Separation Anxiety

TrevaRPR · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 9:03 pm Post subject: Separation Anxiety

I got my first Weim a week and two days ago. She's five years old. She is a great dog, very beautiful ... except for her separation anxiety problem. Unless I get some earth-shattering advice on how to break her of this disorder/problem ASAP, she is going back to her old home tomorrow.

I cannot leave her alone. She will not rest until she worms her way out of her crate. I've tried reinforcing the crate, but I don't guess I've done a very good job at that. Once she's out, she's destructive. I was gone for an hour and a half tonight. The carpet at my front door is torn up. The door is all scratched up. Mini blinds are down .. table turned over.

She's very attached to me. She follows me from room to room. She was an outside dog. I'm trying to train her to be an inside dog. I hate giving up on her, but I'm just at my wits' end.

Cathy · Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 6:34 am Post subject:

I am going to guess that you didn't do enough research on the breed before taking her in. That is why so many are put up for adoption. people don't know what they are getting into.

This is the link to the most extensive thread on the subject.

http://www.weimaraneraddict.com/discussion/separation-anxiety-your-experience-vt4902.html

They are very needy dogs and unless you have the time and patience to take care of one, it will be very hard. I don't want anyone to give up on a dog, and I really hope she will not be sent back to a shelter.
You are going to have to put a lot of time and effort into training her especially if she was outside and probably used to chewing on whatever.
I have no doubt that it can be done.

josie · Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 8:23 am Post subject:

It can definitely be done, but if you're balking already then chances are you don't have the commitment and determination to go through what will be necessary. It would be enough of a challenge to transition from outdoor dog to indoor dog, let alone also have SA issues. However, most outdoor Weims would be upset by a change of routine, a change of owners, being shut up indoors rather than freely ranging outside - it's a lot of change and you need to give a dog time to realise it's safe with you and you will always come back, before you even decide if she has SA issues or not. It could be that she just needs time to settle in.

kamfam · Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 8:55 am Post subject:

You definitely need to give it more time. How often and for how long is she crated? Imagine being at the shelter, cooped up in that small little pen, then being rescued by someone (yay Very Happy

), just to be cooped up again!!!

There is a ton of information on here regarding SA. Do a search, read about it and work it. Get her into an obedience class. Exercise her before she's left alone and give her plenty of toys (Kongs filled with goodies work wonders for some dogs).

Train her, love her, and please don't give up on her yet!

TrevaRPR · Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:17 am Post subject:

I feel like such a failure!! My niece adopted a year-old Weim and was able to train him into her world. I fell in love with her dog. They are so beautiful. I had a german shepherd before who had to be put down in February. I thought I was ready for another dog. And I thought I had the patience to deal with this dog (Velvet).

I have four acres of land across the street and I take Velvet out at least twice a day to run and play. I'm thinking now the timing of those outside ventures are wrong. They aren't before I'm getting ready to leave.

I've never left her alone "shut up indoors" for more than an hour and a half. But on those occasions, she always breaks out of her crate. My job hours vary and I'm at home with her a lot. But I will have to leave her at some point!

I didn't get her from a shelter, but an individual. And they've agreed to take her back.

josie · Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:33 am Post subject:

Ok, here goes:

1. A dog should not be able to break out of a crate. If she can, then the crate isn't secure, properly set up or isn't made well enough. Figure out how the crate is getting busted and either fix it or get another. A crate becomes completely useless if it can be busted out of and once the dog has learnt it can do it once, it will just try even harder next time because it has learnt that it is possible.

2. How is she in the crate when you are at home? Is she happy to be shut in the crate while you are in the house, going about your activities? Or does she freak out at that? Is she crate trained? Has she been introduced to the crate in the correct way and gradually acclimatised to it, assuming that if she lived outdoors before she probably has never experienced a crate before? Here is a link on crate training: http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/crate-train.pdf Follow the instructions in it, and make sure your dog is 100% secure in the crate while you are around before you begin leaving her in it. Once she is fine, then you need to acclimatise her to your being out of her sight, in another room or on another floor of the house, while she is crated. This is an important half-way step to being left totally alone.

3. So, you now have a dog which loves her crate and is comfortable in there while you are around and also is secure and can't bust out of it. Next you need to get her used to being left and do some "alone training" with her. Here is a great extract from an even greater book called The Culture Clash. It is intended for new puppy owners, but equally applicable to rescue dogs:

"To improve alone-training in puppies here are the things you can do.

If it’s a new puppy or rescue dog in your house, set the precedent right away. The tendency with a newcomer is to be constantly with him, because he’s novel and fascinating and you want to make him feel at home and secure. However, if you are constantly available and heaping attention on the dog, you are setting him up for a terrific letdown when normal life resumes. He will have to face The Void of Aloneness.

So, right off the bat, leave baby dog alone for brief durations, over and over. With dozens of trials, he will learn that: 1. People are not always going to be available and 2. When people leave, they always come back again.

Leave him crated, with stuffed chew-toys so he won’t guess wrong about what to chew. And be sure that when you are home, you are playing with him and giving him some attention. So, you will come and go continually, all without hellos and goodbyes, so the puppy becomes somewhat less attentive to all these departures and arrivals. Keep all your departures and arrivals low-key. The gushing hellos and long-winded goodbyes with tons of cuddling and begging are not only useless but serve to increase the contrast between when you’re home (bliss) and when you’re gone (the void).

It is absolutely normal that puppies will distress vocalise when you leave them alone, even for these brief practice sessions. The rule with distress-vocalising dogs is: wait for a lull before going to them, at whatever cost. Resist thoughts like “what if he needs to go out” or some other vital communication from dog to human, and worry about the potent behaviour modifying influence of your arrival at the dog. Always ask yourself what behaviour you want to reinforce. If you like the noise, respond to it. It you don’t, wait however long it takes for a lull before going to the dog.

