Dog With Social Anxiety Disorder..

[Joshua_P]

Okay my stupid sisters got a dog (cocker spaniel) whilst I lived overseas, the dog is around 1.5-2 years old now. They didn't train him, and now I'm back he is attached to me, and can't be left alone at all.

If I put him outside he will whine really loudly and scratch at the door ALL DAY until someone lets him in. I took him for a walk the other day to get some food, I tied him outside and as soon I was 10 meters away he starts whining REALLY loudly... I had to take him home and leave him with my sisters.

If he is left inside for the day alone because no one can be home, as soon as someone goes home he goes crazy. If anyone comes home he will go run around with something in his mouth and jump around and yelp in happiness lol.

How am I suppose to un-train his bad habits? He drives me crazy and I don't want to give him away, can anyone give me advice?

thanks

[corvus]

SAD is a multi-faceted problem and the symptoms are the same for the different possible causes. I think it's a good idea to get a vet behaviourist to properly diagnose it and identify the underlying cause and then talk about a treatment catered to the dog. It's a difficult thing to treat, as if you don't get the causal factors right you will probably have limited success with behaviour modification. Sometimes drugs are required.

[Aidan3]

If you go to clickertraining.com and search for an article on "separation anxiety" written by me, there is an exercise called the "Calming Yo Yo" which you would likely get excellent results from if you follow it to the letter.

[RealityBites]

I think the Triangle of Temptation would also be effective with this kind of behaviour too

[poodlefan]

Okay my stupid sisters got a dog (cocker spaniel) whilst I lived overseas, the dog is around 1.5-2 years old now. They didn't train him, and now I'm back he is attached to me, and can't be left alone at all.

If I put him outside he will whine really loudly and scratch at the door ALL DAY until someone lets him in. I took him for a walk the other day to get some food, I tied him outside and as soon I was 10 meters away he starts whining REALLY loudly... I had to take him home and leave him with my sisters.

If he is left inside for the day alone because no one can be home, as soon as someone goes home he goes crazy. If anyone comes home he will go run around with something in his mouth and jump around and yelp in happiness lol.

How am I suppose to un-train his bad habits? He drives me crazy and I don't want to give him away, can anyone give me advice?

thanks

Sounds like a perfectly normal, unsocialised untrained gundog with a few anxiety issues, due to limited life experience to me.

I'd be starting with some general training, increasing his exercise and putting in a dog door. When he goes outside, give him a filled kong or a nice bone to chew on. Right now everything he wants is inside.

If that doesn't help, then spend some money on a behaviourist.

For what its worth, I'd not be tying him up outside shops. But if that's something you want to train then it has to be trained in a far less stressful environment first.

You'd be amazed how more relaxed a well exercised dog can act.

Edited July 11, 2010 by poodlefan