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separation anxiety in beagle
We adopted a beagle when he was 6 weeks old. He spends 24 hrs a day, 7 days
a week with people. I take him to work with me, and he is around lots of people, so he is very social. He hasn't had to be alone more than a couple hours at a time. When we do leave him though, it's a problem. We usually put his crate in the garden shed (relatively small) because it is warm and dry, and leave his crate open. In the span of an hour, he will poop several times, and it is almost always runny. I'm assuming his emotions cause him to have diarrhea. We can't leave him loose in the house because of this. Not only does he have all this runny poop, but then he runs in circles through it, and tracks it everywhere. He sleeps on our bed, because we tried to crate him from the beginning, and after 7 or 8 sleepless nights, we gave up. I feel like a failure, but it's just easier to have him sleep on the bed. He just never stops howling, even after several hours. How do we conquer the seperation anxiety? Should we just lock him up in the crate for a short time, and gradually increase it? I'm not sure what to do - I don't want the dog to run my life... |
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oregonchick said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:
How do we conquer the seperation anxiety? Should we just lock him up in the crate for a short time, and gradually increase it? You're on the right track, though the crate has probably become a bad place by now. Before I write yet another long "crate post" that gets no response, answer me one thing: What was the thinking behind leaving him in the garden shed and not in the home he's become comfortable with? -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
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"Rocky" wrote in message ... oregonchick said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior: How do we conquer the seperation anxiety? Should we just lock him up in the crate for a short time, and gradually increase it? You're on the right track, though the crate has probably become a bad place by now. Before I write yet another long "crate post" that gets no response, answer me one thing: What was the thinking behind leaving him in the garden shed and not in the home he's become comfortable with? We started him in the home, in the crate. We found that he would go pee and poop in there despite everyone telling us dogs won't do that where they sleep. So we put him in the bathroom and left the crate open, and put down pee pads, which worked only sometimes. He made such a mess in there he's been moved to the garden shed. |
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oregonchick said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:
We started him in the home, in the crate. We found that he would go pee and poop in there despite everyone telling us dogs won't do that where they sleep. So we put him in the bathroom and left the crate open, and put down pee pads, which worked only sometimes. He made such a mess in there he's been moved to the garden shed. Medical and anxiety problems aside, dog typically won't poo and pee in a crate of the right size. A few things: make sure the crate is just large enough to stand, turn, and lie down in; no padding, just the plastic crate; and, especially in the beginning, no longer than a few minutes, building gradually up to a few hours, in the crate. Feed him in the crate if it makes him more comfortable. Your first stop when taking him out is the yard - lots of praise and treats when (if) he poops or pees outside. Otherwise, back to the crate for 10 minutes, then back outside. Rinse and repeat and have patience. One of your main problems is that he hasn't been left alone much, so start with his crate training while you're at home and in the same room. Graduate to leaving the room for a few minutes and then long enough to cook dinner and then long enough to make a quick trip to the store. If he's making a scene while in the crate, ignore him until he settles (even for a five count) and then take him out. The process may take a couple of months, but if you want reliability there aren't many short cuts. I think that there are a number of issues. First, the Beagle aspect - Beagles have been reported as difficult to housetrain, though your Beagle's issues seem to be exacerbated by anxiety. Moving him to the shed won't improve his confidence. I'd concentrate on making him more comfortable in his crate. If you only have to leave him for a few hours, give him some good exercise and poop time, and forget the wandering room outside of his crate. He was probably too young to be taken from his siblings and mother and needs some help with self-confidence. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
#5
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"Rocky" wrote in message ... oregonchick said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior: We started him in the home, in the crate. We found that he would go pee and poop in there despite everyone telling us dogs won't do that where they sleep. So we put him in the bathroom and left the crate open, and put down pee pads, which worked only sometimes. He made such a mess in there he's been moved to the garden shed. Medical and anxiety problems aside, dog typically won't poo and pee in a crate of the right size. A few things: make sure the crate is just large enough to stand, turn, and lie down in; no padding, just the plastic crate; and, especially in the beginning, no longer than a few minutes, building gradually up to a few hours, in the crate. Feed him in the crate if it makes him more comfortable. Your first stop when taking him out is the yard - lots of praise and treats when (if) he poops or pees outside. Otherwise, back to the crate for 10 minutes, then back outside. Rinse and repeat and have patience. One of your main problems is that he hasn't been left alone much, so start with his crate training while you're at home and in the same room. Graduate to leaving the room for a few minutes and then long enough to cook dinner and then long enough to make a quick trip to the store. If he's making a scene while in the crate, ignore him until he settles (even for a five count) and then take him out. The process may take a couple of months, but if you want reliability there aren't many short cuts. I think that there are a number of issues. First, the Beagle aspect - Beagles have been reported as difficult to housetrain, though your Beagle's issues seem to be exacerbated by anxiety. Moving him to the shed won't improve his confidence. I'd concentrate on making him more comfortable in his crate. If you only have to leave him for a few hours, give him some good exercise and poop time, and forget the wandering room outside of his crate. He was probably too young to be taken from his siblings and mother and needs some help with self-confidence. I think you are right. I will start small, and we'll just work at it consistantly. |
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