[Beholden]

Jack has separation anxiety. Today for the first time since I've had him, (since Nov 10, in case you don't remember my Jackie, he is an Austrailan Shep. mix, about 6 1/2 years old and we got him from a shelter) I left him alone to see if all the "practice" I've been doing with him worked.

It did.

What I've been doing is leaving him in the house while I go out to work in the yard. Or I just take my morning coffee outside with me and leave him inside. When I hear him touch the door, I tell him "NO I"ll be back." Then I waited a few more minutes and go inside. I've done that for a few weeks now, and today I decided to see if it has helped.

First I did drug him (which has not helped in the past) with Benadryl and waited about 20 minutes. In the past even using Valium hasn't even helped.

I'm so happy he did this today. It was only for one hour while I went to pick up my hubster, but it was an hour with him by himself without being all wacked out from anxiety. No torn up toys, no poo, just a well behaved and happy dog to greet us when we returned home.

[(JD)]

Whoo hooo! Way to go! Don't do it too often at first... but it sounds like this will work into a good habit for Jack

Yes, using bendryl was what my vet had me use for my first service dog...during thunder storms (we went through Hurricane Andrew when he was only 8 months old).... he hated the way it made him feel at first...but it sure helped him not be terribly upset with the storms (now if I could just find something that works for me! My service dog now doesn't have those bad memories, so he's a comfort to me in a storm.)

[Vibe]

Awwww, that's great! I'm glad to hear you're getting somewhere with him. We had a dog with separation anxiety too and it does take awhile. It helps to slowly and solidly build them up - increasing the amount of time you're away. Just don't move too fast and make sure he's completely comfortable with the amount of time you're gone before upping it. Another tip is to not immediately greet him when ya come back. Wait a moment first, and when you finally do acknowledge him keep the greeting very low key. It reinforces the idea that your coming and going is not a big deal. It sounds like you're really figuring out what works with him specifically though and that's always very important. Good luck with him! It sounds like you're definitely well on your way to getting your dog to cope with your absence.

[whenwillitend]

That's awesome! It's so great that all your hard work is paying off. And there's nothing better than a happy doggie.

[SunnyD]

I need to do this with Sheena. Even when I am home she can get panicky when my husband leaves.
For her she tears the blinds mostly. Trying to get out. We have a kennel on our back patio now but when we move to our rental we will have to put her in a crate. The Benadryl is a great idea.

[Sabrina]

Awww, way to go Jack!!

[Beholden]

Originally Posted by (JD)

Whoo hooo! Way to go! Don't do it too often at first... but it sounds like this will work into a good habit for Jack

Yes, using bendryl was what my vet had me use for my first service dog...during thunder storms (we went through Hurricane Andrew when he was only 8 months old).... he hated the way it made him feel at first...but it sure helped him not be terribly upset with the storms (now if I could just find something that works for me! My service dog now doesn't have those bad memories, so he's a comfort to me in a storm.)

Thank you for the vote of confidence for Me and for Jack

He is such a great dog in all the other ways he behaves. Mostly, when he sees another person besides me, he checks them out to see if they have a pat on the head for him!

[Beholden]

Originally Posted by Vibe

Awwww, that's great! I'm glad to hear you're getting somewhere with him. We had a dog with separation anxiety too and it does take awhile. It helps to slowly and solidly build them up - increasing the amount of time you're away. Just don't move too fast and make sure he's completely comfortable with the amount of time you're gone before upping it. Another tip is to not immediately greet him when ya come back. Wait a moment first, and when you finally do acknowledge him keep the greeting very low key. It reinforces the idea that your coming and going is not a big deal. It sounds like you're really figuring out what works with him specifically though and that's always very important. Good luck with him! It sounds like you're definitely well on your way to getting your dog to cope with your absence.

Great to hear from you with your added advise.

I will wait for a few days before I leave him alone again. Vib this is a Great Tip that I hadn't though much about. I tried to be low key about our reappearance with Jack, which we have done in the past, but he was the one who really pushed it with us. He doesn't usually play with his stuffed toys, other than to push the squeakers on them. But he went for his froggie and threw it in the air and shook it a little bit with his head. It was so good to see him actually 'play' with a toy!!! So I reinforced the play thing. I tossed froggy a little bit and praised his good play behavior

[Beholden]

Originally Posted by whenwillitend

That's awesome! It's so great that all your hard work is paying off. And there's nothing better than a happy doggie.

I love me some HAPPY DOGGIE. And a well behaved dog. One thing I did notice was that his other favorite stuffed toy, a monkey, was down the basement on his couch. So I think he used that to help comfort him while he most likely slept off the medicine

[Beholden]

Originally Posted by SunnyD

I need to do this with Sheena. Even when I am home she can get panicky when my husband leaves.
For her she tears the blinds mostly. Trying to get out. We have a kennel on our back patio now but when we move to our rental we will have to put her in a crate. The Benadryl is a great idea.

Yesterday, just on a whim, I decided to give the Benadryl another try. Mabye because it was a whim and not something that I was thinking about prior to doing it, Jack was totally more comfortable with it

We have tried it in the past from the advise of our vet. When the Benadryle didn't work, she gave us a Rx for the Valium, which also did not work. He looked so drugged up on the Valium, tonge hanging out, saliva dripping from it, looking very high, but when we left, he still scratched up the door Poor doggie.

All 61 pounds of him looks bad on drugs. As does the damage to doors and door frames. It sure makes him a dog hard to deal with when we visited family down in Florida in April. Good thing the hubster knows how to refinish a wood door. Grrrrr.

