Can Any One Please Help

[Cornish]

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Hiya,

Sidney our 9 1/2 month old whip destroys the kitchen door if we leave him for an hour to go and do the shopping.

We never leave him longer than an hour and we try not to leave him at all as we seem to always come back home to find he has scratched the kitchen door and then been sick everywhere. :x

I am very concerned as I don't like the idea of him being distressed but there has to be times when we can leave him for short periods.

I was wondering if anyone else has the same problem or know how to deal with it?

Thanks :thumbsup:

 

[GemmaT]

Hi there,

I would invest in a cage for him. This will contain him and give him is own space where he will feel comfortable. If he is being sick then he is obviously finding you leaving him on his own scary. Best to make it as nice as poss for him with his own little house, a nice blanket and some toys. He has to learn that you cant take him everywhere! And dont let anyone tell you that you are a bad mum for having to leave him sometimes either!

Pimms (now 5.5mths) used to yowl like mad and wee all over the place as soon as left on her own. The cage stopped the weeing, and whenever I came back she would be sleeping soundly with her toys.

If he learns to settle when you leave and gets into a routine of being contained and falling asleep then you will be able to gradually wean him off the cage or even leave the door open for him.

Pimms now sleeps on her own all night in the kitchen in a basket. No need for the cage anymore and she dosnt mess either. I can now also close her in here if I am doing somthing that she will get under my feet or if the front door has to be open for any reason. Im sure that this is all due to starting her off with the cage training.

:cheers:

Gemma and Pimms

 

[mally]

Get a dog crate and get him used to going in it when your at home. He'll soon get used to it.

 

[jezza]

I'd say he is most probably suffering from Separation anxiety, poor little boy. I don't know what can be done about it myself as I've never had a dog which suffers from it but its been mentioned on here before, do a search of the old posts.

There are also loads of books and probably loads of info on the internet. Have you thought about taking him to see a behaviourist, perhaps there is one at your local vets?

Good luck with Sidney, he is very cute :wub:

 

[jezza]

Oh yes, I forgot about cages! We got our dogs one (mainly to stop them weeing everywhere) and they adjusted brilliantly to it even though they were both over a year old

 

[~Helen~]

Definitely try a crate. They're great, especially if you put a blanket over and make them into a cosy den :thumbsup: Have a look on FAQ, Cornish, there are a lot of old threads about crates - sizes, type, how to get your little one used to them etc :cheers:

 

[Cornish]

Thanks everyone, :thumbsup:

I have spoken to hubby and we are going to go and have a look about for a crate for Sidney.

I hate the idea of him being penned up but the idea of him being so upset he makes himself sick is far more upsetting.

We were hoping to get him a little play mate soon but now think it may be a better idea to get his little problem sorted first. :- "

We had an idea that it may be seperation anxiety but other than keeping him with us all the time we were unsure what to do to help him. :unsure:

The poor kitchen door and the floor by the door has definatly seen better days :b

:cheers: will let you know how we get on with his new bedroom once we get it

View attachment 34279

 

[kim & Tilly]

This is where i get my crates from, if you buy today it will be here by friday hopefully, really good value and made well

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/36-Dual-coated-dog-c...5QQcmdZViewItem

 

[jezza]

I've just had a quick look at some old posts and found the one I thought might be of interest but I don't know how to do a link! Its by a member called TC and the thread is called Kongs, friend or foe. She had a pup which suffered separation anxiety, he doesnt' suffer anymore, mind you she did by another pup for him

Have a read see and see what you think. If you make the crate nice a cosy, I line mine with loads of fleeces (from ikea!) and also cover the top of the crate with a fleece then he might be happy enough in there :luck:

 

[~Helen~]

You're not really penning your pup up - your giving him a safe, smaller environment which may make him feel more relaxed. Being in a huge open space all alone can be quite stressful in itself, so giving him a small, draught-free, cosy place where he can snuggle up is good thing :thumbsup:

Remember to leave him something fun like a stuffed kong and a rope-toy to keep him busy in case he doesn't feel like sleeping when you're gone, and only leave him for short periods at the beginning, gradually increasing your time away.

edited to add link: click here and scroll down for CRATES

 

[Alfiewhippet]

Alfie had the whole separation anxiety thing. He would wee everywhere, chew antyhing that was not nailed down, cry very loudly and pace up and down.

We found the perfect solution she is called Daisy and she has sorted out all of Alfie's separation problems,

 

[jeanyg]

I agree with the crate.............loathed to try one..............wished I had done it sooner......maybe i would still have wallpaper and a table and chairs that didn't look like it had gone 5 rounds with jaws and lost! :- "

Some tips...

Make sure it is big enough for the dog to stand up in and turn around.

Put bowl of water in it

Cover it with blanket (sides and back)...it makes the dog feel safe and cosy.

I put an old Tshirt in that I had worn

For the first few days don't shut dog in....but put the food bowl in when feeding time

Then when dog use to that start to shut door whilst feeding.

