Dog Community

x-posted from Horse Forum: Breed Quess and ?s (aDork)

Posted : 5/30/2008 1:13:54 PM

A little back story:

Sam is 62 pounds and approx. 20 inches at his withers. He has a lot of black spots on his skin that show through his short/thin coat. Sam came from a shelter in northern Iowa that was having trouble placing him due to his 'breed' and the 'No pits in city limits' laws.

Original Post with Questions:

Well, we just got a dog from a shelter a couple weeks ago. He is a 2 year old pit bull - just the sweetest most loving dog. (in fact, his shelter name was Baby Sam b/c he is such a sucker for attention) He is also a VERY relaxed and chilled out dog-always wanting to please. Nothing really excites him and if it does, his first reaction is to normally just sit down and watch with his ears all alert. He doesn't stray far from us and actually follows us to every room in the home. At first we thought it was so sweet...now we know why! I've been doing research and he is the classic specimen of separation anxiety.

He gets extremely nervous and upset if we leave him - uncontrollable/excessive drooling, pacing, scratching at the door we left out of and also scratching at the windows. We've tried kenneling him but he has busted out of the first kennel 2 times and then after we bought a brand new kennel he busted out once and then we zip tied that sucker shut so that he didn't have a chance of getting out but instead he scratched the living daylights out of his poor, adorable muzzle trying to escape! He obviously does not see the kennel as a safe space - he's apparently lived in a shelter (kennel) his entire life. I'd love to be able to let him have free roam of the house when we are away at work.

I've read all the theories on the internet and I would like to know any of your personal experiences and what worked?

Right now we are working on short absences. I leave and come back in before he has a chance to get upset. I know this will take a while. We also ignore him for bits of time and give attention on our terms. When we leave and come in, we don't make a fuss.

He has badly scratched our door leading to the garage - even knows how to get it open and into the garage. This is mainly the only thing he has focused his attention on although he has scratched at the window screens and disturbed the garbage. We were considering putting a remote shock collar on and buzzing him when he goes at the door/window/garbage...I hope that doesn't seem cruel - perhaps he wouldn't only find something else to vent on. We need to take care of the root of the problem which is him feeling afraid/fearful. I was hoping in time he would realize we are always coming home to him - I fear I'll be making excuses for him in 6 months time!

Woosh, this was a long post...sorry! Basically,
Any personal experiences with separation anxiety and how you coped/solved them...thank you!

And now, an adorable photo of our little beast, Sam! :) (he's just the most perfect dog aside from this issue!)
ETA: his eyes look a bit wonky - they are better now. While at the shelter he had surgery on his lower eyelids which were inverted - also had two cracked/infected canines pulled, neutered, treated for mange and finally, treated for being heartworm positive! He's been through the ringer and still loves the vet! hah!

Pictures:

Cross-posted with permission of the owner/OP. She said she would put up some better pictures of him later. I'm just really curious to see what the dog experts out there think he is. There are some guesses on the Horse Forum, but I removed all references to those so that you guys would have about as much information as we did when we were guessing.

DumDog

Posted : 5/30/2008 1:40:42 PM

could be a large pit or small working bred American Bulldog. or even a cross between the two.

if he is protective of her AND property then chances are he has AB in him.

Workingdoglover

Posted : 5/30/2008 2:11:51 PM

He reminds me a lot of a Dogo Argentino, but he's most likely a pittie or American Bulldog. She may end up having to buy apretty expensive crate for him that he can't get out of. Something like these....http://leerburg.com/crate.htm Though I'd definitely shop around, because I'm sure there are less expensive ones out there (I just knew they had them there so that I could use them as an example). Letting him run around the house while they are gone is a danger to him and their home since he keeps tearing things up. Tearing up a door can cause damage to the poor pup (not to mention having to buy a new door!). They just need to make sure to get him used to the crate before they just put him in it and leave so that it isn't so traumatic for him. It seems like a lot of shelter dogs have issues like this (and I don't blame them!). I haven't dealt with it much, but I'm sure someone will come along that has. Smile

brookcove

Posted : 5/30/2008 2:39:57 PM

PetEdge has a good one for about $250 plus truck shipping. Not bad considering a roomy premium crate will run you about $150 these days.

There is a ton of information out there on SA. SA is not easy to overcome, but it can be done with dedication and the patience of Job. Consider taking up TM or yoga yourself (speaking to the foster/adoptive parents), because you will have to learn to find your own happy place during this experience!

Here's one typical instruction page: http://www.wagntrain.com/SeparationAnx.htm You'll note they recommend Trish McConnell's booklet "I'll Be Home Soon!" http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB667

Here's one of her own articles on the subject: http://www.wpr.org/pets/articles_homealone.htm

BannedBreed Lover

Posted : 5/31/2008 11:50:12 PM

What an angel of a puppy you have! Angel

Well... I can say that having lived with a dog who had extreme separation anxiety, it takes ALOT of work to correct.

First, make sure that with every bit of attention, food, treats, obedience, walks, play, cuddles... anything.. make Sam work for that 'reward' from you. It sounds like I'm advocating running a boot camp, or being very harsh or cruel; but Sam needs to learn boundaries in your home, and that nothing he gets will be for free. So when you want to give him his breakfast, have Sam do a sit/stay, wait a min or two and give him his breakfast. You want to have cuddle time with Sam, do the same sit/stay or down/stay command, wait then reward him with your attention. Trust me it will be very difficult for YOU not Sam. I found that it was a natural reaction to just reach down and touch my dog, or when I was about to take her for a walk I let her bolt out of the door first (another no no! you first, then dog). Keep all of his toys off the ground and only let him play with them when your wanting to initiate playtime (this can help prevent toy possession).

Our Dane, when left alone in a wire crate for just 45 minutes, would: drool, vomit, defecate, urinate and self mutilate. It took a LONG time to work on correcting that behavior. Positive training, short sessions and control of her environment all were key in the training. Now too that agility has gained in popularity, you could possibly enroll Sam in classes (providing he does know his basic commands) which would be a big confidence booster for him.

Ideally your goal would be to have a well behaved dog who can be left alone for periods of at least 4 hours, in either a crate or in a gated off room, possibly left with a stuffed kong or durable toy to provide mental stimulation. Don't jump into this too big, expecting Sam to be able to handle total aloneness with free reign of the house. While training too I always have a rule: If I can't physically watch them, or be with them, then I use the crate; but as a whole, I use a 'lifeline' tethered to me. This way the dog learns house placement, as well as manners. Hopefully some of these suggestions will prevent you from having to use a shock collar.

Good Luck! I wish you and Sam all the best with your training! Big Smile Hopefully some of this helped.... :)

Ashley