Separation Anxiety....help!

[normpaperman]

Hello.

My wife and I have a 9.5 month old beagle (Westley). We've had him since he was about 9 weeks old. He definitely suffers from separation anxiety, and since he is a beagle, he expresses his unhappiness by spending the day howling. This has created numerous problems for us, since we live in an apartment complex, and thus have neighbors close by. We have tried just about everything for him. We have tried practicing leaving (going through our normal routine) and leaving him alone inside, but he wimpers almost immediately, followed quickly by howling. We have used 2 types of bark collars (the shock collar and the citronella collar). Both were effective at first, but Westley is a very tough dog, and quickly gets used to the stimulant, so he just howls through the pain (so to speak). We've been working with our vet to try and solve this as well. We tried putting him on a tranq, hoping that would calm him down, but he just acted like a drunk dog, still howling away. We used to leave him out and locked in our bedroom, but he has developed some destructive tendencies, so we now have to leave him in a crate during the day. We're currently trying a new drug (clomacalm) to try to relax him, but we're both uncomfortable drugging the dog. We love the dog but we feel we're getting to the end of our rope. We're coming down to a choice of de-barking the dog (something we have decided we will NOT do), or giving the dog to a new home. Obviously, this upsets us tremendously. Does anyone have any advice or has anyone else been through something like this? We've read just about everything we can find on this subject, and we feel we've made little headway.

Thanks for reading this far,

[lhg0962]

I have no scientific input for your problem, but it is obvious that you do have a big problem. It may be that you have exhausted every option you have, other than perhaps finding a "doggie day care" so that the dog won't be left alone during the day. We have such options in our area. Perhaps you can find one for yourself. Call your local kennel and see if there is a possibility of a low cost option for you that way. Then your dog won't be left alone during the day.
Good luck.

[carrie]

Ahhh, Beagles! Great dogs if you have the right type for the right job. That is the heart of your problem, genetics. (You can take the dog out of the hunt but you will never take the hunt out of the dog!) Please do not drug your dog, there is nothing wrong with him, do not de-bark him, there is no reason (ever!) and do not have him put down. I am sad to say you will be unable to keep this dog as no matter what you do you can't provide him with the work and companionship his genetic makeup is craving. You have a dog that has been bred from, or is a throwback to, working stock. There is nothing you can do to make this dog's life bearable for him but give him to kennels or a trainer that can give him the pack and the work that he needs. (I am not talking rescue kennels) This is not your fault at all, so don't feel bad and you don't even have to give up on Beagles. Just get one from a breeder who has not bred for working animals and be sure to meet the parents of your dog. I would also suggest that any puppy is going to find being left on it's own all day in a crate very hard to deal with. Think about an adult dog from a rescue kennel. Please release your Beagle from what is, effectivly , a prison for him.

[teena]

Norm:
My heart breaks for you in such a terrible situation. Since you live in an apartment, I guess a buddy for your dog is probably out of the question? I know it would be rough, but it sounds like the only humane thing to do would be to try and find the dog a good home where he can have a friend or human close by all the time. I have a hard time with bark collars, and TOTALLY disagree with de-barking.

[AdoreMyDogs]

Normpaperman,

I am so sorry, I have to agree with Carrie on this, she really knows her stuff! Even tho it's a heart breaking option. Your dog is not happy. What an aweful decesion that is, my heart breaks for you. Just keep in mind that although you love your dog and he loves you, it does sound like you have exhausted all your options and he's still miserable without you around.

No words of advise, just wanted to say how sorry I am that you have to think about re-homing your friend. It's a crummy thing to have to do, but in the long run, he would be happier with someone around more often, and somewhere where he could run off energy. De-barking him would be a horrible option, he would still feel all the anxiety, just not be able to tell anyone about it.

Best of luck to you and your wife. I had a dalmation that I had to re-home for problematic behaviors too. It does hurt, but he's happy on the farm where he's living now. It's just one of those necessary evil's.

[carrie]

Let me stress again, this is not your fault. You could stay at home all day, walk him all day, free run him all day and his genetic structure will not change. You will miss the dog but it should make you very proud and happy to know in your hearts that you did the very best for him.

[ownerof3dogs]

Is there any possible way you could bring himto work with you or have a friend watch him during the day

[normpaperman]

We've thought of both bringing him to work or trying out doggie day care. Doggie day care is somewhat of a viable option, except that it is cost prohibitive. Around here, it costs something like $20/day, which doesn't sound like much, but I'd be required to pick him up by 5:30, which is hours before I'm done working. So, $400/month to have someone watch my dog for the majority of the day doesn't really work for us.

As for bringing him to the office, I've done that a few times, but professionally I'm uncomfortable with that. He is extremely cute and therefore a great distraction on me and my coworkers. I work in a start-up environment where if what we're trying doesn't work, the company will fail, and so I feel the added distraction of him wouldn't be good on a long term basis.

