Dog owners

XxXskinnyMiniXxX

I figured since we were all chatting about my dog that I would let you all see my baby

drog2323

I figured since we were all chatting about my dog that I would let you all see my baby

he's a cutie.

AZTrailRunner

Part of the cost of dog ownership is training. I suggest you contact a highly qualified trainer with good references.

Been training him since the day we got him. This is his only problem. As for getting a good trainer we don't have the money for that right now. In the process of buying a house

He listens to everything he was taught, except for this. And as for taking responsibility for him. We do 100% he's treated like a child. He has lots of toys, dog treats, we buy him grain free food (orijen is our current choice 80 bucks a bag) we never yell at him when he does something bad. we're civil and calm about it as to we dont' want to scare him. We dont' hit him or anything like that. I'm actually quite offended that you would say we weren't good owners and our training doesn't work.

I try to avoid the dog topics since it is my profession, and having trained over 1500 dogs myself, have dealt with every problem you can imagine (killer dogs, shy dogs, fearful dogs, and so on). I don't have to the time to be the free "online trainer" for the MFP site, but I couldn't let this one slip by.

Your problem could very well stem from the statement above. Dogs need Leaders, not buddies. Many dogs with separation anxiety (notice I didn't say ALL) are dealing with panic from a lack of Leadership and security from their owners. Just as kids need protection from the big bad world by their parents, dogs need protection via Leaders. Treating a dog like your BFF is a sure ticket to all forms of Anxiety.

Separation Anxiety is a lot like an iceberg.... what little you see on the surface is usually hiding a much bigger issue. I promise you one thing.... you will not find a "quick tip" on a fitness site to fix the problem. The solution is usually found through a variety of angles- exercise, mental stimulation, Leadership, boundaries, discipline. When you can say with absolute certainty that you have tackled ALL of those areas, then you can start working on any remaining symptoms more directly.

Find a good book if you cannot afford a professional trainer. Again, be cautious of the advice you get from amateurs online, and please, please, please do NOT follow advice from TV trainers. They don't answer questions, provide follow-up training, or show you the entire training process.
I wish you the best for you and your dog. :happy:

XxXskinnyMiniXxX

I figured since we were all chatting about my dog that I would let you all see my baby

he's a cutie.

Thanks he may be full grown but he still acts like hes 6 weeks old lol

quixoticmantis

it's like a kid...you cannot give in. hold your ground....as hard as it might be.

Good advice here, drog! :drinker:

XxXskinnyMiniXxX

Part of the cost of dog ownership is training. I suggest you contact a highly qualified trainer with good references.

Been training him since the day we got him. This is his only problem. As for getting a good trainer we don't have the money for that right now. In the process of buying a house

He listens to everything he was taught, except for this. And as for taking responsibility for him. We do 100% he's treated like a child. He has lots of toys, dog treats, we buy him grain free food (orijen is our current choice 80 bucks a bag) we never yell at him when he does something bad. we're civil and calm about it as to we dont' want to scare him. We dont' hit him or anything like that. I'm actually quite offended that you would say we weren't good owners and our training doesn't work.

I try to avoid the dog topics since it is my profession, and having trained over 1500 dogs, have dealt with ever problem you can imagine. I don't have to the time to be the free "online trainer" for the MF site, but I couldn't let this one slip by

Your problem could very well stem from the statement above. Dogs need leaders, not buddies. many dogs with separation anxiety (notice I didn't say ALL) are dealing with panic from a lack of Leadership and security from their owners. Just as kids need protection from the big bad world from their parents, dogs need protection via Leaders. Treating a dog like your BFF is a sure ticket to all forms of Anxiety.

Separation Anxiety is a lot like an iceberg.... what little you see on the surface is usually hiding a much bigger issue. I promise you one thing.... you will not find a "quick tip" on a fitness site to fix the problem. The solution is usually found through a variety of angles- exercise, mental stimulation, Leadership, boundaries, discipline. When you can say with absolute certainty that you have tackled ALL of those areas, then you can start working on any remaining symptoms more directly.

Find a good book if you cannot afford a professional trainer. Again, be cautious of the advice you get from amateurs online, and please, please, please do NOT follow advice from TV trainers. They don't answer questions, provide follow-up training, or show you the entire training process.
I wish you the best for you and your dog. :happy:

Thanks a bunch, to answer your question about a leader. That would be my bf, buster listens to every thing he tells him. But thanks for posting on this with some advice I really appreciate it

XxXskinnyMiniXxX

And yes that is a festive Christmas bandanna on him.

