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Separation anxiety

Behavioral Issues
  • crystalncodyC

    I am also having a horrible problem with Cody's separation anxiety. Less than 5 minutes after I leave, he begins to whimper for a few minutes, then it's all-out howling like someone is beating him for half an hour or more. It's absolutely heartbreaking. You can hear him 2 buildings over in our apartment complex. I also have a roommate, and even though he'll whimper for a few minutes when she leaves, even if she is there while I'm gone, he still howls. So I know it's the fact that I'm gone that causes him to do this. I guess since he eventually stops, it's not true SA, but it still wakes my roommate up in the mornings after I leave and annoys the neighbors.

    I'm at a loss. At the moment, I am trying to keep him in his kennel a little more than usual. I also put him in there an hour before I leave, and when I get back, I wait about 20 minutes before I let him out. A friend has an ultrasonic bark control device that just annoyed him and made him howl more when we tried it. My roommate has joked about getting him a muzzle, but I'm pretty sure part of her isn't joking. I know it takes time, but there's only so much she and my neighbors can take before my apartment managers evict me or my neighbors call animal control.

    Luckily there are only 3 1/2 weeks before we move. There, he will have a canine companion and a few acres to run around out in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully that will compensate for me leaving him while I'm at work.

    Any and all suggestions would be MORE than welcome and greatly appreciated!

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  • S

    I would not keep him in the kennel "more".
    I would make sure you walk him before you leave.
    Set up a routine where he gets a long walk before you go, a nice kong filled with treats, and a calm leaving and coming.
    When you get home, take him out of the crate, be calm, and take him for another walk…once you get back from the walk, then you great him.
    This can be helped, but it takes work from you.
    Good luck.

    Sharron Hurlbut

    BRAT, basenji rescue

    Evergreen basenji club

    Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue

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  • nobarkusN

    I walk mine 30 minutes in the morning right when I get up then feed him and lastly a little play time before I put him in the crate all day. I put him in the crate 10 minutes before leaving and make no big deal out of it or talk to him.

    Buddy, Paolo and Dan

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  • S

    Is he distructive when you leave?
    Would he repect a baby gate?

    Sharron Hurlbut

    BRAT, basenji rescue

    Evergreen basenji club

    Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue

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  • D

    also try a few 5-10 minutes leaves… leave your house, come back, don't make a fuss over him when you get in, and always return with a treat. This sometimes worked for ziggee, when there was other people there. When I would take him for a walk, is when I fussed over him. We would run, and play, and when we walked in, it was quiet time. He is very smart, he still does this, but really until I got Scarlett, the blood curdling screaming never did actually stop.

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  • S

    The class I went to said the dogs gains comfort when there is a routine that the human follows.
    Its all mostly the same, and the key is calm leaving and arriving home.
    Also, give the basenji something he NEVER gets, but when you leave the house.
    A kong full of treats and cheese, something yummy that he can work on and help burn off some of the stress he is feeling.
    She showed us videos, and the dogs worst reactions were within the first 30 minutes.
    After that, the dog calmed down…totally stressed dogs, stared to "restress" just before the owners arrived home...
    It was a very interesting class.

    Sharron Hurlbut

    BRAT, basenji rescue

    Evergreen basenji club

    Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue

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  • crystalncodyC

    Yes, he's very destructive when I leave, ripping up carpets, chewing on the door frame, knocking over lamps, ripping down blinds and curtains, etc, and he'll just jump a baby gate.

    I'll try giving him a special treat while he's in there, and another when I get back. And I'll definitely have to make leaving and coming home a calm, quiet time. He always gets at least a 30 minute walk in the morning before I leave, and we go out for about an hour when I get back. We have a routine, it's just not as strict as it should be, so we'll have to work on it.

    Thanks, that's all really helpful!

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  • D

    my first basenji was a handful. destructive, chewer, crazy than crazy things I would come home to tore up. a few tricks that worked for him, was a spraybottle filled with listerine, they dont like the smell, and spray it where you don't want him to chew. and it makes your house smell fresh…lol and another one was mouse traps. I would line my kitchen counters with them and furniture, and it stings when it snaps but not to hurt him, Till the day that boy died, I had them mousetraps, after a while I didn't have to set them anymore but once they were removed he would go back and tear it up. Just the sight of them kept him away. People would come over see them traps all over my house and ask if I had mice.... nope just a crazy basenji. I know if you can crate train him, that would be the best, my first basenji it was impossible. He would buck until the screws were stripped, I would put a guinea pig bottle in so he would have water while i was at work, he would manuever his jaw and alway put a hole in it. I gave in and he had some of the house to run, the livingroom and kitchen. and with the mousetraps and listerine nothing more got destroyed.

