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11-29-2006, 05:05 PM | #1 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montreal, Canada
Posts: 852
| Separation Anxiety problem Royce has SA whenever I try to leave the apartment he would start crying and barking for about 20 minutes . I hired a dog therapist we worked on the problem for one month and he got better ( from 1 hour of barking and crying to 20 minutes) . But still this is a problem for me because the neighbors would complain so I have to take him with me everywhere I go . I would like this behavior to stop because there are places where i cant take him ( doctor's appointments...) . Moving to another building is not an option because the behavior wont stop . Did anyone of you manage to deal effectively with SA ? and I head about collars that spray citronella and other devices that would would make a noise whenever thedog starts barking, are they effective ? Please help this situation is causing me a lot of stress and anxiety ( it's not convenient whenever I have to go to the grocery store or to the pharmacy to take him with me . |
Welcome Guest! | |
11-29-2006, 05:16 PM | #2 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: NJ
Posts: 739
| I had another breed who had severe separation anxiety. He screamed!!!!! I could be in another room in the house and my husband in the same room with him and he screamed. He only had to hear my voice and he was quiet. I taped myself reading childrens books and would leave a tape playing when I had to leave him home. At first I would listen outside to hear if he was quiet. Afterwards, UPS delivery asked me if I still had the dog because he didn't hear this tiny thing screams anymore. He had been on anxiety medications previously and I hated to see him drugged. Jessica |
11-29-2006, 05:31 PM | #3 |
2 Pups=Double Trouble! Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Iowa
Posts: 6,581
| We have this same problem with Emma. We also hired a behaviorist and are working with Emma on her issues. It has improved, but we are nowhere where we need to be with this. Baby steps. I am not writing to tell you that we've solved it, but more to let you know you're not alone in this! I understand exactly where you're coming from! It makes me feel better to know there are others out there that have this problem too! Here is a little more on our story and what we've tried: We have tried a couple of ultra-sonic noise making collars and other devices (no shock collars!!!!) and they don't really work if she's that upset. She has Xanax for dogs for long periods of time that we need to leave her, but I think the dose is too low, and it doesn't do anything for her. And, I don't like giving her drugs unless I absolutely have to. I haven't found a citronella collar that is small enough for a yorkie yet. Plus, they're REALLY expensive, and if they don't work, you're out a couple hundred bucks! I've tried toys-including the heat up snuggle puppy and chewing toys, Clothes that smell like us, the bedroom door open or closed, a CD or the radio, at different volumes, a crate, and xpen, leaving her unconfined, numerous treats, EVERYTHING. And...it's the behavior that we have to fix. We have a routine with her for when we leave, which includes an xpen, peanut butter, a kong, a buster cube, a baby einstein CD, treats, a bark collar (noise, no shock), and lights. I don't know if it works completely, but at least we can both go to work in the morning. She has mostly accepted that. If we have plans on the weekend or in the evenings after work, we have take her with us, or find someone to watch her or take her to doggie daycare. She will completely freak out for hours on end if we aren't home with her at night and on the weekends. She CAN tell time, and she CAN tell what day it is-by the activity of other people in the building. We're really stressed out about it too, and we live in a condo with the worlds most crotchity, ornery, cranky, busybody, troublemaker of an old lady you've ever met below us, and she complains all the time. She's the ONLY one who can hear Emma bark, and the only one that complains about her or anything else in our building. She has even gone so far in the past to write notes in RED SHARPIE in caps and leave them on our door, as if on display for all of our other neighbors to see. She is on our association board, and wrote a letter to the association manager and to the developer that we're renting our unit from. We didn't know she wrote it until our landlord asked us about it. My husband is an attorney, and wrote a great zinger of a letter back to the association and to her regarding her attitude, her silly complaints, and her overall personality that wants to cause trouble for others. See? There I go...I get so upset by it. We're looking to buy a house to get out of here, and meanwhile have just been trying to get by here for the next few months. At least in a house, we will have a yard to exercise Emma, and won't have anyone sharing walls with us. It will be easier to work on solving her issues without worrying about neighbors-right now we're just managing and dealing with the symptoms and not the whole problem. We are also looking to get another yorkie. The behaviorist said that wouldn't cure it, that the issue is human contact that Emma gets so upset that she's missing. We do believe that if Emma had a playmate, it would occupy her time, so that she'd have less time to worry about us and when we were coming home. Plus...we just want two yorkies! You could try some of the things we have-maybe something will work for you. If you have other ideas for us to try, I'd love to hear them! Please keep in touch-it's great to have support from someone else who's going through the same things as we are. Let us know how you're doing with this, and what things work and don't work! |
