Advice Please! Distressed Escape Artist.

[Ms Genki]

We have a problem which is stressing the whole family out.

• I have a 2-3 year old leggy ridgeback mastiff x that I got from the pound over a month ago. He is male and desexed with a penchant for leaping over the 5ft front gate and exploring when no one is looking.
  
• He has a 45 minute walk in the morning with some training, in the hopes that it will wear him out (he also gets a 30 minute walk in the evening). It usually doesn't.
  
• We then place him in a fenced enclosure which is about 3mx4mx1.8m (height), covered by a roof of wooden lattices tied tightly to the walls and covered with shadecloth.
  
• We sprinkle food around the enclosure and place a kong with his breakfast in it before departing. This is the only way to distract him from barking hysterically when we leave in the car. He has a marrow bone once a week but that is quickly gone by the end of one day. He also has a few toys in there.
  
• Our 3 year old female lab is well behaved and stays in the yard.
  
• Our yard is fenced on 3 sides by 6ft corrugated fencing, we're in the process of asking our neighbour, again, to share the cost of fencing the broken wooden 5ft fence between our properties- they are reluctant to secure their investment property properly, despite having two tenant families which are scared of both dogs. The fencing needs to be done before we can install an adjourning higher front gate at the car port.
  
• I stayed at home today to watch what he gets up to when we're away. After eating his food, he repeatedly scales the fence to knock his head against the roofing. He shows no interest in his favourite toys and keeps jumping up against the fence and the roofing.
  
• There are moments when he settles down, usually when the lab is sniffing and wandering around that part of the yard. Other than that, he is preoccupied with escaping and bites and pulls at the chain wire fence. Our neighbours told us that he barks all day and he keeps knocking over his drinking bucket which is a real concern as the weather gets hotter.
  

I have tried addressing his separation anxiety and getting him accustomed to the enclosure with little success. Am at my wits end and could use some suggestions to keep him distracted during working hours, until the fence is fixed. I have no control over when the new fence is installed as it's my parents' property but I am pushing for it by offering to pay their share of the costs. My parents are getting fed up with him because they've never had these problems with our other dogs but I am determined to try everything before I consider the possibility of rehoming.

Please help if you have ideas/shared experiences/reccomendations for a good behaviouralist in Canberra

Edited November 29, 2009 by Ms Genki

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i would get in contact with a good trainer/behaviouralist. then you will get ideas on how to manage this, support for making the changes and someone who can examine the behaviour and make sense of it.

good luck

[persephone]

Rehoming a dog like this is not the most responsible of actions, sorry Passing on a dog with such problems is unfair.

I would also suggest contacting a GOOD, experienced trainer/behaviourist.This is going to need a lot of work and expertise... and some hard decision making.

What is he like if you leave him inside?

What is his general behaviour?

leash walking/recall/friendliness/housetraining, etc.

[sas]

Getting him used to the enclosure will not neccessarily assist with seperation aniexty as that is not the core of the problem.

I would suggest having a Behaviourist come out and assist you with the problem.

Re-homing him is just sending the problem elsewhere.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i also agree that rehoming isn't an option it is just passing on the problem

[Vickie]

Agree with the behavouralist suggestion.

One little thing I would be doing immediately is rather than putting him in the run right before you leave, put him in 20-30 mins before you leave. Also don't let him out for 20-30 after you get back home.

[Ms Genki]

Rehoming a dog like this is not the most responsible of actions, sorry Passing on a dog with such problems is unfair.

I would also suggest contacting a GOOD, experienced trainer/behaviourist.This is going to need a lot of work and expertise... and some hard decision making.

What is he like if you leave him inside?

What is his general behaviour?

leash walking/recall/friendliness/housetraining, etc.

