Train a Little Independence
My wife and I adopted a 1-year-old German Shepherd Dog mix from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He is a very well-behaved dog, housetrained and doesn't damage anything while we are away at work. There is one problem, though. He will bark, whine and cry on and off for up to an hour after we leave for work in the morning. What do you suggest?
- Tom Laquidara, Stoneham, Mass.
I would say he is exhibiting mild separation anxiety. He came from a shelter; he has the right history. He probably follows [you] around the house and shows a lot of affection, barking and exuberant greeting. There's no urination or defecation, just mild attachment problems.
He would respond to some simple measures. Try to train a little independence. Reward independent activity, like him lying down on a bed away from you. Teach him "Sit" and "Stay." Eventually leave the room. Try ignoring him totally for 20 minutes before you leave and for 20 minutes when you come back.
You can also do counter-conditioning. An option is not to feed him in the morning. Instead, give him food inside a toy, a peanut butter or Cheez Whiz-stuffed bone, then leave the house with no fuss. Hide little parcels of food around the house so he has something to do. Hide the odd food treat, or do anything that would enrich the environmentplay music, [provide] access to a window, put down an assortment of toys, food puzzles, bones.
Unravel Everything
I have a 1-year-old Shepherd-Chow mix. She was found on my front porch "screaming." She was malnourished, dehydrated, had been badly treated, had the mange. I had everything treated and brought her home. When she was old enough to go outside without being on the leash and fully trained to stay within a perimeter, we thought we had gotten through the roughest time (housetraining, puppy activities, etc.).
While we are gone in the daytime, she is let outside. In the evenings when we get home, she comes in. And then it begins. Every few minutes, she wants out, then in, then out, then in. Through the night, every night, she's up and wanting out at least three times. When she comes back in around 4:30 a.m., she is ready to play. If we do not play with her and ignore her, she becomes destructive. In a span of about two hours, she destroyed a pair of steel-toed work boots, a pair of house slippers, my husband's wallet and his eyeglasses.
She acts obsessive-compulsive. I am going to take her to the veterinarian for a full checkup to make sure there isn't something physically wrong with her. Other than having some behavior problems, she has a great disposition, loves children, likes the cats (we have four) and enjoys people. But my husband and I are going nuts.
- Danna Hollon, Weumpka, Ala.
This is one where I would need to unravel everything. It needs a whole 3,000-mile tune-upthe works, a holistic approach to dealing with this dog's problems. I look at the whole problem from the ground up.
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