Again, I thank everyone for the suggestions. I know I must seem like I want my cake and to eat it too (to not take advantage of doggie day care, since it is available), but at some point, I feel that that is only a temporary solution and if we were to have a day that we wouldn't be able to bring the dog to his playmates, his reactions at home would be exponentially worse....

thanks for reading so far,

[carrie]

You sound like a man trying to avoid the obvious! You know the dog is not a happy puppy, you know you can't solve it by anything that you do, you know that medication for the dog is wrong, you know that debarking is wrong and you really do know that just spending time with the pup isn't enough. C'mon, matey, you've done more than most people would consider doing! Now consider the health and mental well being of the dog. It is your responsibility that a puppy feels that it's only outlet for the frustration of it's natural behaviour is to howl all day. In short you have a working dog, not a pet.
Again, I really think a puppy is not the way to go for you - try a shelter and they will let you know the history of each dog so you can find a dog to suit your lifestyle.

[KYS]

Bruce Fogle D.V.M has written a excellent/usefull
paperback book called
"The Dog's mind" put out by Howell Book House.
There is a section in his book that
deals with the causes and several
treatments for separation anxiety.
Deparking or a barking collar is
not mentioned.
If you have not given up yet, and you
still have the time and patience to give
it another try.
Might be worth the $15.00 to read the book and see if there our any ideas you have not
tried. (I also would not rule out
the help of a private trainer.)

[Doxiedoxie]

I'm so sorry. I dont think any dog, especially a pup, would be very happy if you work past 5:30 PM a lot, does this mean the dog is alone from morning till night? It doesnt sound like you lead a lifestyle compatible with dog ownership. Perhaps a cat or two would be a better match. I hope you will seriously consider re-homing the little dog to someone who has more time for him, maybe a nice family with children.

[normpaperman]

Nope, sorry to mislead you. I work close to home, so I typically break up his day (around lunch time) by coming home and taking him out to run/play for 30-45 minutes or so....

[RachelJ]

This may be a "wishful thinking" category, but could there be any older person in your apartment complex with whom you could leave your dog during the day and they would like to earn a little extra money but wouldn't cost as much as doggie daycare?

I also have a dog with extreme separation anxiety, but he is just fine under two conditions. 1. He is with our other dog and 2. He has the run of the house.

Being that Westley is still in the destructive puppy stage, I don't know giving him the run of the apartment would work, and whether another dog could fit into your life. Is there another dog owner in the apartment complex that could bring their dog over to leave with Westley during the day? Could you give Westley lots of exercise in the morning before you go to work? Have you tried giving him a Kong with some peanut butter stuffed inside right when you leave? Have you tried keeping a radio on tuned to a talk station? I don't know if any of these ideas will help, but I have not been able to get you and Westley out of my mind. I do hope you can find a solution to your problem.

[This message has been edited by RachelJ (edited November 10, 2000).]

[kaward]

Originally posted by normpaperman:
Hello.

My wife and I have a 9.5 month old beagle (Westley). We've had him since he was about 9 weeks old. He definitely suffers from separation anxiety, and since he is a beagle, he expresses his unhappiness by spending the day howling. This has created numerous problems for us, since we live in an apartment complex, and thus have neighbors close by. We have tried just about everything for him. We have tried practicing leaving (going through our normal routine) and leaving him alone inside, but he wimpers almost immediately, followed quickly by howling. We have used 2 types of bark collars (the shock collar and the citronella collar). Both were effective at first, but Westley is a very tough dog, and quickly gets used to the stimulant, so he just howls through the pain (so to speak). We've been working with our vet to try and solve this as well. We tried putting him on a tranq, hoping that would calm him down, but he just acted like a drunk dog, still howling away. We used to leave him out and locked in our bedroom, but he has developed some destructive tendencies, so we now have to leave him in a crate during the day. We're currently trying a new drug (clomacalm) to try to relax him, but we're both uncomfortable drugging the dog. We love the dog but we feel we're getting to the end of our rope. We're coming down to a choice of de-barking the dog (something we have decided we will NOT do), or giving the dog to a new home. Obviously, this upsets us tremendously. Does anyone have any advice or has anyone else been through something like this? We've read just about everything we can find on this subject, and we feel we've made little headway.

Thanks for reading this far,

[kaward]

wow...not sure how i reposted the original message, but that is NOT what i wanted to do!!!

anyway, here is the post i originally meant to send :

i understand your reluctance to give your dog drugs, but the anti-anxiety drugs aren't like tranqs. my dog also has severe sep. anxiety, and if he weren't taking elavil, i don't think we could have kept him.

the program my dog is on, which was prescribed by the univ. of penn. vet. medicine behavior clinic consists of medication, behavior training and deference training.

During the behavior training (2x a day, fifteen minutes a session) the dog must sit and stay while you move progressively further away, make weird noises and movements, and finally move out of sight. when he obeys, he gets a treat.

Deference training means taht if your dog wants something, he must sit for it. Petting walks, combing, dinner....everything.

They also suggested music, television, and lots and lots of exercise. A tired dog is a happy dog! :-)

Hope this helps a little. Good luck to you!