Erindipitous

He listens to everything he was taught, except for this. And as for taking responsibility for him. We do 100% he's treated like a child. He has lots of toys, dog treats, we buy him grain free food (orijen is our current choice 80 bucks a bag) we never yell at him when he does something bad. we're civil and calm about it as to we dont' want to scare him. We dont' hit him or anything like that. I'm actually quite offended that you would say we weren't good owners and our training doesn't work.

Been training him since the day we got him. This is his only problem. As for getting a good trainer we don't have the money for that right now. In the process of buying a house

You're saying your dog is like your child. So if you brought a child into your home and he needed professional intervention, you wouldn't do it because you needed the money to buy a house?

drog2323

Part of the cost of dog ownership is training. I suggest you contact a highly qualified trainer with good references.

Been training him since the day we got him. This is his only problem. As for getting a good trainer we don't have the money for that right now. In the process of buying a house

He listens to everything he was taught, except for this. And as for taking responsibility for him. We do 100% he's treated like a child. He has lots of toys, dog treats, we buy him grain free food (orijen is our current choice 80 bucks a bag) we never yell at him when he does something bad. we're civil and calm about it as to we dont' want to scare him. We dont' hit him or anything like that. I'm actually quite offended that you would say we weren't good owners and our training doesn't work.

I try to avoid the dog topics since it is my profession, and having trained over 1500 dogs myself, have dealt with every problem you can imagine (killer dogs, shy dogs, fearful dogs, and so on). I don't have to the time to be the free "online trainer" for the MFP site, but I couldn't let this one slip by.

Your problem could very well stem from the statement above. Dogs need Leaders, not buddies. Many dogs with separation anxiety (notice I didn't say ALL) are dealing with panic from a lack of Leadership and security from their owners. Just as kids need protection from the big bad world by their parents, dogs need protection via Leaders. Treating a dog like your BFF is a sure ticket to all forms of Anxiety.

Separation Anxiety is a lot like an iceberg.... what little you see on the surface is usually hiding a much bigger issue. I promise you one thing.... you will not find a "quick tip" on a fitness site to fix the problem. The solution is usually found through a variety of angles- exercise, mental stimulation, Leadership, boundaries, discipline. When you can say with absolute certainty that you have tackled ALL of those areas, then you can start working on any remaining symptoms more directly.

Find a good book if you cannot afford a professional trainer. Again, be cautious of the advice you get from amateurs online, and please, please, please do NOT follow advice from TV trainers. They don't answer questions, provide follow-up training, or show you the entire training process.
I wish you the best for you and your dog. :happy:

nicely said!!

XxXskinnyMiniXxX

He listens to everything he was taught, except for this. And as for taking responsibility for him. We do 100% he's treated like a child. He has lots of toys, dog treats, we buy him grain free food (orijen is our current choice 80 bucks a bag) we never yell at him when he does something bad. we're civil and calm about it as to we dont' want to scare him. We dont' hit him or anything like that. I'm actually quite offended that you would say we weren't good owners and our training doesn't work.

Been training him since the day we got him. This is his only problem. As for getting a good trainer we don't have the money for that right now. In the process of buying a house

You're saying your dog is like your child. So if you brought a child into your home and he needed professional intervention, you wouldn't do it because you needed the money to buy a house?

If your already having a hard time getting by because the economy of the city you live in is horrible and your buying a house, paying for cell phones, bills and food and you can't even afford to go anywhere besides work and home. Once you have money problems like those and need oh lets say at least 400 dollars for professional help you'll see that it is hard to come by. But if it were an actual child One of us would ask a parent for the money to borrow. Yeah I love my dog and I hate that he gets very upset when we leave but right now we can't afford a trainer.

SarabellPlus3

I second (third?) the crate-training suggestion. It feels hard to leave them in crates, but really, it's for the best sometimes- him being a nervous wreck isn't any good for him. I know he barked in the past, did that happen many days, or just one? I'm wondering if it's something he'd realize didn't work, then stop with the barking (at least for the time that you're gone-- most dogs bark when they know you can still hear them). You said you're moving to a house soon? If you can't test that in an apartment because the barking would disturb others, maybe it won't bother the neighbors when you're in a house, and you can give it a try.
Otherwise, I second the suggestion to at least check out some web resources, if a trainer can't be budgeted.
Another point is, he's 2, a lot of dogs start growing up at 2, kwim? Hopefully he's on that path!