Never use crate as punishment

After week or so....put dog in for few mins while you about...give it a treat

Basically dog got to think of crate as a pleasure

A kong stuffed and frozen is given to mine when I leave him....he gets it at no other time

Radio on for back ground music

Don't make fuss before you go and ignore the dog when you get back until its calmed down.....so it thinks its no big deal being left!

Mine will go in and wait at my tea time cos he knows he will get a treat (bit of raw carrot etc ) if he leaves me alone!

Lastly....these treats should come from his daily allowance.....we don't want a fat pooch!

Good luck

 

[Cornish]

Brill thanks, will go and check out the crates on Ebay (have sent the seller a message) and will take a look at the posts.

We gave Sidney a Kong..... it was great for the first few mins then he got fedup with it :wacko:

 

[OEH]

We had exactly this problem with Tess, and I really wish I had known about crates then as it has been fantastic for our puppy Esme, however our solution was Nana and if we'd had a crate we wouldn't have got her, and I wouldn't be without her :thumbsup:

 

[firesprite]

Our whip was the first dog ive ever had to not take to a crate (litle s*d), everyone else thought them great, safe cosy "me" place, with toys, radio, chewies, bowl attached to side of crate so it wont spill all over the bed and make it soggy and cold. But whips just hated it. No idea why, but after 2 solid weeks of terrible terrible screaming (not usual yowling barking or whining but abject screaming in hysteria) we gave in and she sleeps in bed with me!! We do have 3 others who keep her company when we go out and she can manage up to several hours now but its been a slow gradual process.

Not making going out a big deal is good idea, as is going out on fake trips.... looking like you are off but arriving back in a few mins or so to break a routine. Some dogs respond to a routine of being left for 20 mins then 30 and so on.

We also got a DAP from the vet, (dog appeasment pheromone) about £16 for a plug in type "air freshner" thing which scents the room with lactating mummy dog lovely snuggly smells to create a calm atmosphere. Humans cant smell it so you wont notice it at all. They also do a spray version we used for the car.

One other thing to bear in mind is ...is your dog screaming the place down whilst you are out? might be worth geting a voice activated tape recorder to see just in casr some neighbour complains.. just a thought but better to know what you are dealing with.

Crates are godsend tho if you can use them as can be used when visiting, on holiday, camping, in hotels (i wish but not with 4 dogs... dream on) and should you ever find yourself having to leave a dog in the car its a bit safer knowing they are contained in a crate, esp if there is a padlock on it!!!

 

[Cornish]

This morning when hubby went to work, my son and I thought we'd nip across the road so that Sidney could have 10 mins on his own in the kitchen... when we got back and we were only got 10 mins max, there was drule everywhere, all over the floor, the door and sidney.

The poor love.... we have just come back from our holiday on the broads where he was with all 24/7.

I have suggested to hubby that we leave Sidney for a short period of time again but this time pop the video camera in the kitchen to record what he is up to when we are not there.

I have been in touch with a person who sells crates, so we'll see how that goes once it arrives.

Thanks everyone for all your help and advice.

x :thumbsup:

 

[Janimal]

Good luck with the crate Cornish. :luck: :luck:

Id never ever considered a crate either till I joined K9 and then got Oscar followed by Kobi ... (w00t) :lol: :lol: it was a godsend and I was able to put them in there when I went shopping or just for 30 minutes to have some peace - and time to myself. :- "

They slept in there too as puppies and I still keep it around (just in case) of emergencies :thumbsup:

 

[Cornish]

Good luck with the crate Cornish. :luck:   :luck:
Id never ever considered a crate either till I joined K9 and then got Oscar followed by Kobi ... (w00t)   :lol:   :lol:   it was a godsend and I was able to put them in there when I went shopping or just for 30 minutes to have some peace - and time to myself. :- "

They slept in there too as puppies and I still keep it around (just in case) of emergencies  :thumbsup:

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Hope you don't mind me asking, but do you have the one super size crate for them both or 2 whippet sized crates?

Just thinking about when we get Sidney's little friend.....

 

[~Helen~]

Aw, definitely two into one crate. I can't remember the measurements, but it wasn't that big - 32" x 55"?

This pic is when Lola was a pup and Josie was a year old, but they used that crate for another year after that until we moved to our current house in March. Now they have their lovely corner bed in the utility room :thumbsup:

Edited to say - thinking about it, we did used to leave the door of the crate open once we had had two whippets for a while, because they couldn't both stretch out in the crate once Lola was growing long whippety legs! I'd say get the biggest you have room for, or get two and have them side by side so the whippies have got space but company :thumbsup:

 

[Cornish]

AWWWWWW :wub:

How adorable :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:

I was thinking about getting a 36' one so it should be big enough for them both then by the looks of it.

Sidney will be a little over 10 months when we hopefully get our new pup.

Your doggies are soooo cute in that photo