Weimaraner Addict

Hooch is not adjusting well in his new home.. he hates to be alone now.. more than ever.
it takes him a while to settle in his crate, and i have to coax him in.. he usually waits until he hears my car door open.. then the barking and whining begins..
this is totally new behavior for him.. he has always happily trotted in to his crate.. now when i get home, he is so happy to see me, he "talks" and usually gets his baby and curls up next to me and passes out.. he usually saves the "talking" for when he hasn't seen me overnight.. now it is all of the time.. and he is usually ready to go go go when i get home.. now he doesn't mind if we snuggle first.. he seems exhausted..
his bedding is usually okay.. a little crumply.. but i think that is from tapping to get out when he hears my car.. there is typically a moist spot in the back end.. where i imagine he stands and barks..
i am thinking it might be the position of the crate, as he cannot see the bedroom door where it is?
he also has been sleeping in bed with us since it got cold out.. he used to at least start the night in his crate.. sometimes he will still go in there in the middle of the night by himself and sleep.. so i dont think he has an aversion for the crate..
i cant be home all of the time.. none of us can..
i have been walking him before i crate him.. always.. now that this has started.. i dont want to record it.. it will kill me to know how long he is upset for.. it is worse in the morning.. in the afternoon i dont always notice a protest.. but the mornings are painful..
any suggestions to help him transition?

Poor you and Hooch.

I'll throw out a few of the the usual suggestions. (Even though I'm sure you already know all this, sometimes we need to step back and be reminded of the basics.)
Can you try changing things up a little when you leave. Go out a different door. I assume you leave him with a kong with frozen goodies in it?
Ensure you're low-key & a little aloof when you come home. (Save the ooohing and hugs until he's less excited to see you.)
Do you think you need to start crate training from the beginning again? (That's a pain. I'm sure.) But, you know... leave him in there periodically when you are home. Feed him in there? Leave and come back after just a few minutes and increase and randomize the time.

I'll also say that you do seem very sad to post this. (I would be too. ) But I'm sure Hooch is also reacting to your increasing stress over the situation.
Try and stay positive!

Good luck!

Val

thanks val.. i think i will start giving him his afternoon treat for going in there.. and change the position so he can see the door.. i do come in thru the back instead of the front a few times a week.. but he knows when we are leaving.. he even grabs his baby and waits..
i am being calm and indifferent to him.. as per usual.. to you.. i let you know i am upset over this.. to him.. i am ignoring..
same routine.. in the crate.. down.. 2 cookies.. one before i close the door, one after.. i say "be back" and leave..
when i come home i do not fuss either.. have to make sure everyone in the house is on the same page, though.. good point.
was wondering if anyone else's pup had an issue like this one.. and how long it lasted..

Aww, poor Hooch! No suggestions. But, here's a for both of ya.

moved the crate.. walked him and went out for 2 hrs.. his eyes are bright red.. drool on blanket and he chewed a connector off of the bottom of the crate.. spit it in my hand when he came out..
what the heck is going on!!!

have you given him walnut remedy yet (for change) and star of bethlehem (for trauma)? that might help. maybe take some yourself too. how hard. i would feel terrible if i were in your shoes.

sending calm to hooch. feeling safe and secure that you will be coming back always.

xo

Man. drag...

I know it must be hard for you all. When we were visiting friends this summer for a long weekend, we brought Brady's crate with us so we could go out if we wanted and not worry about him. We went out one evening and crated him for a few hours. Their kids came home first and told us later that he was howling when they came home. When we got home, the front of his crate was so drenched, I thought he had peed in the crate. After smelling it and cleaning it up, I realized that it wasn't pee, just drool. He really didn't like being left in a new surrounding either, and was obviously stressed about it. So I can kind of imagine what you're going through.
The thing is that we had already stopped crating him at home by this point. We gave him freedom little by little starting this past spring and he's been absolutely great uncrated and doesn't get into anything. Even bread and leftover apple pie on the counter is safe and intact when we get home. And he's left for 8 hours.

