Weimaraner Puppy And Separation Anxiety

[Lambo]

Not sure if this should be posted in the puppy problems forum, so my apologies in advance if I'm posting in the wrong area.

My family and I finally took delivery of our new Weimarener puppy about a week ago. We are crate training him, and for the first couple of nights he had us up almost every hour to toilet. Three / four days since and the toilet breaks seem to be getting just a little longer throughout the night - between one and half to 3 three hours. He is still having quite a few peeing accidents on the carpet during the day but has been fairly good at doing his business outside when requested. So on this front at least everything seems to be going as expected.

We are noting one concerning bit of behaviour though - he whines like crazy if left in a room by himself (except when he knows everyone is going to sleep for the night). We've had to go shopping twice recently, for an hour or so at a time and he howled desperately once he cottoned on that we are about to leave him behind. One time we left him in his crate with his toys and water, the other time we left him in a room with his crate, toys, food and water nearby. Each time, we went through the ritual of locking up the house and coming back several times for varying intervals so as to make it difficult for him to tell whether we were actually leaving for a long period or not.

We knew that separation anxiety was an issue with the breed when deciding to get a Weimaraner. For this reason, the family is committed to ensuring that he won't be left unattended for extended periods of time throughout the day. Nevertheless, our Weim will need to cope with some periods of separation, eg when kids are being dropped off at school or sports and when the family needs to go shopping.

At the moment, he spends basically all day with us in the house - especially since its been raining non-stop for most of the last few days. A couple of times though we've shut him up in a separate room away from the rest of the family. The room is right beside our lounge room but is lined with lino. We've put him in there when he's just eaten but hasn't yet done his business so as to avoid the possibility of his defacting on the carpet elsewhere in the house. One time, he was loose so came up to the french doors separating the two rooms and used his paws to bang on the glass (he could see us clearly through the doors) all the while howling like a lunatic. Another time, we used his leash to tie him up in the other room so as to restrict his ability to wander up to the french doors and see us on the other side but still he whined like crazy.

Clearly we need to prepare our pup for the inevitable periods of separation when the kids go back to school - not to mention that we also owe it to our neighbours to somehow take control of his howling. Is there anything people would recommend to assist in this process? Should we start separating ourselves from him more often for more extended periods of time to help him develop a little independence, or is he likely to grow out of his current whining behaviour as a matter of course?

TIA

[jacqui835]

Not sure if this should be posted in the puppy problems forum, so my apologies in advance if I'm posting in the wrong area.

My family and I finally took delivery of our new Weimarener puppy about a week ago. We are crate training him, and for the first couple of nights he had us up almost every hour to toilet. Three / four days since and the toilet breaks seem to be getting just a little longer throughout the night - between one and half to 3 three hours. He is still having quite a few peeing accidents on the carpet during the day but has been fairly good at doing his business outside when requested. So on this front at least everything seems to be going as expected.

We are noting one concerning bit of behaviour though - he whines like crazy if left in a room by himself (except when he knows everyone is going to sleep for the night). We've had to go shopping twice recently, for an hour or so at a time and he howled desperately once he cottoned on that we are about to leave him behind. One time we left him in his crate with his toys and water, the other time we left him in a room with his crate, toys, food and water nearby. Each time, we went through the ritual of locking up the house and coming back several times for varying intervals so as to make it difficult for him to tell whether we were actually leaving for a long period or not.

We knew that separation anxiety was an issue with the breed when deciding to get a Weimaraner. For this reason, the family is committed to ensuring that he won't be left unattended for extended periods of time throughout the day. Nevertheless, our Weim will need to cope with some periods of separation, eg when kids are being dropped off at school or sports and when the family needs to go shopping.

At the moment, he spends basically all day with us in the house - especially since its been raining non-stop for most of the last few days. A couple of times though we've shut him up in a separate room away from the rest of the family. The room is right beside our lounge room but is lined with lino. We've put him in there when he's just eaten but hasn't yet done his business so as to avoid the possibility of his defacting on the carpet elsewhere in the house. One time, he was loose so came up to the french doors separating the two rooms and used his paws to bang on the glass (he could see us clearly through the doors) all the while howling like a lunatic. Another time, we used his leash to tie him up in the other room so as to restrict his ability to wander up to the french doors and see us on the other side but still he whined like crazy.

Clearly we need to prepare our pup for the inevitable periods of separation when the kids go back to school - not to mention that we also owe it to our neighbours to somehow take control of his howling. Is there anything people would recommend to assist in this process? Should we start separating ourselves from him more often for more extended periods of time to help him develop a little independence, or is he likely to grow out of his current whining behaviour as a matter of course?

TIA

I'm no expert, but I did have similar issues with my dog - a doberman and since no-one else has replied yet I thought it could be helpful. He was shocking when he was baby, cried if I so much as had a shower whilst he was in the bathroom and could see me but couldn't get to me :s Leaving him home alone was just not an option at first, because he actually howled and made noises like someone was trying to kill him and when you live in a built up area well it's not something you can just expect your neighbours to tolerate. I was worried this would be the case and so elected to get the pup when I was on uni holidays and could be with him all the time in the beginning. Once he had been with us for a couple of weeks though, and realised that we weren't going to abandon him, I started leaving him alone. Just for short periods at first, as you've said, and always with something new and exciting - like a bone or something. As he's gotten older, he has gotten much better, and now, when we moved house, he only cried once during the first week the first time we left him there alone (I think because he was worried we were returning to our old home and had forgotten him or something, ie didn't consider that our home yet). Now he can stay there for 8+ hours and be fine, not make any noise or mess. So yes I think it's a gradual process, but they do seem to get better as they become more assured of their position in your pack and also more confident as they get older.

