poochmad

A bit of background. We purchased Henschke at 8 weeks of age from a breeder who had the two pups (he is only from a litter of two) and who kept the pups in a pen at the back of the yard, where they could carry on to their heart's content. When we first got Henschke, we had a problem with him from the beginning and that was that as soon as he was put in the puppy pen, he howled, non-stop for hours on end...even though we were standing right next to him! To stop this, we had a behavourist come out who helped us with fixing the problem. He was not surprised when I told him that Henschke was only one of two and commented that the dogs he helps with separation anxiety are usually from a single or two dog litter. When I told the trainer that Henschke was only staying inside for 4 weeks until he was a bit bigger before being given access to the back yard, the trainer strongly suggested that we don't put him out in the yard until he was 6 months old. The reason being, is that he said that a number of dogs were stolen in our area... After that, we were paranoid about him and watched him a lot. Too much, in hindsight. He was kept indoors until he got too big for the puppy pen and well, basically our problems with him started from the very beginning. Anyway, hubby and I both now recognise and agree that through our actions we now have a dog that stresses when we're not near him. Especially with me. We have followed advice given here on DOL and each time we have changed our behaviour, it has worked. (Although he tends to go three steps forward, one step back.) Through DOL advice, we have done and still do the following: Allowing him access to inside/outside, through a doggy door. Giving him a frozen kong stuffed with chicken. Giving him a sand pit with hidden treats. Hiding treats around the yard. Giving him stimulus toys to occupy him (biscuit cube, home alone toy, everlasting treat ball). Rotating his toys. Walking calmly out the front door with confidence. Ignoring him in the morning and when we return until he calms down. The above has been modified to suit his behaviour. For example, we would make the mistake thinking all was well, give him a little too much attention in the morning and then come home to find he'd been stressed by the way things had been strewn around or that his bed had been chewed. After that, we looked at our behaviour and then change it by ignoring him in the morning and giving him little pats at night. Recently, all seemed to be well, even though some days we came home to find he had been stressed (by the evidence we had previously identified by the state of the house and the discussion from the neighbours. The days he was good, the house was fine, the days that he stressed, he was noisy and the house had suffered), our neighbour was telling us that all was quiet. Recently we had work done on our house and hubby took Henschke to work with him. That started a new behaviour, scratching on the back of the front door. It's so bad now that he's taken a lot of the paint off the door and there are big gouge marks down the door frame and wall. We don't look at that as 'bad dog', we look at that, and think, 'poor dog'. He never, ever, gets in trouble for any damage he does. We know that it's only stress that is causing him to act out and if he was punished (not that you could unless you were there), it would only stress him out more. We have started assessing what type of day he has by the damage to the front door. Scratch marks and dirt meant he'd had a hard day. On Friday night we made a big mistake. We went out at night time but didn't follow the routine we had created, which left our dog nice and calm. Hubby had forgotten to close the upstairs bedroom door and because we had people waiting, rushed out the door. The result was that Henschke starting barking (in a distressed state) and didn't stop barking until we got home...three hours later. We were hoping it was just a night thing so on the Saturday we went out for an hour and when we came home he heard us and started barking and the door had been damaged. That day we had to take him to the vet for a medical follow up and ended up telling the vet what was happening. Surprisingly, he was very good about it and told us that separation anxiety is very serious and that he had actually put dogs down that ended up turning on themselves or other pets. He gave us a training pamphlet which basically details what we have been practicing above. The only difference is that the preferred method is to not leave the dog at all so that you aren't putting the dog in a distressed state. The idea is to build up the time the dog is apart so it doesn't become distressed and so it can get calm through a controlled departure schedule. The other option he gave us is to use medication which would inhibit the anxiety felt in our dog and at the same time following the new training procedure. This he suggested be given as a last resort. Due to us not being able to not have him at home alone or to take him to work, the desensitising is the best we can do. So, after a bit more research here on DOL, we decided to remove our focus on the dog and mould him into being more independent. As well as the previous actions, we are now done/doing the following: moved his bed away from near husband in loungeroom to an area by himself (is around the corner out of site). not allowing him access to me when I'm in the bathroom, in the study or in the kitchen - all doors are shut. periodically, throughout the day and night, going through the process as though going out (picking up car keys, picking up bag, going to front door), then returning to whatever doing, all the while ignoring the dog. Periodically, both night and day, going out the front door, waiting while Henschke's quiet (if he scratches, wait until he stops for a while) before going inside and ignoring the dog. No talking to the dog. Reducing affection. Only giving a brief pat when dog called and instructed to sit. walking him twice a day - 20 mins in morning, 40 mins at night. moved his feeding out of kitchen (used to eat with me) to where his bed is. allowed him access to one of the front rooms (devoid of all things that can be chewed) so he can see outside (as he loves to people watch) He seems to be getting a bit better in that he's not scratching at doors when I close them and after a little while (we ignoring him), he goes to his bed. My mother has been listening outside the house and has reported all is quiet until 5.30pm, when it's getting dark. So to counter this, we left the outside light on as we figure that he may be crying then as he's waiting for us to come home. Is there anything else we can do or should be doing to ensure our dog stops stressing when we're not there? Will we have to treat him like this for the rest of his life, or are there only some aspects we will need to follow so that he doesn't get overly attached again? Note: we have decided to get another dog, but only when we have this problem 'licked' as I don't want to take the risk the pup developing the same anxiety if it copies our dog. Also, I don't believe another dog would stop it, as it's not dogs that he's focused on, it's us.

