Need Some Advice About Our Pup
 

We are Fostering to Adopt a seemingly sweet well behaved 16 Lb Beagle. He has many strong points but the one he is struggling with is what we believe is separation anxiety. When our last dog had this years ago he was medicated and I wouldn't choose that route but would rather use behaviour modifying. We believe he was on the run for some time before he was saved. We are committed to making this work for him most importantly and for us.

Does anyone know of a person who can give us a helping hand? We are open to ideas you may have. He also doesn't get the idea of outside and inside as far as the bathroom goes. He is doing better but is inconsistent. When he is put in the cage its normally when he gets it wrong the worst. Thanks for your help!

For the last hour since he came back in from an unsuccessful bathroom trip he has been asleep with me keeping a watch for any sign that he may need to be let outside again. Sweet Dog. We are committed to him.

Nucky,

I am so sorry you and yours are going through this.

Beagles are known to be among the most laid back of breeds, but it sounds like your guy has been through a lot. As we know -- just like with humans -- Nature/Nurture -- both have an effect.

I found an article for you on the ASPCA website. It goes into detail, not only on how to deal with separation anxiety, but also talks about what could be the causes.

(There is a play "Sylvia" that is about a dog that was a rescued stray. Sylvia is a dog played by an actress. I love this play and have seen it 3 times. There is a line that Sylvia says to the man who rescued her:

Sylvia says, "There are some things about me you will just never know."

I have always remembered that line and could picture our dog Annie saying it. Annie arrived at our back door and we took her in. She was with us for almost 17 years. But we never knew anything about where she was before that long-ago, April evening, under a full moon, when she looked in at me through a screen door.

I thought about naming her Moondoggie, but we went with Annie because she was an orphan before she found us.)

But I digress. (blush)

Soooo anyway, here is a good article that I hope helps:

Separation Anxiety | ASPCA

I read an article within the last few months about separation anxiety in dogs and the author used a tape recording of of their voice on a loop. The dog heard the voices and was reassured that their human was close by. My dog has it mildly at times, but other times he is content to go sleep and chill out.

Good luck with the pup.

Just a thought about the accidents - that happened once with our well trained dog and it turned out she had a bladder infection. Possible?

Thanks to all of you for your kind replies. Waiting for a call from the Vet to be certain it’s not something that he needs treatment for medically. The idea of a voice loop is thinking outside the box and I like it and found the way to do it. If it doesn’t work on Luca then it could be fun for torturing my wife. She’s so supportive as usual. I’m grateful. The article that Boomer attached was unbelievable. It put much of what I read in other articles into an orderly helpful easily understandable format.

Thanks a whole lot you guys!

We have an American Coker Spaniel that went through terrible separation anxiety. The only real fix we found was to acquire his brother. Once he had another dog with him we never had problems leaving them alone. Good luck.

That pup is one lucky guy to have found you and your wife. Bless all three of you.

How does Luca exhibit his separation anxiety?

We started leaving our puppies for short amounts of time. We would say a quick See ya, buddy and walk out the door. Come back later and not make a big fuss over them about returning, jus Hi, we're back. Gradually started lengthening the times. Of course, we did this without crating them after we ascertained they were past the chewing stage.

Maybe when you've had Luca longer, he will no longer think he's being abandoned when you leave.

As for house breaking, I suggest taking him out every half hour till he gets the point. Praise and treat when successful. Always to the same spot, saying Go potty, or some other words of your choice. It should eventually kick in. If you just walk him till he goes, he won't get the benefit of the repetition. Or else he thinks it's just walk time. Ask Bare about Brutus and what she did.

This is exactly what we did when he was a pup. A couple of times when he looked like he was going to go (or even after he started) we grabbed him and carried him out and then gave him praise and treats until he understood.

Thank's you guys. This guy is a little different than the others that we've raised from a pup. Nobody knows any background other than a car was seen dropping the dog on the side of the road and the car's plate or the dog couldn't be snagged. Can you imagine someone just dumping a dog on the side of the road? I have my own thoughts on what should happen to people like that. Karma will handle them. He must have been on the run for a while and his Heartworm Situation is critical. Damn shame. Maybe the medicine is making him go nuts.

There is no way this guy gets the run of the house like every other dog I've ever had. He's got an evil smirk on his face. It's crate a Go-Go for him.

We did the routine of leaving for short times and extending gradually. Also we leave the radio on and that ended the anxiety issues.

He needs long walks several times per day. I have trained many pups and dogs, and I find exercise is the most important part of training. Most people do not want to hear that but it is true. This takes commitment and your time. I would crate him while inside. He is not housebroke if he has "accidents". If your walk him an hour for three times a day and crate him while inside, with a short walk just before bedtime, it should take 2 weeks till he is trained. Most people will cheat on the schedule because they feel sorry for the dog and those dogs are the ones that are turned back in to the shelter, or destroy the house- maybe not for good but makes for much clean up for many months. Your choice, but if you stay strong he should be good and trained in 2 weeks.

Rescue Remedy by Bach from Amazon. Three squirts on the tongue or gums and our rescued lab would chill out.