OMG!!!! Is our dog insane?????
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Of course the problem with getting another dog is that it doesn't always resolve your difficulties and potentially you are left with "double trouble". My first boy, Sunny, was not appeased by having our girl as company. The fact that she didn't like him at all might have contributed to his attitude, however. :) He was horrible in his crate, and little by little we were able to make the transition to leaving him loose.
One more thought: no Basenji I know is happy if they aren't warm. Sometimes a big part of the problem is that they are not comfortable. Sunny used to lobby to have the gas fireplace turned on. If we didn't comply, good chance we would come home to an expression of his dissatisfaction. If it was on (or if it was nice and sunny in the porch), he was content. After a time, he trained us adequately and we had few problems after that. ;)
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Well…. Her foster situation with BRAT was this: she was with a family in New Orleans that had 4 of their own B's, and she was there for 3 weeks. They said that they were able to leave their home to go to work for up to 11 hours, and she was fine in her crate. Mind you, she had to be separated from the 4 other dogs, and BRAT described her as a dog that needed to be in a "one dog household". So we never thought that needing another dog would be an issue. As far as letting her be outside the crate when we are not home... we attempted to keep her in a "safe room" aka our bathroom for about 20 minutes. We were met with MASS destruction. That was a bad and expensive experience so we have not tried it again. But maybe we need to....
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Do you by any chance have access to a web cam that you could use to observe what she is doing? Might give you some options so you don't come home to a mess. Also, before you try going the vet prescribed medication route, you might just experiment with something OTC like Benedryl. It works for some. Make sure to give it well before she has any inkling you are leaving. Once she is already worked up, it won't likely be effective.
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Okay if this dog did fine for up to 11 hrs, something else is going on. Is it possible for you to BORROW the dog of a well trained dog who can be put in a crate in the same room to see if that does it? Or really, get some meds while the dog settles and resumes okay life in a crate.
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Don't get another dog unless YOU really want another dog. Chances are as big to end up with double-trouble as they are to fix the problem.
I have given a dog meds before to work on getting her comfortable to see me leave. That was a 4 year old Thai Ridgeback Dog that was taken from illegal dogfights. She could escape any bench, room and would hurt herself seriously when working her way to freedom. So we chose to use some medicines to fix it as quickly as possible.
So I gave her something that would really calm her down. Can't remember the name of it, but it's pretty much the same as valium. The first days sche could hardly move when she had the med, and we just gave her a little less of it every day when we could see she was relaxt when I left the room/house. It's pretty easy to see when they start fighting the medicine.
Took us about 3 weeks to learn her to be alone for a couple of hours. -
I feel so much for you and your husband.
I agree that it nis well worth getting some medication from your vet to keep her calm and then continue to try and train her.
Being locked in the bathroom is probably no nbetter than shutting her in a crate. Leaving her loose where she can possibly look out the window to see things going on outside might make a difference together with using medication.
Also I agree with eeeefarm about warmth. I would only ever consider leaving a Basenji alone without heat if there was sunshine pouring through the windows!!
I can't remember if you've tried bringing in a behaviorist? Ideally as Ivoss says a veterinary behaviorist who could help you with the medication as well.
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OK…. so I have a happy follow up to this post. My husband and I called our vet, who recommended that we speak to a behavior specialist, AFTER trying something different first. As many of you suggested, we decided to try again to allow her to have the "run of the house" and NOT crate her when we left. We tried it with 15 minute intervals, then worked up to 30 minutes of us leaving her. We both have iPhones, so we were able to use the Facetime app to watch her live. After whimpering for about 5 minutes, and running from the front door to the back door to check for us, she eventually just curled up on her "spot" on the couch... and stayed there!!!! WOW!!!! It was like hearing our child say their first word... we were so excited that she was so calm out of the crate, and not destructive at all.
So now we are going to continue to increases the amount of time that we leave her alone, and continue to train her. We are SO happy to see that maybe this is a solution that can work for us all, and Zola can be OK and not harm herself.
