kitty Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 ok so Molly (our 8 week old cocker) has the Laundry for her long term confinment until she is a little bit bigger. It's quite a large laundry, and we have installed a modified baby gate across the doorway. The laundry is actual in the middle of the house, and is very warm, and has good air flow. She has everything she could possibly want in there... treats scattered and hidden, her crate, lots of toys and kongs, a wee mat, water..... everything. Well, the issue is that Molly is somehow getting out of the baby gate. We have experimented and put her in there and hidden, so we can try and find how she is getting out, but it seems she only does it when no one is home. The baby gate has a plastic fencing type material across the outside of it (that she can't chew) to make the holes smaller, as cockers are pretttty small pups. It's safe to say that she hates being alone, and frets quite badly. I've read all the threads about confidently walking in and out of the house, and not making a fuss of her, so i think in her case, she's still just settling in, and missing her mum and brothers. Is she somehow getting over the baby gate? Any advice on how to make the baby gate extra secure and safe for her would be greatly appreciated. She's getting a run this weekend, so she will have less time in the Laundry, but i still need her to be comfortable in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7point6 Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Hi Kitty, My lil girl use to climb out of her enclosure, the fencing I used was about 5ft high and she would escape quite often until we figured out how she was doing it! I secretly think she is a mountain goat in disguise but that is a different issue lol. Maybe check if there is anyway she could be climbing out? Is there anything she could be pressing her back up against? Goodluck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 close the door when you are not home is she getting a run inside or outside? bit nippy for a little cocker outside. How much time does she spend with you when you are home about the house? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 Hi Kitty,My lil girl use to climb out of her enclosure, the fencing I used was about 5ft high and she would escape quite often until we figured out how she was doing it! I secretly think she is a mountain goat in disguise but that is a different issue lol. Maybe check if there is anyway she could be climbing out? Is there anything she could be pressing her back up against? Goodluck! nothing for her to lean her back against... i guess in theory she could be using the plastic fencing on the outside to climb herself up... but it would be a mammoth task, and i really don't think she could make it all the way up there.... i swear i've never heard of an escape artist cocker.... i'm hoping that her separation anxiety will settle down once she knows the house routine.... she's only having her second day by herself today, and she is beside herself to say the least but that's not worrying me at all...... yet She isn't frustrating me at all (seriously), i know that the first year will be hard, but it will all be worth it, and eventually it will feels like a lifetime since she was a puplet and causing havoc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 close the door when you are not home is she getting a run inside or outside? bit nippy for a little cocker outside. How much time does she spend with you when you are home about the house? i was going to put the run outside... for her to use between maybe 2-4 in the afternoon, and on the weekends, or if we have guests around. I am home from bout 5.10pm every day, and i leave for work about 7.30am but get up around 6 to spend time with her and tire her out a bit. My OH's brother (who lives with us) gets home around 2, and whilst he's happy to let her out of the laundry he can't supervise her the way she needs to be, that's why i wanted the run.... plus i hate her being cooped up for so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Kitty: i'm hoping that her separation anxiety will settle down once she knows the house routine.... The fact that she's escaping where you put her doesn't mean she has separation anxiety Kitty, unless she's trying to follow you. Where do you find her when you get home? My guess is that she doesn't find the laundry as attractive as you perceive it to be. They ARE heat sinks. Put the palm of your hand on the laundry floor for a guage of how warm it is down at her level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 i'm hoping that her separation anxiety will settle down once she knows the house routine.... she's only having her second day by herself today, and she is beside herself to say the least but that's not worrying me at all...... yet Yes I agree with Nekhbet, close the door. Also don't be too quick to class your puppy's behaviour as separation anxiety, yes she doesn't like being left alone but this is natural in a puppy that has just been removed from its dam and siblings and transplanted to a totally alien environment. True separation anxiety is a different condition altogether and much more serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 the Laundry is possibly slightly cooler than the rest of the house..... the back door (which we leave open with just the screen) is directly across from the laundry, and has a good air flow through it. We have an open plan house, so the temperature is quite even throughout... i didn't mean her escaping was separation anxiety, i just mean her whinging and whining and sounding like a strangled cat..... she's just getting used to being left alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 the Laundry is possibly slightly cooler than the rest of the house..... the back door (which we leave open with just the screen) is directly across from the laundry, and has a good air flow through it. We have an open plan house, so the temperature is quite even throughout...i didn't mean her escaping was separation anxiety, i just mean her whinging and whining and sounding like a strangled cat..... she's just getting used to being left alone. Go put your hand on the laundry floor Kitty.. I expect you'll find it a lot cooler than you think it is. My guess is that she gravitates to where she spends time with the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 i'm hoping that her separation anxiety will settle down once she knows the house routine.... she's only having her second day by herself today, and she is beside herself to say the least but that's not worrying me at all...... yet Yes I agree with Nekhbet, close the door. Also don't be too quick to class your puppy's behaviour as separation anxiety, yes she doesn't like being left alone but this is natural in a puppy that has just been removed from its dam and siblings and transplanted to a totally alien environment. True separation anxiety is a different condition altogether and much more serious. do you mean have both the Laundry doors shut??