Speaking from experience. Many years ago I had a fear aggressive dog - towards both people and dogs. He showed the same behaviour in or outside the house. Our current dog went through a fear period and also showed the same behaviour at home or out. So from my experience, if the dog is going to be fearful, it will show those behaviours regardless of its environment.

If your dog has an infection he will need to go on antibiotics. Also, if you don't take him to the vet and it gets worse, you could end up with a ruptured anal gland which is incredibly painful and will require surgery! Also, if your dog does have an infection now, that will also be causing him pain. Our dog has consitent problems with his anal glands and needs a special diet as well as having them released weekly.

Is there any chance it could be his cruciate ligament? Henschke did this when he stepped sideways onto a thistle at the same time he was doing a poop and leaped straight into the air! Luckily it wasn't a full tear; the vet only thinks a minor one. He was favouring his leg, whining and not putting it down. Apparently it's very painful and if it's a full tear requires surgery. In the end we just kept him quiet, didn't walk him for a week and he was right as rain. I'd take him to a vet first before a chrio - because they can give you pain meds and anti-inflammatories if it is his cruiciate ligament.

It sounds as though they are too lazy to do it and well, why bother, because you do it? (I bet that's what they're thinking!) *Grumble.* Sometimes the only way to get people to listen, is to hit them where it hurts - the hip pocket!

Sounds odd. Have you tried walking him on the lead around the back yard? Maybe try there and then venture further and further away from your house?

I've been lucky. Our pup has never done this and he's now 11 months old.

Can definitely recommend an aussie toy - especially the one that is hung up and has treats in it. Not only is it tough, but provides hours of fun for a dog that is motivated by food. Considering yours is a lab, would definitely give the aussie home alone toy, two thumbs up.

Agree with others' posts...also would like to add, make sure there is room around her so no one accidently gets bitten. Especially ensure that no one approaches her while she's sleeping as well as ensuring that no children go near either. Definitely would also give the crate a go, hopefully that will help her reaction.

I'd suggest making the walk fun rather than training at the moment until she's comfortable and happy on the lead. Perhaps leave the formal training, back, heel, etc until she's a little older?