I love German shepherds... SO MUCH. They are awesome dogs. But they're SO smart, and SO loyal, and SO loving to their family, that there are so many factors you have to consider. I had a GSD mix, Atlas, she was such a wonderful girl! She died 4 years ago, and I miss her every day.

AZTrailRunner

And by no means did I mean to discount the advice of anyone on this forum. My apologies if I gave off that vibe. I just meant that sound training advice comes from a thorough understanding of the entire situation, which is usually obtained through a multiple-hour discussion of the dog's history and previous training methods. No one can get enough necessary information from a few paragraphs.

Peace. :happy:

XxXskinnyMiniXxX

I second (third?) the crate-training suggestion. It feels hard to leave them in crates, but really, it's for the best sometimes- him being a nervous wreck isn't any good for him. I know he barked in the past, did that happen many days, or just one? I'm wondering if it's something he'd realize didn't work, then stop with the barking (at least for the time that you're gone-- most dogs bark when they know you can still hear them). You said you're moving to a house soon? If you can't test that in an apartment because the barking would disturb others, maybe it won't bother the neighbors when you're in a house, and you can give it a try.
Otherwise, I second the suggestion to at least check out some web resources, if a trainer can't be budgeted.
Another point is, he's 2, a lot of dogs start growing up at 2, kwim? Hopefully he's on that path!

I love German shepherds... SO MUCH. They are awesome dogs. But they're SO smart, and SO loyal, and SO loving to their family, that there are so many factors you have to consider. I had a GSD mix, Atlas, she was such a wonderful girl! She died 4 years ago, and I miss her every day.

awe it always makes me sad to hear someone lost a pet But yeah will give crate training another go. I know it works wonders.

XxXskinnyMiniXxX

Just wanted to thank everyone for all the good advice on furthering our training with buster and his anxiety. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to help and reply. As for the people that said we were training him wrong and being irresponsible and bad dog owners well.........:grumble:

rockabillymama

we have an irish setter/blue tick heeler mix, and he's been trained for tracking, and when he's inside he gets a little stir crazy esspecially with our corgi being 10 and himself just turning two. I found that they have these WONDERFUL treat puzzle boxes for dogs, and we got a couple of those and it keeps him very busy. also we'll "hide"things around the house with certain scents we've trained him with, like a ball or a stuffed animal. give him something to keep him busy when you're gone

XxXskinnyMiniXxX

we have an irish setter/blue tick heeler mix, and he's been trained for tracking, and when he's inside he gets a little stir crazy esspecially with our corgi being 10 and himself just turning two. I found that they have these WONDERFUL treat puzzle boxes for dogs, and we got a couple of those and it keeps him very busy. also we'll "hide"things around the house with certain scents we've trained him with, like a ball or a stuffed animal. give him something to keep him busy when you're gone

Treat puzzle boxes? May I ask where you got these from?

healthyquest

I've read about this because my dog has separation issues too. I read that putting them in a kennel helps them because they have that as a safe place, that way they aren't wandering through the house worrying and worrying about what you're doing and why you're not there, they are confined and have to relax. And also before you leave don't look at him, just go about getting ready without acknowledging him, and when you get home wait for him to calm down before you acknowledge him again. I know it's super hard but it's really helped me with my dogs issues.

KEShikes

I have 2 German shepherds (age 10 and almost 3, both males). The most important thing to remember is that they are herding dogs - shepHERD. They want their flock (which includes you) to be together...they love routine, keeping really busy, jobs, and knowing what to do. As long as they know what to expect, their anxiety will diminish, but they will always be excited when you return!

olso123

Not sure what they are called but there are some vests that dogs wear that helps with anxiety, if you google pet anxiety they should come up. I know they help with storm anxiety not sure about seperation anxiety.

They are called Thunder vest or thundershirt. I had one dog that the vest did work for and another dog it didn't. It may be worth a try! Good luck!

Moeincognito

Somedogs just wind up being nervous and things for no reason, my Jack Russell is super nervous, she's never been mistreated or anything like that but she's still really nervous, she shakes, and sometimes pee's the floor. For your dog, you just need to maybe introduce the person or people you want to mind them when you're away so the dog gets used to them and enjoys their company. /sorry if its a bad idea; ;

justsummie

You're saying your dog is like your child. So if you brought a child into your home and he needed professional intervention, you wouldn't do it because you needed the money to buy a house?

