Big Paws Only Dog Forums
BPO General Forum => General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws => : Bozak July 20, 2005, 11:44:57 AM
-
Hi!
I need help bad. My dog Nina has BAD seperation anxiety. When we leave we put her in her room and she has a crate with her bed in it. Well the crate is plastic and she chews on it everytime we leave.......sh e does it so bad it makes her gums bleed and it doesn't do too much good on her teeth either. :'( Any suggestions???? ???
-
Are you sure she is chewing because of seperation anxiety and not just because she is bored? Many dogs chew on things when they are bored. I would suggest making sure she has a variety of appropriate chew toys in the room that are softer and meant to be chewed (ie kongs).
-
The perfect solution is to never leave your house again...
But since that is not possible, I would talk to a dog trainer since they would be able to get a feel or your dog and your situation. Maia destroys things when left free but is fine in her cage. I have a big metal cage for her and she always has a few selections of chewies in there.
My dream is to one day be able to leave my dogs free in my house all day.
-
That is quite a dream greek4....lol. ..... I wish that too. My dog Sasha is fine in her crate but definitley not when she is left out even with my other dogs, she chews everything. You may want to get a wire crate instead of the plastic one that you currently have.
-
There is something new on the market called Comfort Zone, it is a plug-in that emits something like the pheromone of a mother dog. Supposedly it gives your dog a feeling of calm like when they were little babies with their mommy. It costs $40 for one month supply. I haven't tried it, but I keep recommending it to people so I can find out if it works! It sounds really good, and it seems easy, I would think it might be worth a shot, if you had the means. I know I would buy some if Nigel started having freakouts when I was gone, luckily so far he hasn't destryed anything at all... knock on wood...
Otherwise something I do know of that works and I use it on my dogs often is Bach Rescue Remedy, which you can buy in a natural food store. You just put some drops in the water bowl or in your dog's mouth.
GOOD LUCK!!!
:)
-
Best advice is to find a canine behaviorist locally to help...
lots of possible things going on....puppy stage? boredom?
The above advice is solid too....
or actually crate train and leave dog *in* crate for 4- 6hrs....with kong. (How old is dog?)
I swear by crate training, my dog never chewed up things in the house or had an accident in the house.
(and I have an italian leather couch!)
I am trying out a new product to keep my big boy entertained... .Kong Time. It is a timer device that releases 4 kongs a day at 2 hr intervals! Great idea.
Since my 2 yr old has been trained to have lovely house manners (crated trained/then trained to go to bed), he gets to lie around on the cool tile floors all day and wander about looking for hidden kongs (his entire meal of kibble goes into the kongs)...soon he will have them time released, since he usually has found all the hidden kongs before I am out the driveway.
You leave Kong Time on the counter and it drops the kongs to the floor every 2 hrs. or what ever you set....4 times a day.
I realize not all dogs can be trusted home alone outside a crate....but my dog doesn't cruise the counters or get into mischief- so I want to reward that good behavior by giving him something to do.
Tips to avoid SA:
Don't make a big deal when you leave or get home. Do not say things like "That's okay sweetie, I'll only be gone a little bit", as that can encourage insecurity. Also if you ignore your dog for 20 mins when you get home (after initial calm greeting), then the dog doesn't focus so much on your arrival.
If your arrival home is the most important part of the day for your dog, you may consider getting more involved in activities with your dog so he associates fun with other things than you walking in the door.
You can train a dog to be happy with his own company by providing fun or puzzles to do while you are not there.
-
YOU CAN DO THIS,SEE IF IT WORKS
LEAVE YOUR HOUSE FOR 5 MINUTES, COME IN AND IGNORE THE DOG, TRY AGAIN LATTER 10 MINUTES, STILL IGNORE,,,,,AND SO ON FOR A MONTH OR SO, EACH TIME A FEW MINUTES LONGER
ALSO GIVE HER A GOOD LARGE MARROW BONE TO KEEP HER BUSY TO CHEW
HOPEFULLY SHE WILL UNDERSTAND YES YOU WILL BE HOME AND RELAX