NEED SUGGESTIONS! New dog an seperation anxiety issues! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Heymisskim · 01-19-2015, 02:58 PM

Hello everyone! I wrote asking for help with Ginger and potty training, a 9 month old female we just got 3 weeks ago. Now I am really hoping you can advise on seperation anxiety.

It is CRAZY how quickly Ginger became attached to me and my twin 10 year old daughers! Literally, on the ride home from the breeders house she layer her head on one girl and her body on the other. She wants to be with us ALL THE TIME. In our arms is where she is happiest. I have to tell me girls all the time to "put the dog down." I encourage them to lay beside her bed while she chews on Himalayan yak bones, to put her in her crate occassionaly, to play with her, to not make a big deal about coming and going, etc.

We have a very busy schedule with lots of activities, but she is able to come with us much of the time. She rides in her crate in the car and seems pretty content being carried around in a dog purse. However, there are times she has to be left...usually two hours is the most, but sometimes it is as long as 3-4 hours.

I am afraid she barks the whole time she is in her crate while we are gone. And because she is pretty much confined to the kitchen and dining room for potty training purposes, she also barks whenever my girls and I leave those rooms. (She does not seem as bonded to my husband.). She sleeps in her crate next to our bed (for the first week the crate was IN our bed) but if I get up to go to the bathroom or help a little girl having a bad dream, she barks and barks until I return.

We have tried to make her crate a nice thing....even fed her in it at first, so I don't think it is the crate that she minds as much as she minds being alone.

We are really hoping she will become a well adjusted dog that we can take to other people's house and travel with. Any help you can offer me would be much appreciated!

Kim

lynzy420 · 01-19-2015, 06:24 PM

I think a good routine is in order and a trainer, I really think it will do some good.

HMac · 01-21-2015, 01:47 PM

Hi Kim,

Our pup went through some anxiety too, a trick we read about and that has REALLY help us is not acknowledging her 10 mins before we leave, or 10 mins after we return. So no eye contact, no talking, no snuggles, no goodbyes, just put her/him in the crate/room and leave. When you return you let her/him out and go about your business for 10 mins or so, and then say hello. It sounded strange but it really does work, the concept is that you shouldn't make a big deal about your leaving or returning.

We also tried doing this for short periods of time while we were home. So we would place her in her crate for 1 min, then 2, then 5, while we work around the house, and then let her out without any fanfare. Teaching her that we will always come back for her.

It's worked for us, and Holly, maybe it's worth a try! Good Luck!

Heymisskim · 01-21-2015, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMac

Hi Kim,

Our pup went through some anxiety too, a trick we read about and that has REALLY help us is not acknowledging her 10 mins before we leave, or 10 mins after we return. So no eye contact, no talking, no snuggles, no goodbyes, just put her/him in the crate/room and leave. When you return you let her/him out and go about your business for 10 mins or so, and then say hello. It sounded strange but it really does work, the concept is that you shouldn't make a big deal about your leaving or returning.

We also tried doing this for short periods of time while we were home. So we would place her in her crate for 1 min, then 2, then 5, while we work around the house, and then let her out without any fanfare. Teaching her that we will always come back for her.

It's worked for us, and Holly, maybe it's worth a try! Good Luck!

I read about that! So before you leave you put her in the crate? And when you get home you let her out but don't give her any attention? I am a bit worried about her going potty if I don't take her out right away, but I am desperate to try anything! Thanks!

alaskayorkie · 01-21-2015, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMac

Hi Kim,

Our pup went through some anxiety too, a trick we read about and that has REALLY help us is not acknowledging her 10 mins before we leave, or 10 mins after we return. So no eye contact, no talking, no snuggles, no goodbyes, just put her/him in the crate/room and leave. When you return you let her/him out and go about your business for 10 mins or so, and then say hello. It sounded strange but it really does work, the concept is that you shouldn't make a big deal about your leaving or returning.

We also tried doing this for short periods of time while we were home. So we would place her in her crate for 1 min, then 2, then 5, while we work around the house, and then let her out without any fanfare. Teaching her that we will always come back for her.

It's worked for us, and Holly, maybe it's worth a try! Good Luck!

I agree with this idea. The temptation is to go gaga as soon as you get home and give them lots of loving. Avoid that. I acknowledge them but don't go crazy. We don't crate generally, but that technique has worked without the crate for us. It helps to establish a routine. If you can leave them for several hours at the same time every day, they'll catch on that they gotta deal with it. Good luck.

Dayswalters · 01-21-2015, 09:12 PM

This method has worked for me although I have one minor adjustment. I leave a radio playing so that she feels like someone is home and to offset any other noises she might hear.

Larry92 · 01-22-2015, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMac

Hi Kim,

Our pup went through some anxiety too, a trick we read about and that has REALLY help us is not acknowledging her 10 mins before we leave, or 10 mins after we return. So no eye contact, no talking, no snuggles, no goodbyes, just put her/him in the crate/room and leave. When you return you let her/him out and go about your business for 10 mins or so, and then say hello. It sounded strange but it really does work, the concept is that you shouldn't make a big deal about your leaving or returning.

We also tried doing this for short periods of time while we were home. So we would place her in her crate for 1 min, then 2, then 5, while we work around the house, and then let her out without any fanfare. Teaching her that we will always come back for her.

It's worked for us, and Holly, maybe it's worth a try! Good Luck!

Couldn't agree more with this, this really helped when we first got my youngest border terrier. Bella was SOOOO needy with me after the first week or two of us getting her so I used the ignoring with her and it worked brilliantly. It took her a while to get to grips with it but after a few weeks she was brilliant. She no longer barked when I left the room/house and didn't need to be fussed by someone constantly. She became her own little independent self and still is too this day.