He chewed through his metal crate the last time I tried to crate him, got his head stuck in the opening he created and got his collar ring thingy that holds his tags, hung up on the spike of metal left from the chewing. That day I had to leave him over about 7 hours due to doctor appts, shoppping and dropping hubby off and picking hubby up from work.

So this was a major event in the life of Jack.

[Beholden]

Originally Posted by Sabrina

Awww, way to go Jack!!

Jack gives you a great big lick Sabrina!

I'll keep on leaving him inside while I do short bursts of garden work outside. It wil keep him in practice.

you can try things like rescue remedy & bach flower essence too..

wht i do with my dogs is feed them in the crate...i give them their meal in the crate & they go in & i shut the door & they eat inside & then sit for a few before i go & open it again..teaches them the crate is an ok place..same for treats..if they want a treat they go in there...pretty soon they learn it is a good place to go & hang out..sometimes even if we are all taking a nap then that is the place where lowla (the one foster) will go..

some end up just using it as a quiet place to go & chill out..you can drape a blanket over a crate to just create a safer more den like space..that helps as well..

always remove a collar if leaving a dog in one alone...they can get caught & choke or really hurt themselves if they panic. seen it happen..not a pretty thing.

my other 2 bassets both hated crates...miss sally bent 2 metal doors on crates to escape. buster destroyed 1 crate & himself at a previous home..but when he was paralyzed he was able to understand that a crate was a safe spot for him...now the 2 of them will snuggle together in the crate..it's tight but they go in it willingly. i keep the door open & they have free access.

stumpy

the girls snoozing together

stumpy

[SunnyD]

Wow how cute.

On my thread on re-homing my dog we have a metal crate we are borrowing from our kids that is huge as it once housed a Mastiff.
We have a fenced in kennel right now for Sheena but she is trying to get out of it.
I relate to the wood work damage as we had this when we left her in the laundry room.
I have to train her to the crate in case we have to take her into the rental. There is a small yard and we have paid the extra to have her there but I am really hoping a wonderful home will come for her.

[Beholden]

Originally Posted by stumpy

you can try things like rescue remedy & bach flower essence too..

wht i do with my dogs is feed them in the crate...i give them their meal in the crate & they go in & i shut the door & they eat inside & then sit for a few before i go & open it again..teaches them the crate is an ok place..same for treats..if they want a treat they go in there...pretty soon they learn it is a good place to go & hang out..sometimes even if we are all taking a nap then that is the place where lowla (the one foster) will go..

some end up just using it as a quiet place to go & chill out..you can drape a blanket over a crate to just create a safer more den like space..that helps as well..

always remove a collar if leaving a dog in one alone...they can get caught & choke or really hurt themselves if they panic. seen it happen..not a pretty thing.

my other 2 bassets both hated crates...miss sally bent 2 metal doors on crates to escape. buster destroyed 1 crate & himself at a previous home..but when he was paralyzed he was able to understand that a crate was a safe spot for him...now the 2 of them will snuggle together in the crate..it's tight but they go in it willingly. i keep the door open & they have free access.

stumpy

Jack did chew his way through a metal crate, on Valium, made an opening just large enough for his head, got his collar caught. So I know how awful that can be for the dog. He didn't hurt himself thank goodness.

Our other dogs didn't mind their crates at all, but his one hates it. I did try the putting the treats in the back, leaving the door open, he would go in and get the treat or his Kong. But as soon as he is in there with the door closed, it is all over. I really don't think the crate should be used any more. I'm working more on him getting over his anxiety by baby steps and staying on his own in the whole house.

He just loves to be with people. He isn't fuzzy which people either. Though he is very bonded with the hubby and I.

[(JD)]

I wouldn't give up on the crate. You will always need something like that in an emergency...

I'd not close the door for ages yet of training. Keep putting the treat in and let him go in get it and come out... couple times a day, maybe for weeks... then tell him to go to "crate" or "place" (get to where you only have to say the one key word and he goes) and once he's in, give him the treat and let him come out...and do that a few times a day for a few weeks. Work up to him lying down in the crate to get the treat... and then leave... then, maybe by the end of summer, if he's done all that... have him lie down, close the door and give him the treat through the wire and open the door and let him out...

it will work... build up to it. It's called exposure therapy.

Be sure to deduct the treats from his daily food allotment or he'll get fat in a hurry. (Not that he'd care)

I think both ways on the collar deal. I know my brother fixed up the bathroom for his doggie for when he went out of town for 2 days... and came back to a flooded house. The collar had caught on the faucet in the tub... But then, even though my dog is double chipped, I don't even like letting him into the back yard at night for his "hurry up" without a collar on. (Hurry up is what I tell him when he has to pee or poo on demand (when I know he won't have a chance for a while etc. It sounds better than will you please just cr*p and get it over with dog? when in public ))

[Beholden]

JD,

Thanks for the training encouragements. I've all but given up on the crate becaue he has ruined it when he chewed the hole it in

I did use the treat as a bribe in the very beginning, and it was working. He didn't mind the crate as much as he hated being alone. That is when he gets so frantic. Therefore the chewing of metal!

He chew through leads as well. When we went for a visit in FL, I was helping my d-i-l with planting some flowers and doing the heavy clean up in the flower beds. Jack wondered away to explore a few times, so I put him on his leash and hooked it to the bumper on the truck. It wasn't long and he was sittiing right next to me on the other side of the house

The use of a key word has helped me a lot in getting Jack to listen, though I haven't figured out that you could make a dog "go" on command. I thought it was all just going when ever he felt the need. Then I got to thinking that it is his way of making sure I walk him enough, he holds it as long as he can because sometimes, especially when it is a cold snowy winter day, I want it over with right now! I'll have to try that key word stuff for my convience!