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Quickly Developed Separation Anxiety


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I recently adopted a puppy (4.5 months old at the time) and was impressed that he didn't seem to have any difficulty switching to a new home. After three weeks with him an emergency came up and I had to leave for a week (and couldn't take him with me). My roommate, who has regularly played with the dog, walked him, and taken him to the park, is currently watching him.

 

Now I'm constantly getting messages that he's causing problems without me around. He's been pooping in the apartment (which has never happened before), crying, and destroying things even while around my roommate. She still plays with him, tries to do some training, and takes him to the dog park, but complains that she can't devote 24 hours a day to the dog. Especially because she has her own cat who she needs to take care of, and the two animals are still getting used to each other.

 

Does anyone have suggestions on what we can do about this?

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Don't laugh but have you thought of Skype?

 

I have an older Berner who is the only dog I have ever had who gets separation anxiety. Once when I was gone she became so distraught that we set up a skype thing and I talked to her.

 

It didn't solve the problem completely, but it alleviated her fears that I was gone forever, I think.

 

Perhaps you can't solve it, but you can effect some damage control.

 

What terrible timing you had :( Sorry for that. Good luck.

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Thanks. It can't hurt. I suggested to my roommate to give him an old shirt of mine so he could have my smell around. Maybe sight or sound would work better.

 

I'm especially concerned because I have a week of reserve duty in November

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Yes, objects that belong to you would be good, too.

 

Luckily you will have time to work on the bond before then.

 

It's just bad timing - but the puppy is very young and will rebound with patience and effort.

 

I think I might be tempted to board him out for the next week away. The reason I say this is that I would rather my puppy have separation anxiety issues away from home. Sort of like disscociating the bad experience from your shared life. Like a vet vist - the "bad stuff" happens away from home and is done by someone else.

 

Just a thought.

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Dear Doggers,

 

Any change in pack structure upsets the dogs. While I'm (mostly) ICD (in charge of dogs), when Anne left for two weeks her Border Collie favorite was very distressed and two guard dogs went roaming. That said: how much time does cat care take?

 

Donald McCaig

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I like the idea of boarding him away from home.

 

Having said that.....when my dogs act up, without me here...it is because they are not getting the attention. I hardly ever miss them telling me they need out. I know how long they need out to do all their business. In short....I am more tuned in to them. Just because they are mine. The folks at my house know dogs. They like dogs. One even trains dogs. Yet, no one knows them as well as I do. They live with me. So your room mate, inadvertently may just not do the same job you do. And that is nothing against her. I have to remind myself often that others simply are not me. Not that I am perfect with my guys....But I am more aware of them because they are my life.

 

A caretaker needs to do more in the absence of the owner then when all hands are on deck. To make sure things are covered. And most people that are room mates do have their own routine with the dogs already. So it maybe hard to devote that extra 15 minutes for a walk. Or for a cuddle. Especially if the cat does not like that!

 

This also applies to me when I take care of the dogs around here that are not mine. And although I try to do a good job out of personal and professional (animal care not dogs) pride, I do find myself having to make special arrangements in my time and that is not always easy.

 

And as a puppy, he will need to learn that the world does not revolve around him.

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Do you have any relatives close by that can care for the puppy? I know some cat loving people that are just not comfortable around dogs, could your roommate be one? (Nothing against cat people here being said, I love both but not all people do). Not that they don't like dogs but are just not as comfortable around them as they would like to be. Maybe the puppy is feeling that. She might have played with the puppy fine while you were there but feels stressed with the puppy with you gone. My future daughter in law likes dogs but she is really stiff around Mya. She says she does not know how to tell what they are thinking or how to treat them and you can tell Mya feels it. She is cautious around Megan.

 

Is there a doggy day care for part of the time, the roommate can take the dog too? It does sound like maybe a boarding situation or maybe you could find a dog walker to care for the puppy or something before you go in November.

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Boarding sounds like a good idea for now. There is someone nearby who is popular with the dog park regulars. Too bad I didn't think to get her number yet.

 

I don't have a crate. The apartment is fairly small and he only really has access to the kitchen/dining room and my room, so we've been tying him up in place of having a crate (don't worry, he gets plenty of exercise and activity - we take him to the dog park at least twice a day, and I take him out to play or just walk around a lot). I'm thinking about getting one when I return.

 

I don't have any relatives nearby or people that could watch him. A few friends have offered to take him for a long walk or the park in the afternoon, but I'm also reluctant to have him stay with others until he's fully housebroken.

 

I have no worries about my roommate. She loves and grew up with dogs, and wanted to get one herself but feels that she's not in the right place in life yet for the responsibility. If he was just peeing inside then I would expect that it's a case of her not being as attuned to him as I am, but she takes him out every couple hours and he still poops, which is completely new. It's also just a case of bad timing. Our third roommate is out of the country, too, otherwise they could split the work between them.

 

And KnottyClarence isn't far off. The cat is pretty dog-like: he needs a lot of attention and games or else he gets destructive. My roommate likes to mock me because her cat learned to play fetch before my dog did.

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Fair enough. But, unlike peeing, I don't find that my dogs have enough spare poop if they actually eliminate on their walks.

 

Why do I chime in again? To slap separation anxiety labels on a pup, without even considering easy causes, like a change in care, seems a bit quick to me. Again, not implying it is with ill intend or even carelessness. Not at all. But it is a change.

It will be interesting if your pup shows any tendencies to maybe question being clean in the house when you get back. If so, it could be that his schedule was simply changed.

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Well, it IS separation anxiety - maybe just not the formal "condition". They are separated, the pup is anxious and behaving out of character.

 

Separation anxiety is generally the term used to describe a puppty/adult who chronically behaves poorly/has a poor reaction to times when his owner is not present. If every time you leave the room/house, the puppy goes into some sort of meltdown/bad behaviour mode, that's separation anxiety. If the puppy poops on the floor after you've been gone several days (and he's new to you) that's just ... you know ... separation anxiety but more of the acute type that does not become chronic and is a response to an extreme separation.

 

My dogs - at the moment I have 7 or 11 (depends on how you count "my" - there are 11 who live here, 3 of whom are retired BC sheepdogs and 1 who is a retired ACD) - are all pretty good - but when I am gone, as I am from time to time, for more than 4 or 5 days - they start to get weird. The Berners especially. I don't think the hounds care as long as someone puts food in their dish and pats their head. The Rotties and Scotties are very stoic by nature so they brave it out by being extra watchful. The Border Collies start to get into mischief after a few days - just trying to get away with stuff. They get bored.

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Sometimes, for anxious pups, crating while you are gone is a calming experience, so you may want to think about it. Confining a dog to a set of rooms is not the same thing. The crate becomes a den, which is a cozy, safe place.

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