The water we have in our town is very drying. All of us in our family, including the dog need to moisturise to stop dry skin developing. For Henschke we use a 'show' shampoo which we were recommended to help with his 'sheen'. We also use a 'leave in conditioner' that is sprayed onto his coat while still wet. However, we also use Omega 3,6 and 9 oil which you can get at specialty dog stores. If we only used the shampoo/conditioner, his coat woudl not be as nice. (Not sure if they have it at Pet Barn.) Attached is a photo of Henschke showing his lovely shiny coat. My suggestion to you would be to talk to your breeder about the product/s they use and then go to a dog show next time there is one near you and purchase the products from there. They can provide you with them on the spot and then you know what works for your dog and can then purchase online.

Poor darling. What a scare for you! Glad to hear she's home and starting to recover. No chance though, it could have been snail bait?

We use Oyster 10 blade. It's used on his chin, neck and tops of ears only. We use thinning scissors under his ears, around his feet (remove the hair underneath and between the toes). For his hairy front legs, we don't shave them as that will wreck the coat. We use a mars comb to remove the dead hair and a stripping blade. Obviously, the grooming of our dog is different to what you would do as Henschke is a show dog. I'm sure others with pets will be able to also advise.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience in their dog or know of a dog that had surgery on its anal gland to fix constant problems. What sort of costs can be expected, what was the surgery and did it fix the problem? Thanks

Our dog often gets a cracked nose and the best advice I was given from DOL was to use paw paw ointment, that you can readily get from chemists. Let me tell you, it's a miracle ointment! Henschke had a cracked nose recently and in 3 days, I couldn't find which side was the saw one!

If you do use collars you can purchase 'quick release' collars, which break away if the dog gets caught on something. You could try using bitter spray to deter the dog from chewing on it.

Wow! Congratulations on your Marnie! She's adorable! Love the photos!

I agree. Photo required, please. We were looking at a brown poodle (some call them chocolate, but the colour is brown) and the pups are a lovely colour when young, but the colour does 'fade' as they get older. In the end we went with a different breed and he's a lovely dark liver colour (chocolate colour for the ignorant), as dark as a chocolate lab. He's lovely. I do know that if he goes out in the sun for long periods of time, his colour will be bleached by the sun and he will end up lighter and with possible orange tints.

I'd just take him to the vet anyway and get him checked over. The beauty of taking him now before a vaccination is due, is that the first trip can be a nice experience for him so he will happily go in future. Could be worms, could be anal glands, could be his hair, could be any number of things. While you're at the vet, you can ask him/her all the questions you have and build up a rapport now.

Henschke has started cocking his leg on people (and anything that is standing still) and there seems to be a differing opinion on whether it's a dominance or a 'male' thing. Unfortunately, I haven't caught him doing it on people yet to tell him off, but I did tell him off tonight when he went to pee on a box inside the house! He stopped immediately. I'd be interested to learn whether this is a dominant gesture or whether it's purely an undesexed teenage thing...

I wouldn't worry about it. It's good that your dog is so accepting of other people. Henschke is 100% my dog, but he loves a very good friend of mine...whenever she's around he will sit near her and look at her adoringly. I think it's good because it means he will be well looked after when we go away and also I know that if he had to choose, I know he'd choose me. Just be happy that your dog is welcoming and enjoys the company of other people.

Absolutely. This is exactly what we've found with Henschke. Burying treats in the sand pit has only encouraged him to dig there leaving the rest of the yard alone.

Besides a lot of hard work (think double trouble) it's also difficult to train both dogs consistenly - telling one off for doing the wrong thing, while the other is doing the right thing, can be confusing (who's right, who's wrong) to the pups. You can end up teaching them all the wrong things by accident. Another thing to be mindful of is the fact there is a good chance the two pups will bond to each other instead of to you...that in itself can cause a variety of issues.

If you're worried about her, you could just get her a lovely warm jacket for the night time. My sister's dog is a Ridgeback and he has a lovely kennel, filled with blankets and a warm jacket to wear. They are in Canberra, which is a lot colder than Sydney and he's always happy.

Henschke did this too up until recently. We just gave him chew bones which are a lot more interesting and he stopped. The only wood that I would be concerned with is the wood that's attached to your furniture. (Yep, he did that too! LOL.)