Sooo... I have 3 suggestions for you.
1) Stick with what you're doing and hope that Hooch settles into his new home soon. (I know you're exercising him everyday, but can you give him even more? What about running or biking with him to literally exhaust him when you're gone.)
2) Talk to you vet about meds to calm him. (I have no experience with this, but I imagine/hope that it would just be temporary until he settles in. And it probably wouldn't be a bad idea, before things get even worse.
3) This isn't a necessarily a great suggestion, but do you think he would do better if he wasn't in his crate when you're gone? (Obviously you know Hooch and if you think he would harm himself and/or your belongings, I wouldn't go this route. Being stressed in the crate is better than requiring surgery because he got into something he shouldn't.)

Wishing you luck!
Val

We had the same problem when we brought Jax to my mother-in-law's house this summer. We bought an identical crate to the one he has at home and put his bed in it, put the crate in the spare bedroom, thinking he'd be fine since he is GREAT at home in the crate. Well, no. We left him alone for two hours (he's usually crated for about 9 hours during the day, with a walk halfway through) and when we came back we could hear him howling and barking from three blocks away. He had also drooled a huge puddle in the middle of his crate. He did that all week whenever we would leave him alone in the house. But when we got back to our house, he was totally fine in the crate again.

So at least you know that Hooch is not the only one to have trouble adjusting to a new place. Next time we take Jax with us I think we'll try to work him up to being in the crate in a new place and kind of start from scratch with crate-training.

good to know i am not the only one. he didn't have such an issue with the last move.. i think i will start the herbs.. maybe something stronger.. music in the room, not just the TV in the living room.. i fear he can't hear it anyway.. and a run before i leave.. we dont leave him for more than 3 hrs max anyway.. except fridays.. thank goodness!!!
i just feel so bad.. he was very difficult to crate train as a puppy..
maybe i will give him a piece of cheese stick or chicken for going in the crate.. or some peanut butter in a kong.. but not frozen so he can get it quickly.. not just a plain cookie..
when we took him on vacation there was NO WAY we could leave him in a crate.. or alone.. ever.
we are going away overnight with him to cass's sister's house next weekend.. maybe when we return home from that, it will feel more like home for him.. idk..
he's been having a lot of diarrhea, too..poor thing.. i thought it was from his heartworm pill.. but maybe it is nerves.. as his diet hasn't changed.



oh, and no.. i dont think keeping him out of the crate is an option. he usually feels "safe" in there when home alone. he will be 2 next week.. we rent our home.. and when we just go outside and he can see us thru the window, he complains.. i think that would be more unsettling. i have debated gating him in the bedroom.. but idk.. he has been known to be quite the blanket shredder.. for fun.. can't imagine what he would do if he was stressed..
i know he will settle.. i am hoping it will click for him soon..

I don't really have any suggestions since I have not moved with any of my dogs..but wanted to say that I hope Hooch realizes his new home isn't that bad sooner than later.

Oh my poor big boy! I hope he adjusts soon (I'm sure he will)

Aw, sorry to hear he's not adjusting well, hopefully over time things will smooth out (soon)...

my vet wasn't in.. fill in vet, that worked with a weim rescue, said clomicalm in conjunction with behavior modification is an option.. but it takes 3 months to work.. there is no doogie xanax..
i beg to differ..
i gave him pet calm today.. will continue to do so until we get over this hurdle.. helped this morning.. should have given him a second dose this afternoon.. he turned his bedding upside down and didnt even touch the kong with peanut butter in it..
have any of you used a short acting anti anxiety med? which one? this is so upsetting..

Ah, Hooch!!
This is very unsettling, I am sure, T, but hopefully he will realize this is his new home and you aren't leaving FOREVER each time you go out the door.

Calming hugs for the BIG BOY! and a quick wrassling from his BFF, Blue!

Maybe he needs a Weim get together?

Maybe try leaving clothes or a blanket with your scent on it in hooch's crate?

Good luck with the pet calm!