seperation issues

[hevip]

hi , i have a 7 month old gsd bitch she is amazing, fully house trained and goes to obedience classes. when she was younger i got her used to being in the house on her own by going out for short periods extending to longer periods with no problems from her at all , she has never chewed anything other than what i give her to chew ie toys, dog chews etc, however she has started some strange behaviour, i only have to leave her for 5 mins in the house alone and she will destroy anything that is mine she will also do whatever she can to get things . ( example) i left the house for a few minutes yesterday and i realised i had forgot my purse i went back and she had jumped on the dining table to get it and chew it, she never touches anything else just my things ( sounds funny i know) , she has just started her first season has this got anything to do with it (i am having her spayed) if not is it a seperation issue and if so why has she always been ok and now she is not. please any advice would be welcome.

[xtina]

i have a 10 month rottweiler and i'm having the same trouble, he has destroyed two brand new mobile phones my purse and i pod, he has never touched anything belonging to my partner. i have tried everything from telling of to spraying my stuff with dog repellant.. my pup now wears a muzzle whenever he is alone in the house.. as he just can't be trusted

[hevip]

what type of muzzle do you use and how would your pup drink etc, some people i have spoken to have said to crate her but i feel like if i did that then i am going backwards in her training, i am going to have her spayed as i have been told that this can help as it will calm the hormomes down.

[Shelley02]

A crate is never a backward step in training a dog. It's the greatest toll invented. Leave her with a big chew bone in the crate while you are not home. Don't make a big fuss about coming home, ignore her for a few minutes while you put your things away and then let her out very calmly and bring her out to potty, then you can praise and play a while with her before going back inside. Crates are a dog's den, his place, his security. You shouldn't feel bad about using one.

[Carol]

I agree about the crate. It is not a form of punishment. It is their own space for safety and comfort.
Casey goes in and out of her crate regularly because I leave the door open... When I am vacuuming or using things that I prefer she not come in contact with, I shut the crate door and she can watch me while I work.
Never use it for punishment. Make it a pleasant experience.
Casey loves her crate even though she gets to sleep on my bed at night.

[hevip]

i had some advice from my vet regarding carlas behavoiur and he told me that i needed to start letting my husband take more time with her, ie walking ,playing ,feeding etc and not mother her to much ( and i admit i did totally mother her) ignore her when i come home ,not to make a fuss of her or what she has done to anything and i will admit after a few days she started to chew items less and now she does not really go for anything. we went out yesterday and ended up being gone for 3 hours and when we got home nothing had been touched at all , so so far so good.

[Carol]

Yes too much attention from one person and not the other seems to be a trigger for this bad behaviour from what I have been reading. I had to calm down on my attention towards Casey too.
There is only Casey and me so I make no fuss when I am about to leave her, I take her for a walk and then leave her quietly. Upon my return, I immediately take her for another walk and she has been fine recently.
She used to howl when I was gone and the neighbours would hear her.
They call it "singing" LOL

[May209]

Hi I'm new to the site and I'm hoping to get some advice for Grommit. He is a male cocker spaniel and he has issues. He is all about me his mommy. I have 4 kids and a hubby and everyone is good to him. For some reason every now and again he like or feels the need to lift his leg on blankets or clothes baskets with clothes in them. Sometimes on furniture too. It is not everyday though. If I could figure out why maybe I could help him. what to do. I'm open for any suggestions. Oh did I say that he is fixed and has been since he was 6 months old he is now 3.

[Carol]

