~Shawn~

Hey there! I am sorry to hear about Gretchen SA problems. My boy razor has had some of the same issues. He has broken out of his crate and hurt him self. He barked like NO OTHER for hours!!! when i was gone and he has been crate trained.. I had him on meds for about 2 months. They seemed to help a bit but he still would bark when I left and drool like crazy. His crate was in my back bedroom of my house in the back of the house. I moved his crate to the living room. where we normally were when we were home. it took a few days but he stopped barking and eating his crate.

I also learned when another dog was in the house with him he was fine. I baby sat a few dogs and he never ate or barked when they were there and he was uncreated. I know that getting another dog might be a big jump I understand but it might help. U could maybe borrow a friend dog for a week and see if Gret does better??? just a idea. Also It might be because the crate is in the basement.. do u leave the light on? U might want to try and move the crate to where u guys are alot so she gets used to it and starts laying in it. Razors crate is now in are bedroom and he sleeps in it not because we make him but he loves his crate now! the crate door is only close when we leave!

I would hate for u to give Gretchen back. I almost gave razor up a few times for eating my couch and walls and floors but he doesnt understand, what they are doing other then they miss u. i would try crate training gretchen at the start! leaving her for min at times and working your way up. I know it is time consuming but it might work. and move the crate.

Talk to your vet about meds they might have a better idea razor learned it was ok to be calm when i was gone using meds.

I hope I have helped.

Razor still has his bad days that why he is still crate and not left out.

But good LUCK!

<3 Janine and Razor!

I second the DAP diffuser, it worked well when I got Uno and he was a mess the first couple weeks, I use the kitty one for my cats since one of them is super paranoid about everything and it mellows her out. I've heard pretty good things about Bach's rescue remedy as well, rub it on dogs ears. But I'd use it in conjuction with the DAP.

Do you have any friends that have a dog that they leave at home for the whole day? maybe you can "borrow" someones dog for the time being, most dogs settle in the company of others. Or you could take her to a doggie day care( though they can become costly, thats why I suggest the first one).

Maybe it's time to foster? That way you can borrow dogs for 'free' and help them out

Rudy had the same problem. I was at my wits end and was lost on what to do. I tried everything and finally did resort to medication. We talked with the vet and before we went to prescriptions we tried the OTC drugs all to no avail. Rudy was put on a low dose of Clomicalm - 20mg - and did increase it to 30mg. We did notice a bit of sluggishness at first but eventually his body adapted and he was fine. He still had anxiety during thunderstorms and fireworks but for the most part he calmed down considerably. He stayed on this medication for 9 months and then we started reducing the dosage. When he hit 3 years old, we stopped it all together. He's been good since and he's hitting the 4 year mark. You did have to check his blood twice I think - liver panel actually - because there are side effects. I had issue with the cost also but my vet was good about giving me the perscription and I ended up ordering it over the internet - I believe it was coming from either Canada or Australia. I think it was running me about $40 - $50 a month. I know it's a lot when you're unemployed - even when you're not - but I just cut down on a bone or two and ended up buying a lot of his toys (he loves stuffed animals) at our local Good Will store instead of the pet store.
It might be worth it to just give it a try if you can scrounch up the money. Good luck.

Now this definitely sounds like separation anxiety. I would try some meds to take the edge off (not a bad thing, and they do work) and the DAP diffuser sounds good, too. There are other holistic type things that you could look into that might be worth a try...rescue remedy, herbal supplements, massage, the sky is the limit but some of it really has helped people in the past. I hope you find something that works for you guys, it sounds like you're commited to making it work! There are lots of people here who have had major issues and worked it out enough to make life comfortable for both them and their dog. What about having someone stay with her when you can't? A roomie? A doggie buddy or calm foster like LunaBrown said?

My rescue also has separation anxiety. I've had the DAP diffuser and it doesn't seem to help much, but I think it depends on the dog. I also give him kongs, chews, etc - sometimes he would completely ignore the kong or chew because he was so focused on escaping. He has broken two wire crates and several of the plastic bottom pans in his quests to escape. Luckily he is very thin and has escaped injury so far. He also can slide the pans out of the crate and move the crate across the floor. We took a month-long break from crating. He is now in a crate with a metal pan, and the panels are reinforced with plastic zip ties and velcro ties, the crate pan is fastened in with zip ties, and both door latches are fastened with carabiners. Once he escaped the first time, he was on a mission to escape every other time - I think he is finally starting to give up, although he still slides the crate across the floor. He does seem to be getting better - his drooling has lessened considerably, just a few drips now instead of a giant puddle on the floor.

You may want to move the crate to a different part of the house, if the crate is in your basement and you rarely use your basement. My dog gets crated during the day at my house in a spare bedroom (because i have a small house, that's the only place his big crate fits). I also have a crate for him at my boyfriend's house if we happen to be there overnight or for the weekend. The crate at my boyfriend's house is in the living room. My dog definitely does better being crated in the living room as opposed to being crated in a rarely-used spare bedroom/office Your dog may feel abandoned in its crate if the crate is in an area of the house that you never go in, and she never goes in, except for crating, which may be adding to the anxiety.

