Anxious Dog
May 13, 2005 10:42 AM Subscribe
My dog has serious anxiety problems (she goes to the bathroom all over the floor) when my mom is out of the house. In a week and a half mom starts a new job. Does anyone have any ideas on how to lessen this anxiety?
We got our dog when she was between 2-4 years old. It was pretty clear she'd been abused, but under a household that didn't beat her she improved a lot. Now she's 10-12, and she's aging pretty badly--her eyesight and hearing's failing, and she gets confused pretty easily. She's reverting to her previous levels of anxiety, only it's worse because the combination of senility and anxiety leads to poop and pee on the floor, whether she's been walked recently or not (we think she sometimes gets confused as to whether she's outside or in).
The dog's very attached to my mom and Mom's say-at-home, so until now the problems have been minimal. But this is going to end when the new job starts, and nobody's too keen about the prospect of cleaning up dog crap every day. Her work's too far away to come back mid-day to calm the dog down, and our yard is a very open area without much shade, so there's no good place to keep her there.
Has anyone dealt with this kind of problem before? Did you have to just keep your dog in an enclosed area in the house and clean up the mess, or were there any medications or services that helped you?
We got our dog when she was between 2-4 years old. It was pretty clear she'd been abused, but under a household that didn't beat her she improved a lot. Now she's 10-12, and she's aging pretty badly--her eyesight and hearing's failing, and she gets confused pretty easily. She's reverting to her previous levels of anxiety, only it's worse because the combination of senility and anxiety leads to poop and pee on the floor, whether she's been walked recently or not (we think she sometimes gets confused as to whether she's outside or in).
The dog's very attached to my mom and Mom's say-at-home, so until now the problems have been minimal. But this is going to end when the new job starts, and nobody's too keen about the prospect of cleaning up dog crap every day. Her work's too far away to come back mid-day to calm the dog down, and our yard is a very open area without much shade, so there's no good place to keep her there.
Has anyone dealt with this kind of problem before? Did you have to just keep your dog in an enclosed area in the house and clean up the mess, or were there any medications or services that helped you?
Sorry, no firsthand experience; my parents' solution in somewhat similar cases has been to take the dogs to work with them (they own their own business -- my parents, that is, not the dogs). But I'm wondering if your mom's dog might find a crate comforting, maybe if it's filled with a blanket that has your mom's scent on it? Or is there a way to put a dog house in the yard so she'd have some shade, and maybe enclose the area around it a little, so that she can wander around in a limited space instead of the whole yard?
posted by scody at 11:39 AM on May 13, 2005
posted by scody at 11:39 AM on May 13, 2005
We had this problem with our two dachshunds puppies...granted they were puppies at the time, so I don't know how well any of this feedback would apply, but here goes:
- we put our dogs in crates when we went to work...the first couple days we were gone, they were pretty anxious and had accidents (coming home to an upset poo-covered dog is...saddening)...but, they quickly learned that their crates were their "homes," and it is a dog's instinct to not go to the bathroom where they sleep. After a week or so, we were accident free, and the dogs seemed pretty calm about it
- making sure a dog gets plenty of excercise is a good thing...a tired dog is a happy dog, and a tired dog will more likely be able to sleep most of the time while you are away.
- i've also learned that, in training, don't make a big deal about coming and going...just leave the house, return, that sort of thing...
All in all, the best thing we did was crate train our dogs. It's tough to think that a dog would enjoy being in a small crate all day, but from what I understand, a crate is a dog's "den," and that's a comforting thing to a dog. It took a while to get them used to it, but they are completely 100% trustworthy now.
Maybe crate training an older dog would be more difficult, but I'd imagine it could be done with a bit more patience?
posted by tpl1212 at 11:52 AM on May 13, 2005
- we put our dogs in crates when we went to work...the first couple days we were gone, they were pretty anxious and had accidents (coming home to an upset poo-covered dog is...saddening)...but, they quickly learned that their crates were their "homes," and it is a dog's instinct to not go to the bathroom where they sleep. After a week or so, we were accident free, and the dogs seemed pretty calm about it
- making sure a dog gets plenty of excercise is a good thing...a tired dog is a happy dog, and a tired dog will more likely be able to sleep most of the time while you are away.
- i've also learned that, in training, don't make a big deal about coming and going...just leave the house, return, that sort of thing...
All in all, the best thing we did was crate train our dogs. It's tough to think that a dog would enjoy being in a small crate all day, but from what I understand, a crate is a dog's "den," and that's a comforting thing to a dog. It took a while to get them used to it, but they are completely 100% trustworthy now.