11-29-2006, 05:32 PM | #4 | |
2 Pups=Double Trouble! Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Iowa
Posts: 6,581
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11-29-2006, 05:58 PM | #5 |
♥Love My Puppies!♥ Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: US
Posts: 5,786
| When I met my husband he had an adult Lhasa Apso that had terrible separation anxiety all her life. She had it so bad she tried to chew her way out of the house when he left. She destroyed drywall, floorboards, the front door and her teeth. They were all broken off at the gumline from her trying to chew out of a metal crate. When we got married and brought her to my house with my 2 dogs, she never had an episode again. Her only mission in life became trying the be the new boss of my two dogs. My Yorkies have some separation anxiety but we used to cuddle them and baby talk to them every time we left them. When we got home we would greet them, hug and kiss them and fuss over them. When we learned to quit doing that they have calmed down. When I leave now I just walk out and ignore them. They stay calm. When I get home now I let them out and tell them to go potty. I ignore them until they potty and by then they are calm. I don't know if they barked when when we were gone but we are in a house and no one has ever complained. I don't know if this will help any, but good luck to you.
__________________ RIP My Sweet Darling Angel Daisy 08/09/03 - 10/02/15, RIP My Sweet Baby Boy Teddy Bear 02/01/04 - 02/11/16 Photos HERE |
11-29-2006, 06:05 PM | #6 | |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montreal, Canada
Posts: 852
| Quote:
I pretty much have the same routine for Royce whenever I have to leave my apartment and cant take him with me : i give him free roam of the apartment as he hates being gated, I leave a king with peanut butter, another kong with cookies, classic music on the radio and safe toys to chew ( but that won't stop him for barking for 20 minutes or so ) . The behaviorist strongly advised me not to let Royce sleep in my bed anymore and that helped IMO . Also the usual" to ignore him when he seeks attention, I have to be the one who initiates play time ...in other words make him undestand that I'm the boss not him . I did a lot of research on the internet and I found that they feel anxious and display that behavior because they are scared once you are out of sight there would not be able to protect you that's why you have to teach him that you are the one in charge . I did extensive research on the internet and found this website http://www.kibblesnbits.com/dogcare/article.aspx?i=20 I think the program it describes for dealing wt SA is really good but for now I dont have the stenght to start applying it . In my case I moved to a building that has a strict " no pet policy " but management made an exception for me because he his tiny . When I signed my lease in march Royce didnt have SA problem ( if he had I would have never moved to this building ) When I moved in July he was fine but what trigerred his SA is the fact that I took him with me on vacation in august for 3 weeks I went to visit my family and for 3 weeks he was in a completely different environment and it started when we came back to montreal . | |
11-29-2006, 06:55 PM | #7 | |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: NJ
Posts: 739
| Quote:
Chins are very laid back and quiet. They are not the brightest (I've owned 4 over the years) but all were so sweet and calm. I've always have bought from reputable small show breeders and never had negative experience. This was the mistake I made with buying my current Yorkie, his breeder. I won't make this error again, if I ever get another dog which I doubt. If you ever see Chins being shown at a dog show, they can be clowns and have their moments where they cut up in the ring and the handler must exit as the crowd laughs at the real entertainment, a lovely dog exhibiting one of the characteristics of that breed. I would be hesitant to introduce another Yorkie with one that has separation anxiety. I found it difficult to be sure of a Yorkie's temperment since reputable breeders are less then honest. What if you get another Yorkie with emotional issues? I have 2 other dogs with great temperments and a vicious 9 month old Yorkie. I don't enjoy him, just alot of work, expense, and a burden. His breeder should have been honest and reduced his price drastically to place him in a only pet home. She knew he didn't get along with her Chinese Crested and knew I had 2 dogs. Good luck! Jessica | |
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