Uggh, I think I need a dog psychologist.....

[AUhopeful]

Ok, I need to vent.

Here's a little history: I brought home the cutest black lab puppy (now 3 years old and a 100lb dog) from the local shelter to give to my husband as a present. I got her a year before we got married so she stayed at his house. Well needless to say she is "his" dog and is constantly all about her daddy. Momma just has rules and doesn't let her get away with things. Don't get me wrong, I love her to death but this behavior is getting out of hand.

Well, I dread every time he goes out of town for his job because Dixie takes her frustrations out on my things. She has separation anxiety from him and no matter what I do, extra play time, rides to the dog park, etc. she always retaliates on my things and always while I am at school or running errands.

The latest and greatest was when he left on Thursday (I had class), so I knew I might have a surprise when I got back; I had no idea. The minute I walked in the door, it looked like a toilet paper hurricane came or an atomic bomb of tp went off. She had somehow gotten into the hallway closet and into the toilet paper. It was in the hallway, living room, laundry room, kitchen (I wish I would have videotaped this). Ok, I crated her (because she had a role in her mouth) and we left it at that. The next day she took my plastic food container from the drying rack and ate that, she went into my other school bag and ate my gum and pencil container. She also went on the top shelf in the hallway and ate my personal items. Then the day after that she got a hold of my dress shoes. Never has she gone after my husbands things. She does prefer to take his boxers and sleep with them (will actually pick them from the laundry basket and take it to her bed). I am concerned because I do not want her to become impacted with the items she eats (we already had to go through one barium series).

We don't have any children, but I guess I need to child proof the doors and cabnets. I try to look around before I leave to spot any possible targets but I always seem to overlook something.I also do not want to crate her all day but it's looking like I might have to start doing it, at least for a little while. We do have another dog but he is still a puppy so we do crate him.

There have been other instances but I just needed to vent. Thanks for listening........He is hopefully coming home this week!!!

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[starlene45]

when you leave her alone, can you leave her with something appropriate, entertaining, and time consuming that she can safely destroy? it might take her mind off your things. i'm talking: kong or hard bone stuffed w/peanut butter & kibble, then frozen overnight, or..... serve breakfast in a buster cube right before you walk out the door, or some other type of keep-em-busy toy. personally i don't leave my dogs alone w/rawhides but that's because my girl-dog is way too enthusiastic about them and will try to swallow pieces that are way too big.

i would definitely start there, maybe combine kenneling with an awesome toy/treat so that the kenneling doesn't seem like punishment (kennel should be a safe happy place as i'm sure you know from crate-training your other pup). then try letting her be out and about with the same distracting toy, then go from there.

if this is a really smart and energetic dog she may need more than just playtime to tire her out. agility training worked wonders with my bad girl-dog because it tired her out mentally-- rally obedience, agility, or just stupid party tricks are all ways to tire out a dog without jogging them for nine hours a day!

don't be afraid to consult a professional (maybe not cesar... i'm not really a huge fan) as someone who is there in person can probably give way better advice once they experience whatever is going on.

good luck! that kind of stuff can be so frustrating!

 

[AUhopeful]

She does have a toy (actually more than a few) but only wants to play with them when someone is around. The chew bone is also for supervision only because she gets overly excited as well and will bleed. I might try getting a kong and stuffing it but I am pretty sure she will lose interest and find something of mine !! The agility thing I have wanted to try but there doesn’t seem to be any clubs or "training" groups in my area. I might search a little harder because my summer class schedule isn't as rigorous so we might try that. I am not looking forward to tomorrow, hopefuly she will be kind to my things!!

 

[robeezy08]

AUhopeful I feel your pain! My dog had separation anxiety - barking, howling, pacing, going through trash/laundry, while I was away. I lived in an apt so I knew I had to get help or my neighbors/manager would've killed me. I sought professional help (for my dog!), vet behaviorists at UPenn. We opted for meds w/ behavioral modification techniques. During the time, I was a full time student w/ two jobs and so wasn't home for extended periods of time. The meds really helped calm him during the daytime or when I went out at night. I'd suggest nipping this thing in the bud and contact a vet behaviorist before things get worse. Sounds like you'll have some time this summer to work it out.
In the meantime, keep your trash cans hidden/securly covered, laundry off the floor and leave him Kong balls filled w/ treats (freezing them the night before keeps them busy during the day) and/or other puzzle toys.

Oh, one more thing, if you can videotape him while you're away from home, that would really help you and the behaviorist determine what's really going on and how to goof proof your house. I videotaped my dog and was shocked to see that he paced/howled the entire time I was gone, not a moment was spent sleeping!

Good LUck

 

[thereservoirdog]

Has anyone had any experience with Reconcile? We just got it at our clinic but it's been sitting on the shelf since we haven't got the chance to prescribe it yet. But the studies on it look pretty good.

 

[critterfixer]

I believe Reconcile is fluoxetine--prozac. Theoretically, it should work quite well: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/68990.php

OP, how long ago did your dog eat the gum? That has me worried, because xylitol causes liver failure in dogs and is in many sugar-free gums.

 

[sumstorm]

I read a study on Reconcile, and apparently it works well in conjunction with training, not so well without additional training. I, and other trainers, have had success with this drug for dogs diagnosed with sep anx by veterinarians. There are lots of studies out there that can be found under a google search, and recommending it borders on medical advice, so that is as much as I am willing to say.

Be careful crating an seperation anxiety dog...some dogs panic and will do harm to themselves if crated.

