Separation Anxiety???

[Bernadette]

My female Dachshund is now 11 months old. She has been in her crate during the day when we are at work. I have a neighbor who comes in and takes her out for about a half hour each day and plays with her in the yard. The Vet said it would now be OK to leave her out alone in the afternoon when this neighbor leaves. She is gated in the kitchen/ foyer area. She has her kennel, two beds, a small fortune in toys and a nice view of the front lawn and side yard. She is left out about 5 hours. She has taken an unfortunate liking to the carpet on the landing step that goes upstairs. We have gated the steps so she cannot go upstairs but she can get at the rug. She has ripped it up several times. I have sprayed it with bitter herb but that does not stop her. We have fixed it but she will tear it back up. She is also puppy pad trained but now has started tearing them up. What do I do now???? Do I confine her back to her kennel all day?? We are gone from 7am until 6pm. She is really a good dog when we are home and shows no destructive tendencies. Any helpful suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks----Sophie's mom

[Otto'sMom]

If she was happy in the kennel, and it was roomy enough, I'd just let her in there. If that's not an option, have your neighbor try filling up a kong toy with treats to keep her entertained. Good luck.

[cdb2238]

We had the same problem with our boy, Max, who's now almost 9 months old. We would gate him in the kitchen, and somehow he got his head through the gate and destroyed part of the carpet in the dining area. He would also shred the puppy pads or newspaper that we would leave for him to relieve himself on, and even chewed clean through one of the bars on the wooden gate.

We kind of did things backwards from a house training standpoint, because when we got tired of this behavior we bought a medium-sized wire crate to put him in during the day. He would still make a mess of any newspapers or pads, but it was at least easier to clean up! He wasn't making any progress as far as potty training, either--he would urinate on the towel we would put in his crate several times during the day. One good thing was that he would never poop in the crate or in our house.

We finally decided that his problem was separation anxiety, and that he needed a little brother to keep him company, so we got another puppy. We now put the puppy (Wolfgang , 12 weeks) in the wire crate so that he doesn't get hurt from rough play, and Max is loose in the gated kitchen with his bed and some toys. I also now make it a practice to come home for lunch and let the boys out to go potty.

With this setup, Max hasn't had even ONE accident in the kitchen, even when I got hung up at work and left them one day for about 6 hours! Wolfie has also done fairly well, only soiling the crate once in a while. I honestly think that Max was behaving as he was on purpose--he was mad that we were leaving him alone and this was his way of letting us know!

Good luck!
___________
Dave

[Meemoo]

do you leave either the TV or radio on? This might help..at least it's worth a try. You could also try adding a few drops of rescue remedy which may calm her down. The kong always works for us. ...we freeze it so it takes a lot longer to get the treats out...keeping the pupper busy and distracted while you are gone.

Good luck and I hope these suggestions have been helpful.

[carpet gator]

I had a similar problem with my dogs. They stay in the bathroom while I'm out, and if I don't leave them toys to play with, they get destructive. Once I came home and found my linoleum floor shredded. :angry: Needless to say, I was not a very happy camper. :cussing: Now I always make sure they have something else to take their frustrations out on.

[Bernadette]

I do leave the radio on for her all day and Sophie really loves country music. What is rescue remedy?? I have never heard of that. We have another Dachshund that is 9 years old. She is a puppy mill rescue and is very intimidated by Sophie. We have to keep her upstairs so she can have her peace. It would be nice if we could leave her downstairs to keep Sophie company but I am afraid that she will hurt her with her roughness. Thank you all for your suggestions--I appreciate everything. :flower:

[Meemoo]

RESCUE REMEDY The combination of flower essences produced under the trade name Rescue Remedy is widely considered to be the single most important remedy in animal healing. It has been described as "a first-aid kit in a bottle". Often it is all that is needed to rescue your dog from it's predicament and restore functioning. It is an invaluable quick-acting remedy for use in emergencies and has saved the lives of many dogs. Many vets use it routinely to calm dogs before examining them, and before and after surgery and many other treatments. It is often the first line approach because shock is a major factor in many conditions. As many as 90% of animal problems are fear related and can be helped by relaxation. Rescue Remedy does not interfere with other flower essences, but works with them to reinforce their effects. It may be safely used with any medication your dog is on. It is safe and has NO side effects

You can purchase this at a GNC...it is also available in doggie catalogs.

[Bernadette]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH--I WILL TRY IT AND LET YOU KNOW HOW IT WORKS. DO I NEED TO ASK MY VET FIRST OR CAN I JUST TRY IT ON HER??:confused: :

[Meemoo]

as it states..it doesn't interact with any other meds. Just a few drops either on her tongue or in the water. Don't expect miracles...but it may just take the edge off her anxiety. They have similiar doggie products like pet calm etc. which are very similar.

Good luck!