PS any new puppy thread should include pictures...

[dancinbcs]

Contact your breeder for advice on coping with the puppy. Weis are a very needy breed so your breeder would no doubt have some tips on how to live with them and keep everyone happy. Whenever I have attended puppy classes, it is always the Wei puppies that find it hardest to cope in the first few weeks. Once the owners learn to handle them they go ahead in leaps and bounds but there are always Wei tantrums in those first few lessons.

The only other thing I can suggest is to keep up the crate training and only leave the puppy alone if it is in it's crate to start with. A crate acts as a secure place to a dog and most dogs feel safer in them. They also learn that they cannot escape from the crate so there is no point trying. Start with the puppy crated near you then work up to leaving the room for a few minutes at a time. Gradually increase the time until you can move to another room for longer periods. Then move the crate to different areas and repeat the process. The puppy should learn that it is safe when left anywhere in the crate and that you will come back for him. If you must shut him in another room, use a baby gate rather than a closed door. Most puppy's will panic if you shut a door on them and completely isolate them. Better that he can hear you and catch glimpses of you moving around while learning to stay confined. Also do not tie him up at this age for more than a minute or so and never if you are not watching him. A stressed puppy is at risk of strangulation if it panics when tied up.

[:ange:]

Hi and Welcome to the wonderful breed.. congrats on your first puppy. I am owned by 2 Wei's..

I think the main point I want you to get out of my post, so I will post early is that he is a baby. He's adjusting to this huge change, away from his siblings, in a new environment with new smells and sounds. He's a bit out of sorts. Poor little guy. It's going to take a while for him to settle in. Maybe a few weeks. Buckle in, you are in for a bumpy ride!

Toilet training little boys can often be harder than toilet training girls (don't ask me why). The key is persistence and patience. I once read that the general idea of how long your baby puppy can hold pee is by how many months they are - ie 3 months can really only hold for 3 hours. Not long. Regular toilet breaks overnight are a must!

Where have you got your puppy crated? I tend to place their crate in my bedroom for the first period when they are transitioning into the household. This way I find them much more settled, I bond with them much quicker and in general just easier. Then move them out once they are older and settled to their place in the house. This of course doesn't work for everyone. It's what I do and it works for us. You want to make your pup learn to love his crate.. to be his place. He will learn to hate it, if you isolate him there just for time outs and when you leave the house.

I wouldn't worry about your puppy doing poops on the carpet.. it's going to happen. You need to be a hawk and watch him constantly. Tie him to your waist if need be. If the nose goes down sniffing and searching, outside and give the command you use for poos. praise praise praise if he goes. If he wants to play, back inside. It's tedious I know but he will get there. A poop or pee on the carpet is going to be inevitible. sorry!

Like someone else mentioned Wei's are very family orientated dogs and like to be with 'their packs' all the time. They don't call them velcro dogs for nothing. I kept both of our puppies in the laundry crated whilst I was at work for the first couple of months and they howled ad cried. I would just ignore the behaviour and only let them out once they had settled. I suggest not paying puppy attention while they are howling as they are so smart and learn that if they make alot of noise, mum will come back and get me. Give him something yummy in there, kongs are great.

Are you going to crate him when you leave forever or do you plan to place him in the backyard when you leave the house?

Honestly.. I wouldn't be leaving your puppy unattended in a room for very long. They go into destruction phase very quickly and you will learn this soon enough. Also, it's not a wise idea to leave your puppy tied up - like another poster said, they can panic and can strangulate themselves. If they need time out.. bring their crate into the living room where everyone is and place them in there with a treat. Again, You want to make your pup learn to love his crate..

One more thing.. pop into the Weimaraner thread and share some photos and introduce your new baby!!

[:ange:]

My circumstances are as follows:

I live on a moderate sized block - about 650m2. My other half isn't too keen on dogs, so I'm looking for a fairly low maintenance one - preferrably a breed that does not shed all over the place so as to keep the peace. The dog will be allowed in the house, but will probably we made to stay in the downstairs rumpus area - it definitely won't be allowed to sit on beds or wander into the bedrooms. Also, I have two kids, one 7 and other 10. So the dog needs to be good with kids. Finally, I tend to work long hours throughout the week, and my kids lead fairly busy lifestyles. So any dog we get needs to be comfortable with its own company for most of the day and not be too clingy. My other half will probably be home during the day but is unlikely to interact with the dog as much as myself or our kids.

I wouldn't mind a smaller dog (like a beagle or a King Charles Cav) - or even a Westie - but I would prefer a mid-sized or larger dog principally because my limited experience suggests that small dogs tend to bark more and, in any event, I would like a dog that would be equally happy sitting around watching TV or jogging with me (I run for at a least an hour each night). Whilst I want a dog that will alert me to intruders or visitors, I don't want a dog that is particularly aggressive or that might turn on one of the kids or a visitor. Also, I don't want a dog that barks at everything that moves on street.

just pulled this from your first thread here.. I hope there has been some household changes since this post otherwise I think your family and yourself will be in for a big shock with a Weimaraner!

Just wanted to point out that due to joint issues, they reccommend not running (as in running buddy) large framed dogs like Weimaraner for the first 12-18 months of their lifes as you can cause damage to their joints!

Good Luck!