It is not that you’re not going to meet your dog’s needs: it’s just that you’re not going to train in noise-making in the process.

Get the dog out into the outside world so he has novel sights, sounds and experiences to process every day. This increases mental fatigue."

The Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson: p. 49-51

Here is also a link on SA, which has some useful ideas and tips for a more gradual approach to alone-training, if you find it necessary:

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2002/sa.htm

TrevaRPR

I've let the previous owner know that I'm going to keep trying.

I'm open to suggestions for exercising her. I've thought about getting a bicycle and running her that way. Is that something realistic? I'll try tiring her out before I leave.

I do have the benefit of my mother as a "babysitter." She lives right down the street. When she lets Velvet out to pee, though, Velvet heads straight for my house. So Mother ends up coming down here and "babysitting" her here.

And I'll go to Petsmart today and get a better crate ... and take Velvet with me, of course. She loves to ride in the car.

I am totally open to any suggestions. I'm starting to bond with this dog, and I don't want to send her back.

jamiekuntz11 · Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 12:39 pm Post subject:

There is not much i cant tell you bet it looks like you have a lot of support from the wonderful people on the site. I truley wish you the best and please try no to give up- and keep us updated!!!

kamfam · Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:01 pm Post subject:

Why did the previous owner give her up? I'm guessing the reason your niece trained hers in no time might have had to do with the age...there's quite a difference betweeen 1 and 5. At 5 yrs, it still can be done. Just be patient. It's not going to happen in a day, a week, maybe not even a month. But you will definintely see improvements.

Example, we rescued Kam from a shelter when he was 11 mos. He was returned to the shelter at least 2 TIMES by others!!! But, he had NO training. The shelter sent him to obedience classes for 6 weeks. He was only back at the shelter for 2 days until our paths crossed. I can't imagine our home without him. Trust me, he still has plenty of behavior issues that we're working on, but still, he is sooooo good and he is so loved! I was becoming discouraged by his jumping. He is very large and I am not...if I was not prepared for his lunge, down I'd go (and my kids as well). With consistency, his jumping has really mellowed. He still has times where he's crazy, but the length of time he's crazy is drastically reduced. Everyday I notice an improvement in something and he is heavily rewarded for it!!!

Really, just be patient.

Here's a link regarding exercise:

http://www.weimaraneraddict.com/discussion/long-check-cord-vt5156.html

2kids2weims · Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:07 pm Post subject:

Had a similar situation, but much younger rescue. Don't let this eat you alive...read the sites & do what they say about crate training, with the treats etc.

When the day came to leave the house for a short time, I gave Indy her 1st marrow bone. When we came back shortly after, I took it away. Many repetitions. She only gets the ultimate treat inside the kennel. She can be crated now for about 4 hours, which is longer than we have to crate her. She actually runs to the crate when she sees the kong or bone or tug n'jug. We also exercise her before like others have said.

Sometimes it was so frustrating & discouraging, because there are setbacks. But we kept asking ourselves: Is the situation improving from baseline ? What did we learn today about our situation? Be generous with yourself and your dog - you are both learning about each other and what you each need.

Think about a doggy daycare if you can to give yourself a break from that dread in your stomach when you get to the door. I also think your mom sitting with her now & then is good - we did alot of work making sure this dog had attachments to several people, not just me.

TrevaRPR · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 8:15 pm Post subject: Update on Velvet ....

Well, Velvet and I are still together. She's still a challenge, but I'm dealing with her the best I can. It's probably not the "Weimaraner Addict" way, but it's working for us for now.

The crate just didn't work and I took it back. She wormed her way out of it twice. I will probably get a stronger crate eventually. I do not leave her alone in the house over two minutes!! I learned that lesson the hard way!

Sometimes my mother "dog sits," and Velvet is beginning to bond with her. She loves riding in the car, so I take her with me on quick errands. She has no problem staying in the car. Sometimes I leave her in the back yard. I put up an electric fence around the bottom part of the house because she was finding holes and getting out of the yard that way. The yard is fenced in. But she doesn't like being in the yard ... well, I'm not so sure she doesn't like the yard. ..she just doesn't like it when I'm out of her sight! I always stuff her kong with good stuff, but I still end up having to drag her out there.

I had her fixed last Monday. The vet said that may calm her down a little but not to count on it. She'd been bred and had two litters, so I figured that was enough of that!! The procedure hasn't slowed her down much at all.

I still take her over to the four-acre field and let her run and play at least twice a day and sometimes more. It's never enough though!

I know I still have a long way to go with her, but we're making progress. If I can't find the time to start training her more myself, like how to walk on a leash and such, I'm going to look into having her trained. My time is just limited right now.

She's such a beautiful dog. I just love her!

Thanks for all your advice and encouragement ... and criticism!!

I'll be in touch!!

treva

kamfam · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:01 am Post subject:

Congratulations and keep up the good work!!!

Tonia · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 7:07 pm Post subject:

My previous weim had separation anxiety also, she would destroy everything when I left, I didn't know what to do, she was exercised and I had three other dogs to play with. I finally talked to the vet about it and he talked to me about putting her on medication called chlor-calm, we tried it and it was unbelievable the change, it didn't happen overnight but with the medicine she was able to overcome this anxiety. She was only on it for six months, this medicine is not meant to be taken forever, we started lowering the dosage after three months and she never had to take it again. I am not saying you can just give them meds and it is a cure all, you still have to make sure they have plenty of exercise and obedience training helps also. I just thought I would share this info with you. I know many people don't want to "medicate" their dog, but for me it was the right decison and I think she was happier because she got to stay out in the house when I left.