There are dog trainers who are great with this....the biggest thing is that most people reinforce sep anxiety by how they behave on departure and arrival. I do NOT believe in harsh corrections for sep anx dogs, as these generally increase the anx. Pos reinforcement training combined with environment management and behavior modification of both the dog and humans are the more effective methods, in my experience.

The destruction of things tends to involve stuff that is either stress relieving to detroy (kind of like humans that throw glassware) or things that are associated with the scent or attentions of the human they think is most likely to 'correct' the sep anx by being present soon.

I really recommend taking any dog suspected of having sep anx to a vet for initial diagnosis and possible treatment. There are also vet behaviorists who work with this sort of thing, and trainers who are often able to provide methods that owners can use to improve the situation. In conjunction with a vet, this may involve the use of drugs (there are other possabilities besides reconcile) in a relatively short time frame to improve the situation and give the dog better coping skills.

 

[sofficat]

AUhopeful- are you near Auburn? We have a few agility and training classes at the Lee County Humane Society that are taught by a senior vet student with a PhD in animal behavior. She has a cool website. Her name is Angie Bockleman. You might want to look her up.

 

[robeezy08]

I might try getting a kong and stuffing it but I am pretty sure she will lose interest and find something of mine !!

My dog reacted the same way to the Kong or any puzzle toy when I gave it to him before my departures. However, b/c I was giving it to him before I left, he associated it w/ my departures and only triggered his anxiety (my bad!) I started giving him toys when I was at home w/ him and only when he was sitting down, calm and relaxed. I also rewarded good behavior constantly (carried treats w/ me on our walks) and reinforced the basics on a daily basis - sit before entering/exiting any door, stay, heal..etc.
Behavior modification for seperation anxiety is one that you never cure but learn to manage and because it requires ALOT of patience and consistency I'd say start as soon as you can. As frustrating as it was sometimes, I have to say that I learned a great deal about my little man and dog behavior in general.

 

[AUhopeful]

Thanks everyone,

Critterfixer, she ate the gum Friday (with the package and wrappers) and so far everything has been coming out the other end. She has been having what I call "graffiti poop" for the last few days. I have been watching her BM's religiously so as long as stuff keeps coming out the other end (and I can recognize where it came from), I'm not going to worry quite yet.

Sofficat, I'm not near Auburn (I live in a little town, north of Gulf Shores). Hopefully I might be taking the Animal Nutrition course required this spring up there (I have a cousin that has been at Auburn since 2002 and just got accepted to the vet program) so I might stay with her (but I haven't asked her yet so who knows ).

It's weird that she only does it when my husband leaves. I'm the one pretty much taking care of her; I guess she associates him with fun and me with rules. I just don't want my things and house destroyed every time he leaves!

She always picks something big to destroy the day he leaves and it gradually gets less severe over time. I'm not sure if I want to try Amitriptyline or meds yet. I'm trying to get my husband to do mock leaving trials where he will pack his bags and load his stuff in the truck and we will work with her that way. Maybe if we do that and she realizes that he's not leaving evertime a bag gets packed we might make some progress. I always believe in trying to change the behavior first without meds. But I have a feeling it might come to us using them.

 

[ReadyBeVet]

It sounds like you have your hands full with Dixie. I would most definitely crate her whenever you're out of the house or aren't able to supervise. It will not only protect your things, but it will protect HER from getting into something dangerous or poisionous.

 

[AUhopeful]

Well, she cut me a break today and was a good girl. I got back to the house around 5:00 and nothing was touched I did get a suprise though, I don't know how she did it, but she let the puppy out of his crate!! I kept telling myself that I latched both pins and I remember doing so, so maybe she wanted her play buddy out; idk. With the stress of finals I might of forgotten to latch it, who knows. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[robeezy08]

Wow, she's a clever one, wish you video taped it!

 

[TSUJC]

I was working at a clinic two years ago and a beautiful weimaraner came in with a broken radius and pelvis, it was a HBC and no one ever claimed him. I sought money from a local weimer rescue group and had orthopedic surgery done on the dog. After he began to recover the separation anxiety kicked in. He would make his nose bleed and paws raw from trying to get out the door after I left (not to mention the damage done to the door). If I crated him, he would hurt himself more.

I used Reconcile & Clomicalm with behavior modification. Just when I thought things were getting better...the separation anxiety hit an all time high.

I had left for work and he got upset, he went upstairs and saw the neighbors kids playing in the yard. In our bedroom we have one of those windows that you crank out. Well according to the neighbors wife, the dog pushed on the window for a long enough time that it finally flew open. He fell out the second story window and re-fractured all of his broken bones and more (he had to be euthanized). I tell this story because I never knew how bad separation anxiety was in dogs, especially rescue dogs.

My story is obviously very extreme but dogs with this condition are very difficult to treat. Good luck, I hope you have luck finding a helpful trainer.

As for the medications, I don't feel that they helped that much.

 

[AUhopeful]

That's horrible TSUJC. I know at the SA clinic I used to work for Amitriptyline was prescribed a lot (mostly for the smaller dogs) and the results were a hit and miss. I do not know if they carry Reconcile now but I am hoping that we can "nip this in the you know what" before she starts to harm herself.

My best friend had a Chihuahua that was on meds and they had to crate her regardless because she would defecate all over the house if left alone. She would also chew and scratch at her crate making herself bleed if she was left for long periods of time.

Hopefuly my husband is coming home this week so I am anxious to start some behavior mod with her.