Another thing to consider is giving her something to do while you are gone. Maybe a kong frozen with pb and carrots or yogurt and carrots? Antler chews? Anything to keep the mouth busy.

Tv is always a good idea to leave on, especially if you only have one dog. Cloud used to be really bad but since we got Freya he isn't too bothered about us going somewhere without him. With age, he has also mellowed that if we are both outside and he can't go outside cause of the doggie door being down--he won't freak out anymore.

If push comes to shove...can you hire a doggy walker? Go to a doggie day care? At the very least friend or family members to take Gretchen out run her more?

Hi,
The last weim I had used to try to dig a hole threw my front door.
The weim I have now is great at home if I exercise her before leaving her.
Do they have any K-9 day care around you.
She comes home so tired from this she sleeps for two days.
Good luck.

Well, she had a good week this week, but of coarse the weather was nice. That helps. Last week we were out in Philly and she was alone all day then stayed at my moms all night with out a problem. Thats whats so weird about her. She'll be good for weeks then just go on a tear.

And for the record, in no way, shape, or form is Gretchen going anywhere. When I started this thread I had just gotten home to find my door ruined again and was so mad my head was about to explode. I wouldnt give away my daughter away if she was bad (allthough the thought has crossed my mind lol! ) and Gretchen is no diffrent. She's part of the family and we'll work through it no matter what.

And as to yinz's ideas, Ive seriously thought about getting another dog for her so she wouldnt be alone. Thats just not possible for many reasons. The most important being. 1.I dont have time for a puppy. 2. Im not so sure Id trust an strange adult dog around my daughter. Shes 18mo now and shes still at that age where you cant tell her what not to do around a dog. She pulls on Gretchens ears and tail, takes food from her mouth while she eating, climbs all over her and tries to ride her like a horse Shes nuts! All she does is harrass the poor dog. Gretchens so good with her. She just gets up and walks away when shes had enough. And 3. Gretchens queen bee. I think shell get jelouse of another dog. 4. My house is just too damn small for another big dog.

And thats where I think this whole thing is stemming from. Jelousy of the baby. She sees that the baby gets to go everywhere with us and she gets left behind. Everytime I pick up Lauren, Gretchen runs around and gets excited like were goin somewhere. And if I put a hat on and grab my keys forget about it! Ive been tring some dog whisperesque exercises where I try to keep her calm and pretend to leave. We'll see if they work out.

Im babbling... Long story short, I'm gonna keep working with her and Im sure she'll be okey. Like I said, Ive never given up on a dog and Gretchen will be no exception

Good job Shawn...

That is so great to hear!

There was a new episode on of the Dog Whisperer last night. A couple had the exact same problem as your having. Try and catch the episode, Ceasar basically taught them to get the dog in a calm state, let her go to the crate willingly. The state of calmness before you leave seems to be the key. I wish you luck!!

I read what your going through and skimmed some of the other responses and can agree with some. Listen I have brought in a lot of weimaraners through my doors to foster. One thing that works well for me to keep a dog calm is to be calm. So to easy I know. I get rolled eyes at this response but seriously the dogs feel you getting anxious and it makes them nuts. You as the pack leader have to show them control. One of my BIGGGGGEST mistakes with my very first weimaraner was comforting her when storms began to bother her. She went from a dog who could care a less if a gun was shot near her to a scared kitten when she heard thunder. This large gal would crawl up me when it stormed cower and cry, pace and tear things up when I wasn't there. When I was I craddle her like a baby and tell her it was ok. BIG MISTAKE. You have to desenitize them to noises that startle them. Start small with her on ignoring her fears now don't comfort her by petting thats rewarding her for being crazed. When your dog is calm and settled praise her love her tell her shes great. When leaving don't pay her much attention, if you do this builds the excitement and leads to destruction on the severe. I had a foster who was relinquished due to the destrunction of the house. He ate through crates tathers and doors. Brought him here and practise setting him in a crate next to another dog while I was home with no signs of me leaving and then let him out. The whole time I never gave him much attention. Just said kennel up in a monotone voice helped him in calmly but sternly ignoring his resistance. Handled them matter a factly show no emotion its tuff but it works. Anger doesn't help either. So I kept working with this male weim day after day and longer periods of time. He adjusted pretty quick. I will say one thing that helps though is multiple dog homes. I didn't read your bio (sorry) so I am not sure if Gretchen is an only dog or not. If so maybe you can try fostering another dog to see if this helps eaze her loneliness when ur away. Hope this was helpful I open to phone calls and free counseling lol I'll private message you if your interested. BTW some dogs just cannot be crated so if you cannot calm her and she continues to hurt herself trying to escape you need plan B