New Dog - questions

[springer02]

Happy New Year!

We are the proud new family of Annie, a poodle/terrier/schnauzer/who knows what else dog from our local SPCA. I'll post pictures when I figure out how to get them from the new digital camera..... Anyway, they think she's about 8 months old and that she was owner released after living in an apartment.  We fell in love with her when we saw her on their web site and she came home with us on 1/2/04.  

She does well in the house, with strangers and with our other campin' pooch, Freckles, an almost 10 year old Springer Spaniel whom we also got from the pound.

One question about Annie -- she seems to have separation anxiety when we put her in her crate during the day.  The crate is in DD's bedroom, at the end of the house.  She goes in and sleeps the night without much fuss but during the day she cries and carries on for quite a while.  She'll calm down and eventually lay down if someone is in the room with her but if we're in the rest of the house or leave the house totally, she's quite the loud mouth. I guess I'd expect this for a while seeing as she was in the pound for about two weeks and who knows what before that?

What else can we do to make this transition easier for her? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated as we go back to work/school tomorrow after our two week Christmas break!

Thanks in advance,

Tena

[Acts 2:38 girl]

Hi Tena!  My sister LOVES dogs and has one that was traded from home to home to home.  By the time my sister got her she was desperate for stability.  Her seperation anxiety was so great that she would actually drool so badly that her whole front would become wet within an hour or so if she was in her crate.  Since my sister had to work she would spend about 15 minutes or so with her before she left just talking hugging, kissing (yuck!) her and then put her into her crate with one of her old sweatshirts that was dirty.  Basicly it needs to be something that has your or your daughters scent on it and not something just washed.  When she got home she would do the same thing, talk to her, hug her etc.  It might take a bit more time to get her adjusted, but it will work, she just needs constant reassuring.  
 When my sister told me the dog had seperation anxiety I thought it was the most foolish thing I'd ever heard of, right up there with the "Pet Psysic" , but then I saw her symptoms and it sure made more sense and it worked!!  The dog is perfectly well adjusted now and very happy!  
 Good-luck with Annie and let us know how she's doing!

[mike4947]

I think Act's idea is a good one. Both the Shelties I've had had seperation problems. The first one gave us a cure as he would get on the bed pull our pillows to the middle of the bed and sleep on them. Once we realized it was our smell we could put something we'd worn most any place we chose and the dog would stay right they for the day. When we lost the first one and got the second one we started her with the clothing and for the last 17 years she's happy as a clam as long as she's got something of ours. And even after all these years if there isn't something of ours for her, she'll pace and whine.

[Tim5055]

Tena,

Check out this artice:

How to Handle Separation Anxiety

When we got Natasha, her records at the SPCA indicated she suffered from separation anxiety.  What we found out was that she is just a very active dog.  Now we walk her or go into the yard for a few minutes of ball.  This seems to make her happy.  But, she has the run of the house and lots of toys. :rolleyes:

[Michicampers]

We found our Chihuahua through a rescue group, but before that she spent several long months in a Kentucky shelter after her previous owner entered a nursing home. She was about 6 when we adopted her 3 years ago, and I doubt she spent any time in a crate before the rescue people found her - she was not thrilled about the idea. A few months later when we knew we could trust her in the house when we were gone, we got rid of the crate, but in the meantime, we learned a few tricks. Here are some that helped us: 1)Don't make a big deal out of leaving and returning home - you'll only reinforce the notion that she should be unhappy when you're gone. 2)Toss a Kong or other hollow toy stuffed with kibble and peanut butter or Easy Cheese (the stuff in a can) in the crate each time you leave - it helps with the transition and gives them something to look forward to those first tense minutes. 3)Don't leave her in the crate all day - ask a neighbor to let her out at lunchtime if you work all day. 4)Move the crate to the living or family room during the day. Leave the crate open when you're home and give her treats only in the crate, with the door open. Make it a safe place she wants to hang out in. 5)When you leave home, try turning on a radio or TV, so she doesn't get freaked out by the silence. 6)When you're home, keep her near you so she doesn't feel abandoned. She only wants to be part of the family. 7)Real important - reward her when she's good in the crate. ONLY let her out of the crate when she's quiet, never when she's barking.

Our Boston Terrier was crate-trained when we adopted him at 2 years of age, and although we have not crated him at home for years, his crate is like his bedroom to him. The door is always open, and he loves to take naps and chew on rawhides and toys he steals from the kids in there (it doesn't happen often, but we can always tell when he has something he shouldn't because his rear end is facing out.) Our Chihuahua will hang out in our Boston's crate sometimes too - she likes to hide rawhides under the cushion. We take folding crates for them when we travel, and they really like having a safe place to take a nap away from home, and if we need to crate them, we're all set.

[B-flat]

I do go along with the suggestions offered by others.  In particular the used shirt with your scent on it does work as I noticed that with my Taffi, a Terrier-Poodle mix, who lived to be 18 years old.  The kennel suggested that when there were a few times I had to leave her there and she always loved to settle down on anything that was mine at home.  When changing the bedsheets, she would climb into the pile on the floor while I was putting fresh sheets on the bed.   I notice that my SO's dog loves to get up on a chair where he hangs the used shirt of the day.  He gets in the chair the minute SO leaves the house and goes to sleep and is very contented.

[springer02]

Thanks for all of your suggestions -- I knew I could count on you guys for help!

Annie is doing great!  She seems to like me the best so far and she follows me everywhere around the house.  We started putting her in the crate for just a few minutes at a time while we're home and praising the heck out of her when she's quiet in there.  We left her home alone in the crate for maybe 1/2 hour and she was quiet when I got back.

DD and I go back to school tomorrow and DH will be at work all day.  The plan is for him to let her outside RIGHT before he leaves for work and then put her in the crate.  I can come home on my lunch and let her out and then we'll be home after school for the afternoon.  The neighbors have been warned that there may be some doggie noise tomorrow and I know the one lady will call me at school if it gets too bad.

I'll keep you posted!

Thanks again,

Tena