed and when I leave, and those are probably the times he won't like so I'll crate him at odd times. I've been feeding him in the crate from the get-go, so he's good about jumping in there when it's mealtimes.

I'll see if I can find some bells somewhere. That's a great idea about associating the door with the bell. My last dog always pointed at the patio door and looked back at me - that was signal enough, even though he had stopped using the patio as his toilet long before.

I came home for lunch and took him to work this afternoon. I also took him to the SPCA for my volunteering and he was yapping away when I wasn't in his line of vision. But he got loads of puppy play and attention that's exhausted him so he's happily sleeping right now

[msincredible]

One of my dogs gets separation anxiety. She is fine if our other dog is with her but gets very upset if he is gone too (for example at the vet). She would howl and do physical damage to the crate if left completely alone (the same crate that she will happily run into if her buddy is home).

When she was my only dog I used to do the kong thing. If you freeze it or alternatively melt cheese in the microwave in it, it will last longer. I believe there are some good "recipes" on the kong website. I also used to put kibble in a buster cube to occupy her. Just don't let them use a buster cube in a room with floor heating vents

She is not very food-motivated but the kong and buster cube were enough to keep her busy and out of trouble.

Oh, and another thing...I found that even when my dogs are together, they get upset if I close the door to the room with the crate when I leave. They would cry the whole time I was gone. If I leave the door open, no problem. Haven't figured out why.

[badger]

he hasn't had an accident today. And I also taught him how to sit. We're working on "stay".

AND, he's got a prospective home. My co-worker saw him and now his wife really wants him. I never intended to keep this little guy, but he's really turning out to be a lot of fun and showing a lot of promise to become a great little dog.

I have to be unselfish here and think of him. They have a house with a yard, the wife works at a dog friendly office so he'll be going to work with her every day. They'll treat him well.

The perils of fostering... happy but sad.

[Tuckervill]

Oh, that's all good news!

Someone in my neighborhood found a miniature Dachshund wandering the neighborhood on Sunday evening. Of course, there was no one open (vet's, groomers, animal shelter) to contact to see if it had been reported. She was a sweet little dog, apparently pretty old with quite a gray muzzle, friendly. I offered to keep it overnight so the lady who found her wouldn't have to miss work on Monday. I walked her around the neighborhood and could find no one looking for a little dog.

We took her in and all she wanted was to be in a lap, which was fine with us. She slept with my son right under his armpit all night (all the dogs sleep in his room, so he didn't mind). She was sweet and we knew we would keep her until we found her owner (some other dogs we find go straight to the shelter). I delayed making the contacts at the vet and animal shelter because I really wasn't done with her. But, within an hour of calling her in, I got a call from the owner.

He said the only thing constant about little Sammy was that she would eventually escape from my house, too and go on a little jaunt. He said she adopted herself out for 2 weeks once before she escaped from that house, and HE saw the "lost dog" posters. When she was found again, she went back home.

It sure was hard to let her go. She lives 2 blocks over, so I'm sure I'll see her again!

Karen