She still loves snuggles and kisses (and is still my baby) but she will happily do things on her own

HMac · 01-22-2015, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heymisskim

I read about that! So before you leave you put her in the crate? And when you get home you let her out but don't give her any attention? I am a bit worried about her going potty if I don't take her out right away, but I am desperate to try anything! Thanks!

We actually don't leave her in a crate when we're away, we leave her in our mudroom and her crate is in there for sleeping. We do let her out of the room when we get home, she will follow us around quite excited but we wait for her to calm before we acknowledge her.

She has done so well with this that she doesn't make a sound when we leave now. We still don't make a big deal out of leaving, no goodbyes, we just go and she she goes to her bed. I hope you have some success!

Graneet · 01-22-2015, 08:35 AM

Maybe xpen her to let her have more freedom to. Or kitchen with a block off from house. My yorky gets board and with get stuff off anywher we leave it and its tore up. So we put things up. I dont think they bark continuously. Just when we leave then hes quiet. Ask a neighbor if she barks the whole time. My neighbors dog i tell you what barks and carrys on none stop when she leaves. And she goes off for two days at a time to get this watch her boy friends dog.

Jkpal · 01-24-2015, 04:10 PM

Every night 15 min to 1/2 hr before I leave for work, Piper goes under couch, allll the way back, hangs her adorable little head and turns toward the wall. Piiitttttiful!!! And though we've toned it way down to avoid the snorting, choking thing (thank you, Yorkie Forum!!), we still do the refined version of the Yorkie dancing, twirling "I'm hooome! We're together again" romp! Yorkies, they're unique in the world.

01-19-2015, 02:58 PM	#1
Heymisskim Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Central Point, Oregon, USA Posts: 19	NEED SUGGESTIONS! New dog an seperation anxiety issues! Hello everyone! I wrote asking for help with Ginger and potty training, a 9 month old female we just got 3 weeks ago. Now I am really hoping you can advise on seperation anxiety. It is CRAZY how quickly Ginger became attached to me and my twin 10 year old daughers! Literally, on the ride home from the breeders house she layer her head on one girl and her body on the other. She wants to be with us ALL THE TIME. In our arms is where she is happiest. I have to tell me girls all the time to "put the dog down." I encourage them to lay beside her bed while she chews on Himalayan yak bones, to put her in her crate occassionaly, to play with her, to not make a big deal about coming and going, etc. We have a very busy schedule with lots of activities, but she is able to come with us much of the time. She rides in her crate in the car and seems pretty content being carried around in a dog purse. However, there are times she has to be left...usually two hours is the most, but sometimes it is as long as 3-4 hours. I am afraid she barks the whole time she is in her crate while we are gone. And because she is pretty much confined to the kitchen and dining room for potty training purposes, she also barks whenever my girls and I leave those rooms. (She does not seem as bonded to my husband.). She sleeps in her crate next to our bed (for the first week the crate was IN our bed) but if I get up to go to the bathroom or help a little girl having a bad dream, she barks and barks until I return. We have tried to make her crate a nice thing....even fed her in it at first, so I don't think it is the crate that she minds as much as she minds being alone. We are really hoping she will become a well adjusted dog that we can take to other people's house and travel with. Any help you can offer me would be much appreciated! Kim

01-19-2015, 06:24 PM	#2
lynzy420 Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: USA Posts: 7,652	I think a good routine is in order and a trainer, I really think it will do some good. __________________ The Above advice/comments/reviews are my personal opinions based on my own experience/education/investigation and research and you can take them any way you want to......Or NOT!!!

01-21-2015, 01:47 PM	#3
HMac Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Winnipeg, MB, Canada Posts: 16	Hi Kim, Our pup went through some anxiety too, a trick we read about and that has REALLY help us is not acknowledging her 10 mins before we leave, or 10 mins after we return. So no eye contact, no talking, no snuggles, no goodbyes, just put her/him in the crate/room and leave. When you return you let her/him out and go about your business for 10 mins or so, and then say hello. It sounded strange but it really does work, the concept is that you shouldn't make a big deal about your leaving or returning. We also tried doing this for short periods of time while we were home. So we would place her in her crate for 1 min, then 2, then 5, while we work around the house, and then let her out without any fanfare. Teaching her that we will always come back for her. It's worked for us, and Holly, maybe it's worth a try! Good Luck!

01-21-2015, 09:12 PM	#6
Dayswalters Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: California Posts: 842 Blog Entries: 1	This method has worked for me although I have one minor adjustment. I leave a radio playing so that she feels like someone is home and to offset any other noises she might hear.

01-22-2015, 08:35 AM	#9
Graneet YT Addict Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Marion ohio Posts: 476 Blog Entries: 2	Maybe xpen her to let her have more freedom to. Or kitchen with a block off from house. My yorky gets board and with get stuff off anywher we leave it and its tore up. So we put things up. I dont think they bark continuously. Just when we leave then hes quiet. Ask a neighbor if she barks the whole time. My neighbors dog i tell you what barks and carrys on none stop when she leaves. And she goes off for two days at a time to get this watch her boy friends dog.

01-24-2015, 04:10 PM	#10
Jkpal YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,777	Every night 15 min to 1/2 hr before I leave for work, Piper goes under couch, allll the way back, hangs her adorable little head and turns toward the wall. Piiitttttiful!!! And though we've toned it way down to avoid the snorting, choking thing (thank you, Yorkie Forum!!), we still do the refined version of the Yorkie dancing, twirling "I'm hooome! We're together again" romp! Yorkies, they're unique in the world.