Welcome...another cocker spaniel..So happy to see you on here.
I have a spayed 6 yr old cocker female.
I just acquired an 8 yr old unneutered male Jack russell/Beagle.
I was shocked to see him lift his leg and pee on anything and everything in my living room the first half hour he was here after the previous owner left.
I immediately put him outside on the leash and noticed he is constantly peeing and when he came back in, he drank an awful lot of water.
I will be visiting the vet in the next few days to have him checked for ailments that could be plaguing him like diabetes and urinary tract infection and the dreaded testicular cance but in the meantime I have been calmly attaching him to a leash I keep tied to my back doorknob and sending him outside every half hour. So far today, he has not done this in the house so I am hoping he was overstimulated and stressed in his new situation and reacting the way an unneutered dog does, spray everything.
He still has a problem, because he goes way more than normal and drinks way more than normal but at least with regular quiet invitations to go outside and no fuss over the mess he made, he at least is calming down and controlling it now.
Perhaps your pup is overstimulated as well. Time Outs in a crate where it is calm and restful may help. Or, if the puppy is going too much and drinking a lot more than normal, then a visit to the vet is in order.
Remember, when training or retraining, be calm and quiet about the mistakes, but praise profusely and pleasantly for the accomplishments.
I have now potty trained a 6 yr old cocker who had no clue how to tell me she had to go with this method and she scratches at the back door to go out.
I am hoping to get the same results for Jake.
I took me a few weeks with Casey so I do not expect overnight success with Jake.
Patience and persistence and consistency works wonders.
Cockers are so darn cute and those eyes melt your heart so it is easy to let them manipulate you.....you are the pack leader and the controller of the treats....do not let that cutey ever think otherwise ....

[May209]

Hey Carol,

Thanks for the advice. I think your right about the crate and some quiet time. Sweet Grommit tends to excite or get worked up easily. I will start that today and let you know how it goes over the next several days or weeks. Good luck with your Jack Russel.:)

[Carol]

Oh I hope it works for you. Today Jake had no pees in the house. I put him out every time he starts walking around and we go for lots of walks.
He is settling in nicely.
Casey, my cocker is such a sweet thing, she is enduring her mommy being slobbered on by a new dog, she is trying to climb over top of him to get to me. She is not sure how much she wants to share me. But all in all they do get along great. I have 2 hands so I am always patting with both hands LOL
2 of everything from now on ....better get used to it.
The calmness is the key with both of them now. Right now, I am typing and Jake is asleep in the crate with the door open and Casey is asleep in one of the dog beds in the living room. I hate to get up from here because it will mean 2 dogs up like a flash to follow me wherever I go. LOL

[Skiridr2005]

Hi, I'm new here....
I stumbled upon this site while trying to find a solution for my poor dog's issues. I'm an Animal Control Officer and I've recently adopted a 2yr old Deaf Pit. She lives with my boyfriend and doesnt seem to have bonded with him as much as she's bonded with me. Granted...she saw me everyday for 3 months while she was at our kennel and then she moved into a real house with my boyfriend and I leaving for work everyday.
I figured she would have some SA when she was moved from the kennel to home so I started at work bringing her into the office and leaving her alone (with the free roaming house cats) while I cleaned kennels and went on calls. For weeks she nevered showed any kind of distructive behavior or whining or barking...I made the (wrong) assumption that she'd do fine bringing her home. The first time she was left alone...for 15mins....at her new home she ate a door molding! So I brought a metal crate from work and started the crate training...and it seems her anxiety is getting worse! I know the deafness is a HUGE contributer but there isnt really any way to fix that!
Ive researched and researched till im blue in the face and there are SOOOO many "solutions" out there....but none seem to fit my lil girl.
:( :(


any ideas?!?!?


thanks

Kelly

[ldyharley01]

Your dog is more than likely experiencing several things at once. Her hormones are going crazy (like PMS), so it's probably causing stress. The stress is probably causing her to behave in a destructive way so she relieves the stress by chewing on your personal items. She chews on your items because she has bonded with you.
My advise is to have her spayed like you mentioned, and keep her in a crate while you aren't home. This will keep your house safe and will keep your dog safe.
I don't know if you are aware of it or not but I just want to mention that if there are any male dogs wandering around in your neighborhood, you should be extremely cautious when taking your dog outside. Even with your dog in the house, you might encounter some 'visitors'. Male dogs can smell a dog in heat for (seemingly) miles away and can get very aggressive with you and your dog. I have even heard of a male dog jumping through a glass window to get at a bitch in heat. The desire to mate during this time for the male is so strong that he will do almost anything to get at her. Please be careful.

[tina]

Hiya me and buddy are new here I have had buddy for nearly 6 years he still gets upset when i have to pop out when he was younger he used to eat all my foot wear so i could not go out i had to hide the only pair of shoes that i had he is not so bad now but he has only just learnt that i am comming back

[lovethatdogg]

Really, check this out, it may help. i have many of the same struggels.
http://www.wagntrain.com/SeparationAnx.htm
good luck
peace:p :) :D