Help needed (Deja!!!) - Paw Talk

RSbunny · #1 02-07-2004, 05:43 AM

Ok so I have found one problem so far with Biscuit......she appears to suffer from seperation anxiety. I just had to go up the road to my friends house to give her rabbit fresh water cause they have gone away for the night and I just left Biscuit in the house. As we were coming back I could hear her yelping and howling. I ignored her for a couple of minutes when we got inside but she must've heard us coming cause she stopped when we got to the path. I'm hoping it's just because of all the changes she has had in the last few days but I have to treat it like it's not obviously so any tips on beating this will be greatly appreciated! She is going to be left at my mum's all day tomorrow and now I'm worried as to how she'll go cause no-one will be there. I have filled her kong up with peanut butter and it is now in the freezer so hopefully she won't notcie we are gone straight away. she was fine in my mum's backyard tonight for a while (I forgot to bring her in after her dinner!) so I'm hoping we can sneak out of there tomorrow and things will be fine. I know this is a fixable problem so I'm not too concerned about it but would like to nip it in the butt before it goes any further!! Anyone can suggest I just wrote Deja's name in the title cause I wanted to make she seen this cause she always knows what to do in these situations!!! Thanx guys for any help!!

Pure14K · #2 02-07-2004, 08:45 PM

Well I don't have any advice or anything for you, but I do notice that my neighbors staffies have the same issue. They all have seperation anxiety. I don't know if it's a breed trait of not, but I'm sure someone will be able to help you overcome that. Good Luck

Formula86 · #3 02-08-2004, 02:49 AM

my dog has seperation anxiety and she is from an spca type place. i think that the reason that pound dogs have this is cause they are soooooooo happy that they have a real mommy/daddy that they get scared when i they leave. she just doesn't know if you are coming back yet.
what i would do is confine her to a somewhat smaller place when you leave. maybe the bathroom or kitchen with blankies, toys, water, treats, etc. if she is potty trained, that shouldn't be a prob. mine didn't start acting up until she started to figure out that i was her mom forever and she got attached to me. then she ate all my carpet, etc. so i would say, maybe a smaller area where she won't hurt herself or your house and also feel more secure.
more pics too! she is cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!

RSbunny · #4 02-08-2004, 03:50 AM

Well she was at my parent's house all day today and she started when we left but she was quiet when we got home and she hadn't chewed anything at all so I'm taking that as a good sign!! Thanks for your support guys!! And formula I have added another pic in a new thread...more is coming!!

RSbunny · #5 02-08-2004, 10:00 PM

*bump bump* Still need help you guys....she came to work with me today and goes for about five minutes each session...then stops for half hour or so and starts again......just bumping this back up incase anyone has anymore ideas. So far we praise her when she's quiet (if we can get her straight away and know that she has been crying) or before we interact with her when we go home w emake her do a trick and then give her a treat so we aren't giving her attention and praising her thinking she has been quiet but she really hasn't. Just incase you know!

RSbunny · #6 02-09-2004, 11:35 PM

bump bump...deja!!! I know your online now girl!!! she appears to be getting better....I just left the house for twenty minutes then and when I came back she was lying on her bed...she is normally at the front door and she didn't follow me around either. I've been making a point of driving short distances that I would normally walk so she hears the car and knows I'm not always gone a long time.

Deja · #7 02-10-2004, 02:25 AM

Carmen! I'm sorry I haven't been here in a few days

Unfortunately life has been getting in the way of my PT time!!

<--- that is me going wonky!

My personaly feeling is that Biscuit is still making the transition and adjustment to her new life with you. It's going to take her a few weeks to settle in, get comfortable with her new routine and develop that deep trusting bond with you.
It sounds like she is doing really well! I wouldn't worry too much about the whining. She isn't being destructive in your absense which tells me that she is coping well!

I know you aren't crating her but does she have full run of the house or are you confining her to one room?
Sometimes it takes some time for them to literally get their scent on their bed or sleeping place, and her own scent in her place will comfort her.

I think you are doing a good job in helping her adjust and reassuring her that when you leave you will always come back! Once she gets confident with the fact that you do leave, and always return, she still may whine or show a little distress when you leave, but it sounds like once you are gone, she settles down and is just fine.

When you do return does she greet you enthusiastically? Head up, tail wagging? Jumping up? Basically really happy to see you? That is a good sign too.

Hang in there! She's very new, and being a re-homed dog (did you say she was 3 or 4 years old? I can't remember! Sorry

) it will take a little longer to get her adjusted. She's just adorable BTW!!

RSbunny · #8 02-10-2004, 04:14 PM

she doesn't greet me at the door.....she waits for me to come to her bed and wags her tail like crazy when I do greet her. She is confined to the dining room when I'm not home. When I am home she isn't confined but she knows that her bed is her place in the house and doesn't leave it often. She's around three Linda....and is very willing to please us. Since Saturday she has learnt 'drop' I haven't gone into much full on training with her cause she is so sick right now but it didn't take her long to learn what drop meant either. She has also learnt 'on your bed' too......she appears to be very clever so far and I wouldn't mind teaching her more than just the basic commands.

Deja · #9 02-10-2004, 05:16 PM

Awww Carmen! What is wrong with her? Why is she sick? What did the vet say it was?Poor baby!!

It sounds like she's doing great!! She might have been previously trained to stay until someone comes to "release" her.... that's not a bad thing! Do you think she's mellow and not very exuberant or excited right now because she's not feeling well?

I know you really want to start working her... I know you enjoy doing that the way that I do!! Just keep doing what you are doing for a while... encorporate commands into your day to day routine. Making her sit for everything, etc... you know the drill

It really sounds like she's a little shy? I might be interpreting what I have read about her the wrong way though... is she a little on the shy side?

She sounds like such a good girl... and I'm sure you are going to bond deeply with each other. She's a quick learner too, huh? YAY! That's always great - and makes us want to work with them all the more!

Keep me posted! I want to hear all about her! I feel like I have missed so much, just being gone from the board for a few days!

Give Biscuit a gentle belly rub for me and tell her that Auntie Nutjob says to get better real soon!!

RSbunny · #10 02-11-2004, 06:48 AM

aunty nut job

That's what I'm going to get my neice to call me from now on!!!lmbo
She has kennel cough Linda...the woman from the recue wasn't informed by one of the pounds that this other dog had kennel cough...they usually tell her all this stuff but somehow didn't bother so she put her in a kennel next to the other kennels and it spread fairly quickly...there are now 21 sick dogs at that shelter. The woman gave me antiobitcs for Biscuit even though she hasn't shown any signs of it at that stage but it didn't take long. She is slowly getting better...she is a little bit more perky now! I think she'll be abit more active when she is well but I did take her on one short walk before she got too sick and she was great energy wise on that!
She's not shy at all...she luuuvvvvssss people and goes to anybody for a big smmoch and then lies flat on her back for a nice big belly rub and groans while she's getting one!! she's embarassing!!!lol
I left her today for four hours and we have workmen here right now that are working in the front yard and they didn't hear her once...I think she is getting better!!Yah!! It could have just been cause she had three different homes in three days (the pound, the rescue, then me) and is settling in better now. She was sitting up for a fair amount of time today so whilst she's still coughing her nose has dried up (snot running everywhere before) and her eyes are brighter. Three days of antibiotics to go!

RSbunny · #11 02-11-2004, 07:00 AM

oh Linda I have to add she let me put my whole hand in her food bowl while she was eating today and just ate around me....I picked her bowl up and took it away and she just looked at me 'like darn it woman, stop playing games I'm trying to eat!'