[Maximus]

Ok so Max is not doing well with the crate still he exscapes everytime now. I have put things next to it to hold it in place I have done everyhting to keep him from breaking out. Now the crate is usless Im afraid he will hurt himself now. Not to mention he is distroying my apt. The carpet by the door is torn to shreads.... the door is scrated up so bad... molding is scartched too...he is peeing inside when im gone. (which was going so well prior to his breaking out) I need help. I dont know what to do. He also barks and crys for a long time when i leave and barks louder when i get home. Some one please tell me what I can do. I would love to not need the crate but i need my carpet and paint to still be on the walls. UGH!!!

 

[pawzaddict]

How in the world does a dog escape from an enclosed crate? Are you using a crate or a playpen/x-pen?

 

[Maximus]

oh I know it sounds crazy. It is a metal crate with a plastic floor mat. The first escape was he broke the plastic bottom and flipped it over and bent( yes BENT) the bottom bars (with his teeth) and climbed out. The second time I have 45 lb weight in my cloths basket on 2 sides of it.... he bent the door in towards him and got out. I then put zip tie to hold them all together... and somehow... he got out again. crate was right side up door still closed. He met me at the door? where i was missing about 3 feet of carpet! ugh

 

[pawzaddict]

This is very very very dangerous for him, he could break nails, toes, teeth, and cause other injury to himself. Have you considered boarding him? There are all day daycares for dogs. Have you had him since he was a young pup or did you rescue him? If you rescued him were they not aware of this problem? You need to do something asap. Either find a boarding facility that offers daycare, or get him to your vet for other options such as tranquilizers. This will require bloodwork and followups. I don't recommend a pet be put on tranquilizers all the time and neither will a vet...I do think your best bet is daycare but this dog CANNOT be alone anymore.

 

[Maximus]

Yes rescued. 4 months ago. no one at the pound told me anything. He just started actually breaking out this week. not to say he wasnt trying all the other times. as far as boarding... that scares me as far as money goes. I saw in petco this stuff from ceasar milan called relax. its supposed to help with seperation issues. have you heard of it? would you recommend trying it before the vet. I would rather it be a natural drug then one from the doctor.

 

[pawzaddict]

I would NEVER give something over the counter that is to calm your dog on a daily basis. I have given my dogs over the counter calming aids strictly for a one time trip. I think whether you want to give that or a RX that is between you and your vet but I would at least discuss it with your vet to see if they recommend that brand and if its ok to give on a regular basis. Bloodwork should still be done regularly to make sure he is healthy and stays healthy.

 

[Maximus]

Ok... Thank you . I truly appreciate it. I will contact the vet today and schedule a apt.

 

[pawzaddict]

NP I know its scary and trust me annoying (my chihuahuas ruined my carpet in my old apartment) just think when we get stressed out our body reacts to it in a negative way, your dog is OVERLY stressed and its not comfy nor safe for him. GL and please let us know what your vet says Also please check back for others input, to me immediate action needs to be taken which is boarding or speaking to your vet, but someone may have a quick alternative option for you.

 

[Criosphynx]

keep in mind that there are tranquilizers (make your dog sleepy) and there are anti anxiety meds (help relieve the actual panic) and the difference.

You can have a sedated dog that is still internally panicing because your gone, so the problem isn't fixed.

There are solid aluminum crates you can buy that are excape proof, but they are pricey.

Does he have anything to do when you gone? A kong or anything?



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[pawzaddict]

keep in mind that there are tranquilizers (make your dog sleepy) and there are anti anxiety meds (help relieve the actual panic) and the difference.

You can have a sedated dog that is still internally panicing because your gone, so the problem isn't fixed.

There are solid aluminum crates you can buy that are excape proof, but they are pricey.

Does he have anything to do when you gone? A kong or anything?

Good grief Thank you for saying that. I should re-check my wording and do more thinking before I continue speaking sometimes.

Anti anxiety meds are ok for long term use but typically require check ups, tranquilizers are not given to use daily. Geez sorry

 

[Criosphynx]

wasn't directed at you you brought Up a good point, I didn't even think about medication.

I use the sedative on july 4th and thats it.



