Help And Suggestions When Leaving My Dog

[daccydog]

Hi Everyone

Once a week we leave our two dogs for about six hours at one time , whilst i take my husband to hospital for chemotherapy

the older daccy doesnt care and is good, but our youngest 18mths old daccy is fretting when we leave and cries

I know this as our neighbours tell us when we get home , they are very good and try and talk to her and in return shes quite for a little while,but starts again

any suggestions would be appreciated as what to do , I can remember reading about rescue remedy ? but unsure how this works and if its safe enough

kind regards

Daccydog :rolleyes:

[The Spotted Devil]

Hi DD

Although the neighbours think they're doing the right thing, they may well be inadvertently reinforcing the behaviour by giving the dog attention when she cries. I've heard rescue remedy can be quite effective but I think you need to get to the source of the problem as well.

A couple of questions for you....When you are home, are the dogs inside or outside? When you are out, are the dogs inside or outside? How much time do the dogs spend alone apart from these six hours? It would really help for a start if you could give a little info along these lines :D

Hope your husband's chemo is going as well as can be expected :rolleyes:

[vnv]

I know it may not be the best option but my dog looks forward to us leaving now because that's when she gets all her toys and treats. We give her 2 kongs, some other rubber toys and usually a bit of something to chew like a pigs ear or trotter. Sometimes she also gets her breakfast in her treat ball. She has some other toys she plays with when we are at home (rope toy and frisbee) and her special toys only come out when we leave.

[LuvMyCav]

Hi daccydog, regarding the rescue remedy, you might like to look at this site:

http://www.bachflower.com/Rescue_Remedy.htm

The ingredients are all natural so there's no danger of overdosing or anything like that. It can be used on people and animals alike. A few drops in the water bowl or straight into the dog's mouth is fine.

[daccydog]

Hi DD

Although the neighbours think they're doing the right thing, they may well be inadvertently reinforcing the behaviour by giving the dog attention when she cries. I've heard rescue remedy can be quite effective but I think you need to get to the source of the problem as well.

A couple of questions for you....When you are home, are the dogs inside or outside? When you are out, are the dogs inside or outside? How much time do the dogs spend alone apart from these six hours? It would really help for a start if you could give a little info along these lines :p

Hope your husband's chemo is going as well as can be expected :D

Hi Spotted devil

thanks for your input,

when where at home the dogs are inside and outside, but sleep inside, but when we go out, they are outside , the only reason being is she the youngest would chew anything insight ? Maybe separation anxiety?????, They have a kong, toys, i leave a bone with my neighbour who gives it to them about an hour after we leave

I always feel bad for the older one as he is such a gooood dog

the only other time they would be left alone would be about 1 - 2 hours general shopping ect,

My hubby's chemo is going ok , but he has been very ill at times , not good

thanks again DD :D

Edited May 21, 2008 by daccydog

[daccydog]

I know it may not be the best option but my dog looks forward to us leaving now because that's when she gets all her toys and treats. We give her 2 kongs, some other rubber toys and usually a bit of something to chew like a pigs ear or trotter. Sometimes she also gets her breakfast in her treat ball. She has some other toys she plays with when we are at home (rope toy and frisbee) and her special toys only come out when we leave.

Hi lead & feather

yes i left her with a kong filled with biscuits , and a small bone , which she always buries in the garden :D

and of course her toys too, i really dont know what else to do ??????

thanks DD :D

[The Spotted Devil]

Hi DD

Although the neighbours think they're doing the right thing, they may well be inadvertently reinforcing the behaviour by giving the dog attention when she cries. I've heard rescue remedy can be quite effective but I think you need to get to the source of the problem as well.

A couple of questions for you....When you are home, are the dogs inside or outside? When you are out, are the dogs inside or outside? How much time do the dogs spend alone apart from these six hours? It would really help for a start if you could give a little info along these lines :D

Hope your husband's chemo is going as well as can be expected :p

Hi Spotted devil

thanks for your input,

when where at home the dogs are inside and outside, but sleep inside, but when we go out, they are outside , the only reason being is she the youngest would chew anything insight ? Maybe separation anxiety?????, They have a kong, toys, i leave a bone with my neighbour who gives it to them about an hour after we leave

I always feel bad for the older one as he is such a gooood dog

the only other time they would be left alone would be about 1 - 2 hours general shopping ect,

My hubby's chemo is going ok , but he has been very ill at times , not good

thanks again DD ;)

Sorry you are going through such a rough time at the moment :D

I know all about destructive teens in this house with a young Dally on the go :D I don't know your breed's traits so may be missing a few things that a Dachy owner could fill you in on. As I said, my Dal is rather destructive if left to his own devices but I am lucky to be home a fair bit. The very best way I've dealt with him is crate training - it's been an absolute life saver!!! I have an open crate in the laundry where he sleeps when I'm not home. Initially I put him in the crate with some treats in a Kong and stayed with him - as a young puppy he would fall asleep so I would leave him for a few minutes and get him up before he cried. I gradually increased the time he spent in there and always made it a positive place to be - yummy chicken wing for bedtime really helped I always make sure he's had a good walk or some serious obedience training....when I tell him it's "time for bye byes" he races to his crate, eats his treat and then sleeps soundly. If I get home from a short trip and get Zig up too soon he won't get out of his crate as he's quite settled. Basically, he's worked out that crate time = sleep time. He's rarely there for more than 4 hours at a time but, if he is, takes the opportunity to catch up on some sleep - he's extremely relaxed about it now and I can leave him without worrying.

Zig is the type of dog that COULD suffer from separation anxiety as he is very attached to me and requires lots of mental stimulation. Left to his own devices in the backyard he would more than likely dig, chew, destroy and escape.....just because it's fun most likely!

Hope some of that helps ;)

[sjl79]

Our dog used to whine when left home alone (he's 6.5 months old now, and we seemed to have stopped it, at least for the last few months at least!).

I think the neighbours talking is reinforcing the negative behaviour. We were told by our trainer, to test our puppy by setting him up alone (but where we were within earshot, but out of sight, like through the door) and to verbally correct the whining as soon as it starts. Second it stops give a praise. We did this consistently and it worked a treat.

So if your neighbours are willing to help, get them to use whatever verbal correction you use (we used Bark Busters and their method is to low deep BAAARGH) as soon as the whining starts, then to praise (not too much) the quiet. Practice this yourselves too. It worked so effectively for us.

Hope that helps?

[daccydog]

BIG thankyou to all

I've had a chat with another neighbour friend . who has kindly offered to take them for a walk for about an hour whilst where away , hopefully it will make her verrry tired, fingers xed anyway

chemo will only go on for another two weeks, then on to radiotherapy now this will not take as long,

thanks DACCYDOG