Maybe crate training an older dog would be more difficult, but I'd imagine it could be done with a bit more patience?
posted by tpl1212 at 11:52 AM on May 13, 2005
I have a four year old boxer, which is a notoriously separation-anxious breed.
Ditto on the crating.
Ditto on the exercise.
One other thought (probably not ideal)...
We now have a second dog, and we have since been able to let them have the run of the house/yard for short periods of time without incident. We're working on building the time alone up in hopes of making it to a full workday.
So, a buddy might help too.
posted by 27 at 12:15 PM on May 13, 2005
Ditto on the crating.
Ditto on the exercise.
One other thought (probably not ideal)...
We now have a second dog, and we have since been able to let them have the run of the house/yard for short periods of time without incident. We're working on building the time alone up in hopes of making it to a full workday.
So, a buddy might help too.
posted by 27 at 12:15 PM on May 13, 2005
On the off chance it might not be separation anxiety, get your vet to check him out for a urinary tract infection, (which can cause a pet to pee when even slightly stressed.)
posted by small_ruminant at 12:35 PM on May 13, 2005
posted by small_ruminant at 12:35 PM on May 13, 2005
I've heard of both prozac and . . the root herb . . umm . . it's not kava kava . . or maybe it is . . . dang, some kind of root herb sold in health food stores. It worked for the poodle in quesiton doing the same thing.
Sorry I can't be more specific - if i think of it i'll post back.
posted by petebest at 6:27 PM on May 13, 2005
Sorry I can't be more specific - if i think of it i'll post back.
posted by petebest at 6:27 PM on May 13, 2005
Crating is actually sometimes a very bad idea for dogs with severe separation anxiety, they can and will seriously injure themselves trying to get out of the crate, and dealing with serious, deep cuts and broken teeth is much more unpleasant than picking up some excrement. Getting a baby gate and confining the dog to a dog-proofed area might be a better idea, especially if the dog has never been crate trained (adding confinement anxiety to the separation anxiety is a bad idea in my opinion). Some people claim that a product called "DAP (for "dog appeasing pheromone") works wonders to calm dogs, also there's a product called an "anxiety wrap" which some people feel works. I think both are in the "can't hurt/might help" category. You can get DAP at PetSmart (I think), and the anxiety wraps can be purchased online.
There's a great book called I'll Be Home Soon by Patricia McConnell which deals with separation anxiety. I suspect that at least for the first little while the dog might benefit from a doggy daycare situation, where at least she won't be home alone working herself into hysterics. You are very unlikely to have much success with improving this problem in two weeks, so alternate arrangements like this may well be needed to keep the dog safe. I strongly encourage you to find a behaviourist who specializes in separation anxiety to help you. I think there are probably ways you can manage this, but in all honesty this has become a very well-established behaviour pattern for this dog over many years and it could well take a lot of time, money and effort to see any improvement. I wish you good luck.
posted by biscotti at 6:45 PM on May 13, 2005
There's a great book called I'll Be Home Soon by Patricia McConnell which deals with separation anxiety. I suspect that at least for the first little while the dog might benefit from a doggy daycare situation, where at least she won't be home alone working herself into hysterics. You are very unlikely to have much success with improving this problem in two weeks, so alternate arrangements like this may well be needed to keep the dog safe. I strongly encourage you to find a behaviourist who specializes in separation anxiety to help you. I think there are probably ways you can manage this, but in all honesty this has become a very well-established behaviour pattern for this dog over many years and it could well take a lot of time, money and effort to see any improvement. I wish you good luck.
posted by biscotti at 6:45 PM on May 13, 2005
Doggie kava kava might help. Don't overdo it, but it could be very helpful in the short term.
posted by kamikazegopher at 8:55 PM on May 13, 2005
posted by kamikazegopher at 8:55 PM on May 13, 2005
Best answer: My dog has pretty serious separation anxiety too. His vet put him on Clomicalm and that seemed to help. It costs about $20/bottle.
posted by SisterHavana at 9:27 AM on May 14, 2005
posted by SisterHavana at 9:27 AM on May 14, 2005
Best answer: Ditto on exploring the doggie drug option. A friend's (non-elderly) dog with a similar past was heavily anxious at any separation, and puppy Prozac did the trick. Turned it into a somewhat different dog, yes, but a *much* less anxious one.
posted by mediareport at 5:50 PM on May 14, 2005
posted by mediareport at 5:50 PM on May 14, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
However, I know there is medicine for dogs who have separation anxiety. That wasn't an option in our case cuz our dog has epilepsy and the two medications don't mix.
Ask your vet.
posted by Doohickie at 10:45 AM on May 13, 2005