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[pawzaddict]

It should be directed at me LOL I have used sedatives a long time ago during a move. I just remember a dog that use to board with us could not be crated for very long because he would tear at a cage until he was bloody The owners got him on anti anxiety meds and I didn't even think of saying anti anxiety meds vs tranquilizers. I swear sometimes my fingers just type and my brain is focused elsewhere haha.

 

[fawkese1]

hi, i am also dealing with separation anxiety, though not as severe as this, and there are a lot of things you can do, but it all takes time.
i agree with pawz and crios that anti-anxiety meds would be the best short term fix, and something you should do asap to avoid your dog being injured. in the long term, you need to help your dog to understand that he is okay when you leave and you should start training/practicing that now also.
first DO NOT PUNISH YOUR DOG FOR WHAT HE DOES WHILE YOU ARE AWAY.
i don't mean to yell at you, and i am not assuming you are doing this, but it can be very frustrating to come home to so much destruction and many people make this mistake. you want every departure and every return to be as low key as possible.
This is very important, ignore him when you come home and he is barking. only greet him, very calmly, when he stops. Any attention you give this behavior , positive or negative will increase his anxiety. I ask my dog to lie down on his bed for a bit and when he stops whining and crying I greet him, calmly.
it is also important that you establish a daily routine and stick to it. it will help you and max to overcome this much more quickly.
I practice “leaving” my dog all the time, for short amounts of time. I will toss him a treat and walk out the door and wait just a second and walk back in and toss him another. You have to be quick at first and keep it short so that he doesn’t have time to get anxious. Keep repeating then slowly increase the amount of time that you are outside the door. If he is whining/barking while you are out, you’ve been out for too long, shorten the time and continue.
It is a good idea to not pay too much attention to him about ½ hour before you leave. Many people try to make up for the time they are away by doing this, and again, it will only increase his anxiety.
Just some questions for you:
what kind of dog is max?
how long are you crating him per day?
doggy daycare may save you money (i.e. you won't have as much damage in your apartment to pay for)and it doesn't have to be permanent.
do you have a friend or family member that would like to spend time with him while you are away?
what about a dog walker?
what is your current routine?
how much exercise is he getting?
did you work on crate training him or just put him in the crate?(i made this mistake with my dog)
like crios asked, what does he have as an outlet for all that anxiety? he is going to chew on things and shred them, does he have a kong toy that he likes?
all of these are factors that can contribute to his anxiety or help to relieve it but there really is no one thing that will "cure" it.

i was incredibly overwhelmed with my dog's separation anxiety when i first adopted him, but patience prevailed (and some help from my sister) and everyday, we get better. Many rescue dogs go through a lot of negative and confusing experiences and it takes time for them to adjust to their new lives. I got a lot of good advice from this cite, and a lot of bad advice from some others. Try to remember that there is no “correction” for what your dog is going through, but time will help him to adjust….you can do it!



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[Maximus]

Thank you for all of your replies. Sorry I am taking so long to get back to you. Max is a beagle bassett hound mix. I have not punished him for the damage since I know he wont know why i am yelling. I usually just shake my head and sigh since i feel helpless. ugh. As far as the vet goes... we went monday and the vet was less then helpful and charged me 54 dollars to tell me the "relax" stuff I bought at petco was ok to give him. She did bring up traqulizers if it doesnt get better. I am not a fan of this option though. I have since removed the crate while using the "relax" meds. he still is going after the carpet by my door.... I have recently been ignoring him about 15 mins before i leave and waiting for him to calm down before taking him outside when i get home.
My schedule is changing next week. but right now I work from 11-6 pm everyday. I take him to a buddys house about 2 days a week to play with another bassett hound while i am working just for extra play time. Next week I will only be working 3 days a week. from 2-8pm. He usually gets about a 30 min walk twice a day. in the morning and when i get home from work. He does have toys at home he plays with i also leave him a pig ear to chew on every other day. I will be working with him alot next week while i have the week days off. I will definity try the training for leaving u described above. I am hoping we can nail this before I start another full time position where I will be gone for 8hrs every day. Max usually goes everywhere with me. I take him to the laundry mat and if I go out we have dog friendly bars here and he plays with all the other dogs when i go to friends houses he always come with me. He has even driven 10hrs to Michigan with me without a whine or cry... My main issue is when i leave. I do not have anyone who can stop by my place to let him out I am fairly new to the state i live in and have no family members inside of a 10hr drive.

