| This topic is available here on forum.oes.org |
| We have done everything by the book to crate train out 5 month old OES puppy. She is fine in her crate when we are home, she sleeps in it every night and we put her in it from time to time to keep her familiar with it in the daylight. When we leave she goes crazy (she has never been left home for more than 3hrs). She destroys towels and blankets in record time, and is soaked in saliva upon our return. She is very rarely alone and we are worried that we have not created enough separation. What can we do to releive the anxiety and know we can run an errand without worry? |
|
|
What about a Kong stuffed with stuff to keep her busy and to take her mind off you leaving? Our 13 week old loves his Kong more than he loves me, I think. I usually just put some kibble or tiny snacks inside and then I freeze Kong goo or peanut butter over the top. It keeps him busy long enough to just chill out and not get all bent out of shape when I leave.
That being said, my first OES was also inconsolable in the crate when we left. I ended up hiring a dog walker to come a couple of times a day to give him breaks. He grew out of most of the anxiety by about 7 months and by 9 months, we just gave him free run of the house packed the crate away in the basement. He was so happy to see it go away!
If she's shredding towels and blankets, I'd take them out. She'd be safer without them. She'll be cool to just lie on the crate floor for a few hours. It sounds like you're doing everything right. It may be that time is the solution. (I know, exactly the one you didn't want to hear.) |
| Have you tried leaving a radio on. We used to do that and tune into a talk radio station. Another trick we tried was leaving an old worn shirt (so it smells like you) in the crate, but that might not work if she is shredding the blankets. |
| sounds like separation anxiety - it is a clinical issue and you should consult your vet and a behaviorist - actually preferably a behavioral vet but they are hard to come by. |
| have you tried doing 5 minutes separation, return to the room without fussing her, just ignore her, do something in the room and then go out again for a bit longer. We did this with one of our dogs and in the end they knew we were coming back and it wasnt a problem. Does take patience though.. |
| It does sound like separation anxiety. Our 4month old hated her crate when we got her a month ago because the breeder didn't crate the pups so we had quite a few sleepless nights in the first 3 weeks, now we go through a ritual with her each night telling her it is time for Jenny to go to her room, at bedtime she walks right in now and sits right down and I stay with her until she lays down. During the day she hates being in the crate if we are home, but if we go out, she barks a few minutes but then calms down and is usually laying down still when we get home. |
