Positive PetzineIs This Separation Anxiety or Lack of Social Skills?
I tried to find out if my dog has separation anxiety from other dog communities but they kind of hazed me, because apparently 'all owners throw around separation anxiety'. My dog is a 10 mo old dachshund. I had him since he was 3 mo from a woman that bought him and his brother but could no longer keep them after losing her job. When I got him I was on vacation for a month so besides being in the crate for periodic naps and at night to go to sleep he was always with me. When I went back to school he started barking and whining every time I left.
He used to be content in his crate but now he shakes it back and forth and can move it a few feet in just a matter of minutes in an attempt to follow me down the stairs so now i need the puppy gate up even when he's in the crate. He digs at his crate door and has ripped a nail low enough to cause it to bleed. He's tried squeezing his nose through the very small bars of the door and scratched the side of his nose, which also bled and has left a scar. Because my classes are early as soon as I feed him I have to leave. He has stopped eating if I'm not right beside him. Even if I am he attempts to cuddle over eating and I shoo him away until he's done eating but that doesn't stop him from trying over and over again.
I walk him or put him and my other dog (a 6 mo old female "toy" aussie) on the treadmill before I leave. Usually around 20-30 min. And again in the evening when i get home. They get food and water and then I have to go. Since he hasn't been eating I've been weighing him and his food and he's lost weight. Almost by half. I've taken him to several vets who all say physically there is nothing wrong with him and that a healthy dog will not starve itself. Whenever he sees me he gets so excited his penis is unsheathed. It doesn't matter if I've only been gone for 15 minutes. I attempted to desensitize him to the daily routine of me getting ready and leaving for months but that hasn't shown any signs of improvement. I ignore him when I first get in unless he's calm. If he barks or whines to get my attention I don't let him out until he's calm. I tried to take him to classes but he doesn't like other dogs. He usually cries or barks are every dog that comes near him.
He's either fearful or fearful dominant towards other dogs, except my other dog. He's becoming overly protective of me on walks. If a stranger approaches either myself or my other dog he barks his loud dachshund bark. If they bend down and offer their hand for him to smell he smells it then backs away and starts barking. But if I were to invite that same person in the house he would compete for their attention against my other dog. My other dog hasn't shown any of his behavior until last month when they both started barking when I left.
I got a citronella collar for him which has actually worked for him. And stopping him from barking seems to automatically stop my other dog from mimicking him. The only problem is it only holds so much spray and once it's done he's at it again. So I bought him a remote citronella collar. A beep to stop the behavior, then a spray if it continues. He still whines softly but no more barking. But my other puppy chewed through his collar while she was teething, thus rendering it ineffective.
What should I do?
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Comments
Talk to a vet about clomicalm
Doesn't matter what you call it, you and your poor dog need some helpful advice. Don't know how helpful I'll be, but I'll try.
We recently had a customer dog with similar symptoms after a major life change, and the vet put him on clomicalm for a while which helped a lot.
Sounds like you're trying most of the recommended strategies for modifying his behavior, it might be time for a chat with a behaviorist - check out http://animalbehaviorcounselors.org/, http://www.iaabc.org/ or http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/. Your local Humane Society might have a behaviorist too.
And it sounds like you might need a new vet too, an alternative vet might be more helpful - http://www.ahvma.org/.
Best of luck
pat
re: Is This Separation Anxiety or Lack of Social Skills?
Sounds like a bit of both, SA and lack of social skills. I'm of the opinion that only a veterinary behaviourist can really diagnose a clinical case of separation anxiety though.
I agree with Pat, see a veterinary behaviourist. It's a lot easier to deal with this sort of problem with the help of medication, which can be weaned off later when the behaviour modification has been given a chance to make a difference.
Avoid any food where the primary protein source is corn (or "maize").
Consider supplementing meals with a small quantity of the amino acid 'l-tryptophan'. It is not a drug, just a dietary supplement that can be helpful for dogs who become anxious. I mix it with Brewer's Yeast to make it easier to dose, and because brewer's yeast is full of B vitamins (for nervous system) and other good stuff.
While I like the idea of supplementing exercise with periods on the treadmill, particularly if you are short on time, make sure that they are still getting as many walks outdoors as possible. Even just a short walk outside for a few minutes can make a big difference if you're short on time, say 5 minutes down the street, then 20 minutes on the treadmill.
A citronella collar can be used temporarily to reduce symptoms (barking), but will not treat the cause. If it's running out then your dog is barking, so my guess is that habituation has taken place. Don't turn it on every time your dog wears it.
There are two exercises which I will strongly recommend:
"Teaching Your Dog to Eat" - http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20DOGS/Writing/TeachEat.html - you need this badly. Ideally I would like to see you get to the point where you can leave your dog with all or part of a meal stuffed or frozen into a Kong when you leave in the morning.
"The Calming Yo Yo" - http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1556 - you should get quite rapid results with this, use exactly as written, do it using a tether and also using the crate and build up longer and longer times.
One of the issues with desensitising your dog to the cues that you are about to leave is that your routine is very predictable. I'm not saying that it can't be done, but it will be difficult. Your dog knows when you leave each day, you can't change that. You can change how he RESPONDS to this and even how he FEELS about it, but you're going to need some professional guidance.
Regards,
Aidan
http://www.positivepetzine.com
Is This Separation Anxiety or Lack of Social Skills?
One point, you don;t mention if when you leave, you leave your dogs with anything/something to keep them happy - to sidetrack them from missing you ?
When I leave, I always leave my dog with a bone or a pig's ear or even just a rawhide chew stick...
So, my dog is always happy to see me leave because it means she gets a treat. Of course, I always get a big welcome home - but she associates me leaving with good things.