Howling When Left Alone.

[Foxglove]

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We've had our Diva a month now and because of the shifts we both do - Neil nightshift 6pm until 6am - and me 5.30am until 1pm it was never a problem leaving her on her own. The longest she would ever be on her own would be on Tuesday & Wednesday mornings between 5.30 and 6.45am as one or both of us is at home on the other five days. I got over the two mornings by just taking her to work with me and she would lie on her bed behind my till until Neil came home and took her to the beach before taking her off to bed with him.

This worked fine until my boss came in one day and saw her and said that I wasn't to bring her into work just in case some busybody from the council complained :rant: He was ok about it but it WAS infuriating as she was nowhere near any foodstuffs, just cigarettes and newspapers/magazines.

So I decided to just get up even earlier *4am!!!* so that I could give her a bit of a run on the nearby field after I'd had my shower and breakfast and then, in theory, she would settle down and go to sleep until Neil came home.

I did this for two mornings and on the second my neighbour came into our shop to tell me that Diva had started howling the place down five minutes after I'd left and only shut up when she heard Neil's car drive into our courtyard on BOTH mornings - that explains how we'd never heard a squeak out of her all the times we'd stood quietly outside the front door and listened! We'd assumed she was ok but obviously not!!! :- "

SO........how do we go about teaching her that it's ok to be on her own occasionally and that sometimes we go out but we DO come back? Is it just going to be a case of gradually building her up from a few minutes to longer and longer? At the minute Neil is taking her to work on Monday & Tuesday nights but he may be getting moved to a different site in January where he won't be able to take Diva - even if she just stayed in the car. :angry:

I'm going to send an email to her previous owner to see if she was ever left - though she was probably no bother there as they had a jack russell for company for her.

She's not destructive at all in the house, just 'noisy' We left the radio on too but I don't think she took much notice of that - she was probably so stressed at her 'pack' leaving her all on her lonesome! :wacko:

This is the only little 'niggle' which is worrying me about her at the moment because I don't want our neighbour to lose patience and report us to the landlord - all my previous worries (she wasn't settling in, seemed to be more Neil's dog etc) have gone as she has really begun to relax and become an absolute sweetheart of a character :wub:

 

[Hula]

Could you not try filling a kong with goodies when she is left so she can amuse herself with that ?

 

[FeeFee]

Separation anxiety isn't an easy thing to address, I went through it with Taz (he didn't howl, he just ate my furniture (w00t) )

Some of the advice I was given is below. It took a little time, but we did get through it in the end and Taz actually seems to look forward to us going out nowadays so he can have his kong! :lol:

1. Don't go overboard with fuss and attention. If your dog has your attention constantly when you are there then he's going to get upset if that is suddenly withdrawn when you go out. My own policy with new dogs coming in here is to be very 'casual' with them at first, give them a stroke if they come over but basically

carry on with 'normal life' and let them fit in rather than paying them loads of attention. Plenty of time for lots of fuss later once they are settled and know the routine.

2. Don't allow the dog to shadow you round the house - encourage them to

be independent and happy to settle in a room alone for short periods with

a chew or a kong if necessary. Don't coddle them if they seem anxious as

that just reinforces that there is something to worry about.

3. Don't make a big deal of going out or coming home, leave without big

goodbyes or seeming anxious yourself and don't make a huge fuss of the dog

the minute you walk in through the door. Get in, take your coat off, put

the kettle on and potter for a few minutes before taking any notice of the

dog.

4. Start with going out for short periods, 10 mins or so, and build it up

gradually. A good walk before you leave helps.

5. If the problem is boredom rather than SA, then things like a Buster

Ball or frozen stuffed kong can keep them busy.

6. Training classes are a good idea, and enforcing some basic obedience

(ie making the dog sit for treats etc) helps, as dogs are generally less

anxious if they see their owner as being 'in charge'.

7. A DAP diffuser or Rescue Remedy can help take the edge of their anxiety