Do you realize how many PEOPLE go without proper medical or mental health care because they can't afford it? Being strapped for cash doesn't make someone a bad pet-parent.

sparky38351

We have a female shepherd mix who we rescued that for the first 3 months whenever we'd crate her and leave she would almost go into anxiety attack mode. We fixed hers by making us leaving seem like a great thing. We wouldn't show her any attention for about 10 minutes prior to leaving then tell her to load up. As soon as she hit the crate she got a bone, a huge kong full of frozen peanut butter and the tv was turned on. Whe we came home, we would let her out but paid no attention to her for 10-15m so she'd calm down. It worked wonders! Every dog is different however, so you just gotta find what works for you!

sangelic

You're saying your dog is like your child. So if you brought a child into your home and he needed professional intervention, you wouldn't do it because you needed the money to buy a house?

Do you realize how many PEOPLE go without proper medical or mental health care because they can't afford it? Being strapped for cash doesn't make someone a bad pet-parent.

^^Agree! I've worked in animals shelters for the past 6 years, just because they don't have the means for a trainer/behaviorist does NOT make her a bad pet parent. She obviously cares about her dog and is trying to seek advice to help her out in her situation. There are a lot of people who wouldn't put up with this behavior and automatically take their dog to the local shelter. I THANK YOU for NOT being one of those people.

I also would suggest crate training. If all he does is whine or bark while he's in there you can try to ease him into it with short sessions in and out of the crate while you're at home. If he's actually hurting himself trying to break free of the crate then I wouldn't suggest it. Also I second whoever mentioned being very low-key when you come home and he's been alone. If you make a big production of coming home and getting him all excited that's all the more reason for him to be nervous when you both leave.

1953Judith

Three years ago I adopted a three year old border collie from the Humane Society, a sweetheart in everyway, but one -- total thunder terror and terror of loud noises. Like you, we did not cause the problem, but we are responsible for the solution. The terror is heartbreaking. We have not totally resolved the terror, but we have found ways to mitigate. I would like to echo some suggestions previously made:

1. The professional trainer recommended utilizing books from professionals. I'd recommend checking out a few from the library and seeing if there is one that has a program you are comfortable with, before you purchase the book. Once you embark on a program you need to follow the healthy slow pace of the recommended course of action no matter how inconvenient or difficult (parallel to the discipline needed for we humans with problems to get fit and healthy).

2. Check with your vet to see if they have recommendations.

3. The thundershirt seems to ease some of the physical symptoms for our dog.

4. Kenneling. This was the hardest discipline for us to get, but you can lose a lot of sleep trying to useless comfort a frantic dog. Eventually he calms. A kong filled with frozen peanut butter or canned dog food is a delightful treat to have in the kennel.

Our dog brings us much job. I wish we could make things perfect for him, but this is one area where we have to settle with a less than perfect solution.

With regard to the money for trainers, I understand completely. I do try to put a little money away each month in a "Christmas Account" in case he has an unexpected emergency. I have also lined up two households willing to take him (with full disclosure and experience with his thunder terror) in the event that my husband and I no longer can for any reason.

lindseytienhaara

I think a lot of dogs can feel stressed when their owners leave them alone for a little while. And some just handle it better than others! Is there anywhere in your house your dog goes to lay down at a lot? That place may be his safe spot. Like the crate. Or is there any toy stuffed animal he plays with more that others? If so try putting that in the crate with him. Also like someone else posted...some type of clothing with your scent on it to help him relax that way. Keep working with him to see what helps! Also it would be a good idea to not act like it is a big deal your leaving and give him a bone or treat when you do so then he will have something to look forward to when you do leave. And first try leaving for a few minutes and then come back in and do not act different towards him. When you keep doing these things over and over again he should soon realize its no big deal. But if it gets worse and he is really stressed still even after all your training then maybe talk to your vet about a natural calming supplement. This may help him as well! Good luck

exploremore2011

Oh honey I so feel for you.........We had a German Shepard I got her when she was one. She would tear up everything when we left the house. I'm taking blinds, she went through a window, ate the walls, the dog door and chewed through doors. She was dog aggressive, I even had two small dogs with her that she was fine with. She also was able to clear a six foot fence. My husband had enough after her third dog attack, jumping the fence to get to them. I had to rehome her after working with her for 5 years. She went to someone who used to work with them and train them for agility. I love her so much and miss her dearly. I hope you find a good solution and can keep him or find a really good place for him.