seperation anxiety???

jacksonflugie · 09-08-2006

I have a 1.5 year old black lab/pitbull mix, he cries when every i am out of his sight, he can not be left home alone because he is so distructive, I have tried everything that i can think of short if kenneling which i refuse to do, he even cries if he cannot sleep with us at night, any suggestions???

spike · 09-08-2006

I had this same issue with my dog Spike. There is hope. Did you just bring him home recently? If so, time will help solve this.. If you have had him all his life and this is an issue he's always had, I would consider getting yourself a dog crate and start crate training.

If you refuse to crate him, then there's the option of just slowly training. I read a few tips that have helped me a lot for going out for just a minute or two.

When you leave, make no big deal of it, and pay the dog no attention. No big deal at all. Try this, leave for a minute or two, several times.

When you come back and your doggie is going insane, ignore them further until he/she calms down. THEN praise them. Only gently.

I know you want to reassure them when you leave, but do not do this as it increases their anxiety.. And encourages them to do this everytime.

This really DOES work, but I still use the dog crate, when leaving for any significant amount of time to assure carpet, curtains, walls and doors remain intact until I'm home.

PitBullLvr · 09-08-2006

I do crate my dogs when I'll be gone for a good amount of time. My dog Spike whines as well, but he's not destructive. Denali is my destructive one. Star isn't destructive at all. She kinda taught herself to be that way. Spike was already 1yr when we got him, but i think it has more to do with personality than training. Don't get me wrong, I think it can be trained out. It's just harder for some dogs. If you won't crate...you should probably at least get a doggy gate & section off a part of the house where there isn't much he can get into & keep him in there. You should eventually be able to let him back into the rest of the house when he figures out that you ARE coming back.

hope this helps

jacksonflugie · 09-09-2006

thaks for all the good advice, but i have to say that it is hard for me to crate him when i have a 7 year old dog that i let stay uncrated, she is a great dog and has never had any of these problems and can stay home alone for hours, jack on the other hand can not stay home alone unless she is home, which kinda of makes her a babysitter. But i don't think that is is fair to crate him when she is free I know i sound crazy, but he is the baby, the has had this problem all his life.
I try not to give him much attention when he starts whinning, but he is just to cute to ingore, so i pretty much just bring him everwhere, which is not fair to the other dog. I just don't know what to do about him. We even had a personal dog trainer who came out but she told us to lock him in his room until he calms down, I just couldn't bring myself to do that either

Dopeydawg · 09-10-2006

Well, I think if you are aware that when the puppy cries you are responding to him, then you can't really blame him if the problem gets worse.

As Spike says, you are only increasing his anxiety and won't resolve the issue.

Maybe it would be better to look at what you can do, rather than what you can't. It wouldn't be cruel to leave him in the crate for a short while and the older dog to run free. In fact it may actually give the older dog a bit of a break from the new kid?

PitBullLvr · 09-10-2006

A lot of times crating is only a temporary thing. Dogs all have their own different personalities. You can't judge one by what onother one does. Start by crating for a while, then move him to a room, then 2 rooms, etc until he can be in the whole house without destroying your stuff. Pit Bulls become VERY attatched to "their" people & sometimes crating or separating them off in their own room is the only way to let them know that it's OK to be separated from us for a little while. I have 2 pure Pit Bulls & a Pit Bull/Lab male. So I am definately familiar with their behaviors. You can PM me if you'd like. I can probably help with your problem since I have the same kind of dog.

jacksonflugie · 09-10-2006

alright i guess that i will have to break down and try the crate thing, see how it works out, my older dog most definately needs a break from him, she just might enjoy it thanks

labradorian · 09-11-2006

You really should use a crate. Whining is a normal thing at first but it will disappear later on. It will surely give your older dog a break but please do leave some toys for the pup and some water for him not to be dehydrated. 1.5 year old Labrador is still considered as a pup isn't it

animalhouse · 09-11-2006

well i have the same prob with one of my dogs.. and I HAD Tocrate her.. since she was 5 mo old,and she will be 2 this month, and it is great! I had the crate in a roomaway from the other dogs.. and all I say is Kennel Up,and she runs to it. I now have a 3rd dog, Which Before me NEVER had to be crated.. But I crate her as well, cause she likes getting on the furniture, and has housebreaking probs.. And after 2 days in there.. she goes right in! I leave th door open all the time when I am home,and all 3 of my dogs like sleeping in there. it is actually a confort thing, Dogs are Den animals.. And it actually *if trained to use it right*could be a calm place for her tobe.

animalhouse · 09-11-2006

But i have to disagree with the last post, as NOT TO leave water in there..if you do, it could cause the urge to go potty in there..
Never leave food or water in there.. it is a place to stay clean, And if u leave water they will need topee! Soo UNLESS you plan on only leaving her for a short amount of time, then I wouldnt do that