Question about a stray

[Mahealani770]

Hello everyone, I need some help, please. I have taken in a stray pomeranian. He is male and is not neutered. I have had him for 3 days and I'm ready to give him back! He barks excessively when we're not home or when we're out of his sight. He also goes potty all over the apartment and tears up my plants when he's left alone. I tried crating him while we were gone for just a few hours and he went potty inside his crate. It was so bad that we had to throw his blanket away. On top of that, he barked the whole time we were gone. Is it separation anxiety? Can all this be fixed? We feel like we're trapped in our apartment with this dog because he just can't be left alone. Help!!!

[Lucky Rescue]

This dog is an adult? If so, 3 days is not enough time for him to settle down and feel secure in his new home after being abandoned and stressed out.

He may never have been in a crate, so you can't just stick him in one and walk out the door. This must be done gradually, since he has no way of knowing if you're ever coming back and is no doubt filled with anxiety, hence relieving himself in the crate. Dogs do this to surround themselves with their own scent when they are fearful and upset.

Please take a look at this link. There are many articles on separation anxiety that may help!
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/canwehelp/dbfear.htm

[darkstrdrag]

maybe you should try putting him into training so that you can go to work.

[t.pettet]

Put him on a bus and send him to me, will be neutered, trained and placed in a good home. Have 2 separate people wanting to adopt poms.

[Bushfire2000]

Be patient it's all new to him. He needs time to adjust its too early to tell if its sa. This dog sounds like he's had a hard time already. He needs to be loved and reassured first, have you had him to a vets? does he have all his shots? He should be neutered at the first opportunity it will make him a better pet. Lucky Rescue is right about the poor thing not ever having been in a crate before. Patience is key if you love the little thing wait for it to adjust. If you are just doing a "good deed" to make yourself feel good then maybe you should contact a small breed rescue, instead of taking on this poor dog yourself.

[LavenderRott]

Poms bark. It is a fact of life. With positive reinforcement training and patience, you can teach him to not bark as much.

My pom came to me with issues. He spent 12 hours a day in a large crate with his dad before I got him so yes, he will go potty in his crate. And while one would think that he was crate trained, he was not alone at any time before and had to learn to be alone. Again, time and patience are the key.

Poms have a TON of energy! Plenty of exercise before crating will help. Poms are easy to exercise though - I find that when the weather is bad it is a very simple thing to play ball with him in the house or get out one of his favorite stuffies for a game of tag. (This usually leads to the zoomies - him running around the apartment with his tail straight out behind him, growling like a madman!)

I adore my little guy - he makes me laugh every single day. If you are miserable with your little guy though or resent the time that you are having to spend at home as a "captive" then this guy might not be the dog for you. If you got him from a rescue, return him. If you found him on the street or got him from a shelter, then find a good rescue group to surrender him to. An experienced foster home can work on crate training and housebreaking issues and a rescue group will have no problem finding a home for this guy. If you love him and really want to keep him - find a good rescue group and see if they can help you with his issues.

[happycats]

When you say you have taken in a stray, do you mean you just found him?
If so have you made any attempts to find his owner? He may be a very loved and missed pet, and may even have medical issues. You really should try to find his owner.
If you mean all attempts have been made to find his owner, and you have adopted him, please disregard the above

[NannyShaw]

I was wondering what was going on with the Pommie? Is he just lost and looking for his home? Have you found his owners? Have you posted "found" signs"? Please let us know what is happening with the little guy. Here is a pic of my Pom, Rocky :love:

Beth