I think i covered all the questions...? oh and the crate i would like to reintroduce to him but i am scared he will now think it is punishment.

 

[fawkese1]

Thank you for all of your replies. Sorry I am taking so long to get back to you. Max is a beagle bassett hound mix. I have not punished him for the damage since I know he wont know why i am yelling. I usually just shake my head and sigh since i feel helpless. ugh. As far as the vet goes... we went monday and the vet was less then helpful and charged me 54 dollars to tell me the "relax" stuff I bought at petco was ok to give him. She did bring up traqulizers if it doesnt get better. I am not a fan of this option though. I have since removed the crate while using the "relax" meds. he still is going after the carpet by my door.... I have recently been ignoring him about 15 mins before i leave and waiting for him to calm down before taking him outside when i get home.
My schedule is changing next week. but right now I work from 11-6 pm everyday. I take him to a buddys house about 2 days a week to play with another bassett hound while i am working just for extra play time. Next week I will only be working 3 days a week. from 2-8pm. He usually gets about a 30 min walk twice a day. in the morning and when i get home from work. He does have toys at home he plays with i also leave him a pig ear to chew on every other day. I will be working with him alot next week while i have the week days off. I will definity try the training for leaving u described above. I am hoping we can nail this before I start another full time position where I will be gone for 8hrs every day. Max usually goes everywhere with me. I take him to the laundry mat and if I go out we have dog friendly bars here and he plays with all the other dogs when i go to friends houses he always come with me. He has even driven 10hrs to Michigan with me without a whine or cry... My main issue is when i leave. I do not have anyone who can stop by my place to let him out I am fairly new to the state i live in and have no family members inside of a 10hr drive.

I think i covered all the questions...? oh and the crate i would like to reintroduce to him but i am scared he will now think it is punishment.

sorry it took so long to respond...i've been sick beetter now!

i'm sorry, but separation anxiety behavior modification can take weeks to see any results, and months to see real improvement. don't lose heart though, like i said i have similar issues with my dog.
i think to start out you need to make your routine even more routine than it already is (this isn't forever) your dog needs time to learn to trust that when you leave you will come back...since you cannot explain it to him, you'll need to prove it. this means getting up at the same time every day, leaving at the same times every day, meals at the same time every day....even on weekends if you can manage it. its great that you will be home a bit more, but trying to cram extra time in with the dog can make his SA worse. look at it this way, he is sort of addicted to spending time with you. when you give him large doses of this then abrubtly cut him off, he is sort of going through withdrawels thus the SA. he needs to learn that time away can be good too... you can't train this and there is not quick fix (i know this because i tried to find one)

you may try to tire him out a bit more. this doesn't solve SA issues, but if he is tired, he has a little less energy to freak out with. bassets have a lot more energy than most people think. could you get up a bit earlier in the morning and take him for a longer walk?

one thing that i do with my dog is to feed him just before leaving, and i feed him some yummy stuff (this won't help you if the dog is too upset to eat, lucky for me clover was a little more hungry than upset) i would put all of his dry kibble in various puzzle type feeder ball toys that i got, or i would hide it. then i would put hust a bit of wet food in his dish. does your dog finish his pig ear the day you give it to him? maybe he needs something else on the off days? i still hide strong smelling treats for him to find through out the day. kong makes a table top kong release toy (costs about $50) that you put 4 kongs into it (stuff the kongs) and it releases them at intervals throughout the day.

you could also try covering the carpet at the doors with those roller mats for desk chairs and then putting all sorts of good things on top of that. just to save your carpet.

putting a dog with SA in a crate will only increase his anxiety....sorry. crate training can take a long time.

you can look up a lot of stuff about SA on line, i would also recommend a book by patricia mcconnell "i'll be home soon! how to prevent and treat separation anxiety"

hope this helps!



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