The only unfortunate thing is: Zola was so destructive in the crate, now she is sick. Like two-year-old-child, coming out of both ends, sick. She ate up the plastic tray of her crate, and also ate carpet fibers from a floor mat she got a hold to. After a lot of cleaning up, taking her out every two hours all through the night, a vet visit, and $300 later.... we still have to wait until the morning to be sure all the fragments pass through her system safely. Poor girl.....
Queen Zola made it absolutely clear.... NO CRATE for this girl.
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Zola's mom-
You're a gooood dogmom. Never doubt that.
it seems this has been a trial by fire of sorts. i've got to admit, i'm very impressed with all you've done. -
Oh, I hope she passes everything O.K. I am so glad to hear this may be working. I have one suggestion for when you go out. If you can keep her occupied with something she likes as you depart, she may avoid even that brief anxious period. In my case, I load Perry's roller ball with kibble before we leave, and lock it in his crate where he can see it but can't have it. After a few minutes he is very anxious for us to be gone so he can have his ball. We take it out and place it on the floor just as we depart. Our former separation anxiety dog can't wait for us to put on our coats, because he very badly wants his ball. Once we are out the door he has that to keep him busy and never looks out the window as we drive away. Works like a charm for us. :)
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Good job, Zola's Mom (& Dad too, of course)! :)
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And once you keep to a routine they will not be as anxious when you leave. Our B's both know when the weekend is. They get quite upset when we go into town on the weekend to get groceries as it is 'out of the ordinary'. Maybe a Kong with peanut butter in it will keep her entertained while you are leaving.
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This is great news! That's what I did with Buddy, just leaving him loose while I did yard work and looking in the window, then going to the store and then just increasing the time. He does very well in a crate but leaving him in there all day is too long.
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Hopefully it will work for you. I haven't had a problem with leaving them out at night, now during the day, if they get PO'd at me, they may decide to redecorate one of the cushions! LOL
The only concern I would have with giving him the kong in the beginning is that he would finish it and then cry when he woke up. If you wait until he wakes up by himself and then potty him and give him the kong, then he may forget about crying by the time he finishes the kong. On the other hand, if you give him the kong when he wakes up, you may be re-enforcing the behaviour of waking up and crying to get what he wants. It's like a double edged sword-do you or don't you? This is a decision you will have to make and try out. Sorry I can't be of more help, but every dog is different, just like kids!
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This is such good news and now you can go from strength to strength.
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I hope your girl is okay! I had a foster who ate carpet before I obtained her and I did not know it-they put it in her crate. The strings were ripping her intestines and she had to have 50% of her intestines removed. Please have your girl x-rayed to determine if anything is stuck. My girl had to go to Gulf Coast Vet Specialists in Houston to have the surgery because my regular vet thought it could be complicated and it was!
Jennifer
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Hi, Zola's mommy, have you contacted her BRAT Coordinator?
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Hello Everyone,
I just wanted to give you all a further report on Queen Zola! Today was a GREAT day for her. I don't know if it's the DAP diffuser, the calming collar, the Thunder Shirt, or just the fact that we have been slowly training her to be loose in the house by increasing her "alone" time. But today was a big test for Zola: it was the first day she was alone in the house for a full 8 hours…. and she did WONDERFUL!!!!! I have taken the advice of most of you and left her with a "smart toy" to challenge her and keep her busy. I was SO excited to call my hubby and tell him that I walked into the house today to find her sitting in her spot on the couch... quietly... no accidents or disasters awaiting me. It was GREAT!!!!!
Tomorrow is a really long day for us so Zola gets to go to doggy daycare! I just wanted to follow up with all of you. We are so proud of our girl. And yes, we have been talking with our BRAT coordinator almost daily through this first month. We are just so happy!!!!! And so is Queen Zola! :)
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YAY for Zola!!! This sounds wonderful, good for you guys.
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oh that's wonderful news!!!! Please don't be alarmed or overly upset by any set backs. That's normal. (Or maybe you turned a corner never to go back)
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This is really good news and well done to you both. Yes you may have setbacks but don't be disheartened. Thank you ofor the update.