You guys are right, rehoming is passing the problem and I would rather move out and find rental accommodation to take him and be poor than give him away and cause more unnecessary disrruption in his life. It is my parents who are threatening to rehome/return him to the pound. They are giving me grief that I got a young adult dog from the pound (he temp tested positively and then these problems started shortly when he came home), as opposed to a puppy from a breeder, but that was my choice and I don't regret it. What I do resent is them telling me that I'm 'throwing away' my savings on a problem dog when I'm the one who exercises, trains and actually spends time with both dogs while working/studying a 47 hour week. I'm also the only one who goes out to find them if they slip out the gate.

His general behaviour:

• Leash walking - pulls (something we are working on) but settles down at a slower pace into the walk. He wears a check chain on walks but I consciously use my voice and the clicker more often than the check chain to control him, for obvious reasons, and he listens to me.
  
• Recall - 85% with the use of a squeaky toy or ball (he is tennis ball mad) he always hangs around the property and comes back to me if he slips out the front gate, whereas the other dog would bolt straight for the main road.
  
• Friendliness - is curious/excited and then friendly around large dogs and boisterous around smaller dogs, quiet and a bit aloof around unknown humans. I make sure that he sits beside the path when meeting approaching dogs on walks for this reason and he usually complies. He goes to training and occasionally the dog park and has not been aggressive to anything since I got him.
  
• Housetraining - goes to the toilet outside, knows to stay away from parts of the house that he isn't allowed in and will cease undesired behaviour if ignored or sprayed once with water. I'm not confident leaving him inside during a hot 8 hour weekday as he once busted out of the study window- that cost me several lectures from my parents and $325.
  

He has calmed down now and is just curled up in the corner of the enclosure. Exhaustion perhaps. I'm monitoring him all day from the house, I don't think he knows I'm here.

Edited November 29, 2009 by Ms Genki

[persephone]

poor poor boy

I hope that someone can give you teh help you need...you sound as if you are doing teh right things so far....

[sas]

Seperation Aniexty can manifest in a dog from a pound or a puppy from a breeder this is why it has been reccomended seeking the assistance from a Behaviourist.

One of the most common reasons for seperation aniexty is confusion of pack structure which is definately work-able.

[Sandra777]

Can't add much to what has been said, when you get the fence fixed are you intending to leave him in the yard during the day? I certainly wouldn't as he's proven his jumping ability! Any chance of putting the lab in the run with him and seeing if this helps - not a permanent solution but perhaps a stop-gap measure until you can get his problems sorted.

[Jigsaw]

You need a behaviourist who can show you how to do some desensitisation and counterconditioning to departures and him learning to relax when you are out of sight. Rescues often develop separation anxiety from their carers or adoptive owners.

[Ms Genki]

Thank you so much for the suggestions, everyone - especially for the added insight on separation anxiety and rescues. No doubt I'll be berated by my $-conscious folks for seeking the assistance of a specialist, but that's the norm in my life, I can't do anything right by them. The only thing keeping me sane in this household are my dogs...

I am exhausted from trying to fix this myself and will be away from home for 8 weeks next year. Now that I've seen how distressed he becomes when we're away, I can't bear to have it repeated every weekday. He's also started nipping at me. It definitely feels like it will be a long journey of rehabilitation, my only relief is that my sibling will be back home to help me out with the dog and our parents .

On to the search for a good behaviouralist....

Thanks again.

Edited November 30, 2009 by Ms Genki

[Zug Zug]

You have my sympathy - I had one a bit like this and the sight of them casing that fenceline with such determination is deeply worrying, isn't it? Where there is a will, there always seems to be a way to get out. It's removing the will that seems to be the key. And (of course) creating a home version of Fort Knox!

How my rescue dog survived all those escapes from the yard I'll never know. We lived very close to some very busy roads at the time. And then (after much effort on our part) she settled down, but each time we moved house the problem reappeared and we had to sort her out all over again. But each time it was a bit easier than the last time.

She's pretty old now and we won't be moving again. She's a lovely dog, but a complicated beastie - no question.

Not easy AT ALL (for your parents either by the sounds of things).

I think putting both dogs in together might be a really great idea and well worth a try. And the behaviourist is a very sensible plan.

I don't have any other advice except hang in there - in time and with the right help you will find a solution that can work for you, your parents and your dogs.