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 the Laundry is possibly slightly cooler than the rest of the house..... the back door (which we leave open with just the screen) is directly across from the laundry, and has a good air flow through it. We have an open plan house, so the temperature is quite even throughout...i didn't mean her escaping was separation anxiety, i just mean her whinging and whining and sounding like a strangled cat..... she's just getting used to being left alone. Go put your hand on the laundry floor Kitty.. I expect you'll find it a lot cooler than you think it is. My guess is that she gravitates to where she spends time with the family. maybe i should explain our house better... the entire house has vinyl flooring, and the laundry is smack bang in the middle of the house, in a room opposite the Laundry. The laundry has one external door that is always shut, and the internal door is open. I would understand the Laundry being cool if there were tiled floors but not vinyl. i would expect it to be no cooler than say the kitchen. I'm not sure where she is going when she gets out of the Laundry, when i come home to check on her, she's always in the hallway walking towards the front door.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 maybe i should explain our house better... the entire house has vinyl flooring, and the laundry is smack bang in the middle of the house, in a room opposite the Laundry. The laundry has one external door that is always shut, and the internal door is open. I would understand the Laundry being cool if there were tiled floors but not vinyl. i would expect it to be no cooler than say the kitchen. I'm not sure where she is going when she gets out of the Laundry, when i come home to check on her, she's always in the hallway walking towards the front door.... Yes, a vinyl floor will make a difference. Is there somewhere she sleeps when she's not in the laundry.. you may be able to find out where she's going by finding a warm spot where she's been sleeping. However, closing the door will solve the escape issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 the only place she sleeps when she's not in the laundry is on her blanket - which goes in the laundry with her, and in her crate, which is also in the laundry. When you say shut the door PF, do you mean shut both doors, or just the internal one and leave the screen door open? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 the only place she sleeps when she's not in the laundry is on her blanket - which goes in the laundry with her, and in her crate, which is also in the laundry.When you say shut the door PF, do you mean shut both doors, or just the internal one and leave the screen door open? How strong is the flywire on the screen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 i haven't tested it to be honest - we only got the screens put in about 6 weeks ago, because we've only just moved in. It's not the old flimsy style - it's quite solid and doesn't move around too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumbeat Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Is she somehow getting over the baby gate? You might find she's squeezing through the bars, our pup could get through ours when she was small. We had a puppy pen we used when we were out although she worked out how to open the door within the first week, luckily it was easy to secure it with a spring clip!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 definately can't be squeezing through the bars..... we have the plastic fencing over top of it so the biggest hole would be maybe 3cm wide..... definately not big enough for her... i guess tomorrow we'll just close the internal laundry door and open the external one for air flow. definately not my idea situation. Someone at work suggested we use a piece of ply wood instead of the baby gate...... i'm not sure i like that idea though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all that glitters Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 About the crying like a strangled cat.. My pup is doing that too It lasts from 5-25mins depending, then she shuts up and sleeps for a bit. My pup also had her 2nd day alone while we were at work, and her blanket felt warm so I think she had been sleeping/lying down before we came home. She hears us come through the front door though, so starts whining.. and some of her furry toys were wet in saliva so she was chewing em which is good lol. Mine also cries when I leave her outside and come back in without her, although yesterday arvo she stopped making noise after 5 minutes and laid in the sun and listened to the dog next door bark.. she stayed out there quietly for 20mins!! Then later when I tried again she cried, I think it will just solve itself as our pups age and know their routine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Do you not have a backyard?? How much time does pup spend outside being a dog?? I agree with others dont get confused with Sep anxiety.Its over used to much these days & true sep anxiety is your worse nightmare. Just remember pup is spending alot of time in the laundry given that it also sleeps there. You may think its a nice place but that is where pup is spending all its time.Escaping & venturing off is more fun & interesting. Gundogs are tough little critters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Also don't be too quick to class your puppy's behaviour as separation anxiety, yes she doesn't like being left alone but this is natural in a puppy that has just been removed from its dam and siblings and transplanted to a totally alien environment. True separation anxiety is a different condition altogether and much more serious. Agreed! She is simply a baby puppy looking for her family. She is also doing what pups do- EXPLORE their surroundings. If your laundry has a window- leave that open a crack, and close any solid doors. No escaping It will be great for her t have an outside run- providing it is secure, roofed, floored, and containing interesting and slightly messy things for her to do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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