Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog training - dog behavior

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old January 16th, 2006, 11:11 PM
Molly's-Mom's Avatar
Molly's-Mom Molly's-Mom is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Quebec
Posts: 8
I think I'm in trouble

Ok here goes,we moved to Quebec 5 months ago,my husbands nephew got us a dog (Molly our Chocolate Lab) she is 1 1/2 was chained in a garage and beaten bad.She listens to me very well,have taught her the basic,sit, heal,come and such,but when I try and go out she freaks.She has chewed our door,yes chewed it a good 6 inches trying to get out,she is so freaked,she whines and is panting so bad,but will not drink or eat till I come back home.She gets lots of exersice all day as she is with me when I ride the horse or snowmobile(we have 27 acres for her to run).It is so bad that I cant even have a shower without her being in the bathroom with me.Any suggestions(please)
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old January 17th, 2006, 08:23 AM
cpietra16's Avatar
cpietra16 cpietra16 is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Pointe Claire, Quebec
Posts: 3,926
Welcome to Quebec I am happy to hear that Molly is finally safe. She feels safe with you and maybe when you leave she goes through some seperation anxiety. There are herbal remedies available that can calm dogs down. Would there be a homeopathic vet in your area. You may need more than herbal remedies but its a start. I remember a book mentioned some time back... I’ll be Home Soon: How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety by Patricia McConnell
( Sorry I can't remember which member on this site mentioned it ...but I looked it up and will be getting a copy for my yellow lab)
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old January 17th, 2006, 08:30 AM
cpietra16's Avatar
cpietra16 cpietra16 is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Pointe Claire, Quebec
Posts: 3,926
I found it,it was Lissa...I hope you don't mind Lissa..and I hope I can do this..If its not allowed feel free to delete

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lissa
Is your poodle getting enough exercise?! Have you done any obedience training with him?

For severe cases, some people swear by DAP diffuser's which is suppose to release pleasing pheromone's to calm dog's with SA.

Maybe you could consider seeing a homeopathic vet? There are lots of herbal and rescue remedies out there that could be of help.

Does you poodle get upset ONLY when you leave?! Can you leave him alone with a stranger without him getting anxious!? Can you leave him alone in a room without him getting upset? Do you ignore him for the first few minutes before you leave and when you return home?

Sometimes having a companion can help - maybe "borowing" a friend's calm dog would help!? Although if it does, it may indicate that you might need to finda permanent friend for your poodle!

This is suppose to be a good book when dealing with SA: I’ll be Home Soon: How to Prevent & Treat Separation Anxiety by Patricia McConnell

SA takes a lot of behaviour modification, effort and patience to overcome...It can be a long process...You can also look into doggy daycare, a dog walker or pet sitter - but that won't necessarily "fix" the problem - you will still need to train him to be calm when left alone...

With regards to the poop - maybe you should confine him in a room to start with (one that can be easily disinfected)...

GOOD LUCK!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old January 17th, 2006, 09:56 AM
catsnatcher-CDN catsnatcher-CDN is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Montreal
Posts: 651
Though he's grown out of it now, my dog Max also went through separation anxiety when we first brought him home from the SPCA at 6 months of age. He tried to dig a whole through the FLOOR and today, the floor behind the front door is slanted with grooves.

There's a ton of info on this site about how to deal with separation anxiety and very knowledgeable pet owners on this board will certainly help you out.

Good luck and don't give up!
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old January 17th, 2006, 10:02 AM
Lissa's Avatar
Lissa Lissa is offline
Agility Addict
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 1,402
Ohh that's fine - especially since it is going to be helping!!!

Getting Molly into some sort of training should help raise her confidence level...would leaving interactive toys be of any help!? Or maybe an old shirt of yours?

I wrote this in another forum so you may need to modify certain parts since Molly's SA sounds pretty bad...

SA is all about desensitization...you need to desensitize Molly to your comings and goings...The first part is to do it so often that Molly is bored with the whole coming in going out (by the sounds of it - this will take a long time)...the second part is to go out and come back BEFORE he starts getting upset...You want to be able to leave for longer periods of time without Molly barking and getting all upset...

You should set aside a couple of hours to work on it. Start small. Go out your door, shut it, wait a few seconds, and go back in. Don't greet or acknowledge her in any way... just be very matter of fact. Immediately do it again... try to increase the amount of time that you are gone. If all goes well, repeat the exercise and continue to increase the time as long as she shows no sign of stress. If Molly gets upset, you are moving too fast and you need to back up. Eventually, she'll become so used to your coming and going that she'll get bored. At this point, add in your routine that you normally do when you really are leaving... put your coat on, grab your keys, etc. Start the pattern of "fake" leaving, extending the time periods, until you see he's bored. You can start making sounds that you are walking away or slamming the car door.
It is labor intensive but if you do it right you can make a HUGE difference in one session. Molly will start to look a little differently at the concept of you walking out the door, and if you continue to immerse her in your comings and goings she'll learn to accept it as a normal part of life.
__________________
"Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to."
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old January 17th, 2006, 11:04 AM
tenderfoot's Avatar
tenderfoot tenderfoot is offline
Senior Contributor - Expert
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Posts: 1,249
You also want to perform the triggers to your leaving throughout the day without actually leaving. Pick up your keys and put them down, get your coat out, pick up your purse/backpack - things you would normally do before you leave so she gets desensitized to the triggers too. Do them randomly and without drama.
At first when you go through the 'fake leaving' she will panick but you must keep it up until you see that she barely lifts her head when you are leaving or coming in. Then you know she has changed. Even then you might have set backs and this doesn't get cured overnight. Loving patience on your part will be the ticket.
__________________
Love Them & Lead Them,
~Elizabeth & Doug
www.TenderfootTraining.com
Dog Training the Way Nature Intended
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old January 17th, 2006, 10:34 PM
Molly's-Mom's Avatar
Molly's-Mom Molly's-Mom is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Quebec
Posts: 8
Thanks for the welcome to Quebec,cpietra16.I have tryed leaving her with the neighbour who has a old collie,and no luck,she tryed digging under the fence,I have left her with toys,food and water and my old blanket from my bed and it does not help,I will try the coming and going trick and see what happens.Thanks for all the help,I will keep you updated on how she is doing with this
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:45 PM.