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| Name: lindalu | Date: Apr 8th, 2008 4:45 PM |
| Bump up!!! Any advice? ↑ |
| Name: briseis | Date: Apr 10th, 2008 2:12 PM |
| Dogs bark consistently and cause damage when they are bored or nervous. Remember dogs are pack animals, and in the wild, they'd never be alone, serving as a member of a pack. When you go to work and your son goes to school, noones told your dog that you will definitely be returning home. In his mind, you have gone and hes been abandoned. He's locked in the house, and without his pack members (you and your son) he feel vulnerable and genuinely scared. He barks to call you back, he poos out of nervousness. One quick and easy way to solve your problem is simply to buy another dog. I keep 2 dogs, as they are company for each other when I am not around. Together they feel safe and protected. ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Apr 10th, 2008 4:09 PM |
| Great advice Briseis, but I do have to say that the two dog method is not always a cure all. That may work for some, depending on the severity, but not always. I had an American Bull dog that had horrible anxiety, a second dog did nothing for him in fact when my family left the house he didn't even care that the other dog was there. He would pace for hours, chew up anything he could get a hold of, poop a ton and wine like crazy. Never even taking notice of the other dog, when we returned he was like a different dog calm playing romping with the other dog showing no signs of distress. I Have a couple thoughts as to what I think but not suer if I am correct. What throws me is that the dog will only poop on the couch and beds, thats a sign of dominance territorial marking. Philomena has not said if the dogs poo was normal consistency or runny. Most anxiety cases the poo will be runny due to the nervous stomach. There is so much that hasn't been said for me to be able to offer advice to her. I didn't say this to try to discredit your advice. I only stepped in because I would hate to see Philomena go adopt a second dog in hopes that it will cure her first dogs anxiety only to find it didn't. Then she would have two dogs. Also if it is a territorial dominance issue a second dog could cause more unwanted stress. ↑ |
| Name: briseis | Date: Apr 10th, 2008 7:29 PM |
| Lindalu, no it's fine. I was just suggesting what has worked twice for me so I assumed it would work any time really. When I started going to work full time, my 6 year old dog - Bono, who'd been my only dog since he was a puppy had severe separation anxiety, lots of crying and barking whilst I was gone, and so I got another dog - 8-month-old Coveu, and they were very happy together for 2 years until Bono passed away. Then Coveu began to suffer from separation anxiety, missing Bono's company dreadfully, and we got 14-week-old Nieko. And they've been friends for 18 months now. I believe if you're going to have a dog, keep more than 1 dog, unless you're going to be at home with the dog all day. Dogs are sociable animals, and thrive in the company of others. Left on their own, they become distressed and bored. I try to replicate wild dog behaviour as much as I can in the treatment of my dogs. But if you are not an experienced dog owner, perhaps 2 dogs might pose a problem ... you need to be a strong pack leader, and if you are, you could have 20 dogs which don't give you a problem. If Philomena has no interest in getting a second dog, other options include taking the dog to a Dog Behaviouralist who will assess this dog's specific needs, being sure to be a strong pack leader, taking the dog for a long walk before leaving for work, leaving plenty of chews etc to have fun with whilst you are gone, lots of praise when you get home; eventually he will realise that you are indeed going to come home every day, and will get used to the routine. ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Apr 11th, 2008 4:34 AM |
| Briseis I was thinking that her dog may not have a separation anxiety it may be more of a behavioral issue. Philomena~ Is your dog neutered? Does he only poop on the couch and beds? What consistency is his poop? Does he have toys - some thing to do while you are not home? How many hours a day is he left alone? Does he chew on any thing while you are gone? ↑ |
