Our dogs get separation anxiety, would they be okay?
3 post(s)
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Fri 03 Aug 2007 10:32PM PDT
APBTMommy1206
79 post(s)
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My husband and I own three wonderful American Pit Bull Terriers! We have a male named Brooklyn and two females named Destiny and Jayda! We love to travel, but we haven't gone anywhere since we have had our dogs. All three of them get really, really, really bad separation anxiety so, we don't go anywhere over night because we don't want them to be miserable! I did go away for one night back when we just had Brooklyn, before we got the girls, but I was only gone over night and my husband was home with Brooklyn the whole time I was gone. My husband said that Brooklyn wouldn't eat or drink anything while I was gone and he would just lay at the front door and whine. Everyday when my husband goes to work Brooklyn, Destiny and Jayda will sit at the door and whine for a hour or so after their daddy leaves! I know that "pit bull" breeds get very attached to their owners very quickly, they need lots of love and attention and because of that they are not breeds that are recommended for people that want an outside dog or for people that won't be home a lot, but I have never seen a dog get as bad as ours do! I think it might be because they are inside dogs, I'm home with them all day everyday and we have never left them. We are going to want to go visit my family sometime in the next few months and we will be gone for a week or so, but I'm soooooo worried about our dogs! I don't know if they would be okay or not! Does anyone have a dog that gets really bad separation anxiety like that and if so, is there anything that helps your dog? If anyone has **any** suggestions, advice, ideas.. **anything**, it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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Sat 04 Aug 2007 05:49AM PDT
love_beagles
26 post(s)
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Hi there: I only have my one little case of separation anxiety so I'm not sure how to handle 3! I can tell you what I did, though.
I got my beagle through a rescue and she latched right on to me. She would cry even if I just went into the garage for a minute! I did a little research on the internet and this is what it said to do:
Leave the house for a few seconds, literally (in Cinnamon's case), and come back in. I wouldn't make a big deal of coming back in because if you do, that supposedly reinforces just how great it really is to have you home and they need to get used to you not being home. I would just come in and sit down quietly. Then I would do that again and again and again going out for a bit longer each time if I could. That's supposed to show them that you will leave, but you will also come back!
I also bought a crate for when I was gone. I did a test and she actually preferred her crate. She would cry a little while, but then stop. I also put a frozen peanut butter kong in it with her. It's supposed to give her something to do as you sneak out the door.
Now, my girl is still sensitive and if I were to leave her for a vacation I would leave her at home with a friend. I think she's too sensitive and wouldn't understand being left at a kennel or elsewhere.
But here separation anxiety is a lot better than when I first got her.
I hope some of this helps!!
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Sun 05 Aug 2007 12:18AM PDT
APBTMommy1206
79 post(s)
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Thanks so much for your post, I will definitely try that! We had heard that if we just didn't make it a big deal when we came home that would help. We were told to not act excited or anything, just come in and relax like we were never even gone. We were going to start doing that, but we never really did. Starting tomorrow we are going to start working with them, that way they have a few months to work on this before we actually go away for a little while.
It sounds like your girl is a lot like our fur babies! Ours will do the same thing if we go into the garage, they will even get upset if we go into the bathroom and close the door! They will just sit outside of the door and whine! I think it's because since day one I have been home with them pretty much all day everyday! I work from home and take care of our fur babies and the house so, I'm home pretty much all day with them. They each have their own crate and they are all crate trained, they have always slept in their crates at night, but that was really the only time they were ever in the crates. We don't really leave the house too much and when we do we normally take the dogs with us. We do go to the beach a lot and we also go see friends and family a few times a week, but our dogs always come with us for that. We do go out for dinner a few times a week and we try to go see a movie or something like that as often as we can, but we are never gone for more than a few hours if we don't have the dogs with us. We use to just leave them out in the house when we went somewhere for a while.. We would doggy proof the house, close all of the bedroom and bathroom doors and leave the TV on for them, but they started chewing up rugs, pillows on the sofa, the actual sofa itself, the dining room table, the kitchen table, they even got to the point where they would try to dig through the door! After we had to get new furniture and a new door we started putting them in their crates if we went out, but like I said, we don't go out without our babies very often and when we do we aren't gone for more than a few hours. We also leave them each a few toys in their crates and we leave the TV on for them. In addition to all of that, APBTs are a breed that need a lot of attention! They are known for getting very bad separation anxiety and they are not a good breed for people that want outside dogs or for people that aren't home a lot. I really don't want to leave them to travel, but it would be very hard to take them with us so, we are going to have to figure something out. Like I said, we are definitely going to start working with them and try what you suggested. It also sounds like it would be a good idea to have someone come stay in our home for that week or so that we are gone and take care of our babies there. I would not be able to enjoy our vacation at all if we left our babies in a kennel or something because I know they would not be happy at all. Again, thanks so much for your post!
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