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  • crystalncodyC

    I just thought I'd update, but it seems Cody's anxiety is getting better. He still whines, grunts, and grumbles when I leave, but it isn't nearly as loud or for as long. I still keep him in his crate when I'm gone unless my roommate, Megan, is home, but she says that he is better behaved, although he stays near the door or where he can see the door until I get back. He does mope and do his "rounds" around the apartment grumbling (Megan and I swear he was a grumpy old man in a past life :) ), but I think that's a lot better than the constant screaming from before. We still have quite a bit of work left to do, and ideally I'd like to be able to leave him out of his crate when I am not home.

    But I wanted to thank you all for your suggestions, they helped us so much.

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  • tanzaT

    Glad to hear that he is doing better….

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • K

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    I had a foster male one time who had severe separation anxiety (his previous owners were retired during his whole life so they were always with him) and even having another dog around didn't help - they rarely played together. He was in his crate while I went to work - toys galore, special treats in a kong, calming sprays, etc. - and I did the "you must calm down before being let out of the crate" routine when I came home. My other dog was in a nearby crate so they could see and talk to each other. But he continued to try and chew his way out of the crate (I can't rebend the steel bars that he bent with his teeth and he was already 11 years old!). I tried to disappear for longer and longer periods of time to try and get him acclimated to being loose in the house but if I was gone more than 20 minutes he would start clawing at the doors trying to get out, he tore down the blinds on the patio doors, he toppled lamps trying to get out of the window. I spent money on a behaviorist - who told me to do exactly what I was doing (a waste of money she was) and after several months he started biting me if I tried to put him in the crate. He was wonderful as long as I was around but the biting became too serious an issue. I cried when I took him back to the breeder (he ended up living out his days at her kennel) but I think that there are just some dogs and people combinations that simply don't work. If after several months things don't improve (and proper training has to be a component) one needs to reconsider the situation. In this case KMac I think you are doing the right thing by seeking experienced help and things do sound better. In your case some of the problems are simply puppy behavior so maybe if you have the time and money an obedience class might be in order to help give him some structure. You might also try getting a bigger crate so he has more crate room or maybe an exercise pen so he can more around a bit more and chase his toys and release some energy.
  • Anubis's MommyA

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    I will concur with Lisa. See a CAAB or a veterinary behaviorist so that your dog can be evaluated and possibly put on medication. SepAnx is simple to treat, but by no means easy. The sad fact is that many dog owners do not have the time or financial means to handle it because step one is to stop reinforcing his fear. That means that during treatment, the dog cannot be left alone. This means that when you go out, you'll need someone to stay with him. Please at least consult a good local trainer who can give you a training plan to get started on and who can evaluate whether or not drugs are warranted.
  • D

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    wizardW
    I'm having the same problem with my current basenji that gbroxon mentioned - it's not the crate at all. And working on solving SA (different from boredom) is tough, I've found. You just need patience and lots of it.
  • wizardW

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    @sharronhurlbut: Re car rides, this is going to sound odd, but it does work for me and my 2 dogs. Even if you have walked your dogs before a car trip, I find the excitement of the "get into the car" and going makes there guts act up. So, here is what we do. We take the dogs a lot on vacation when we go by car. We walk the dogs in the am, feed and water. Get them into the car. Drive about 2 miles and stop and let them out to walk. Both always pee and poo when we stop. Once back in the car, they settle and are quiet. About a hr or so into the ride, they start to get "ACTIVE" again…we stop at a rest area, they go, and then they sleep the rest of the way. Could be the excitement of leaving home, the motion of the car or whatever, but these stops, even tho you want to get going...make the trip much easier on all involved. Give it a try. All you can lose is a bit of time... Sharron…I've had friends use that method as well...so I think you (and them) are on to something. Wizard...It is a tough road, separation anxiety. I never had much success with the DAP - spray or plug-in...and I used both for about half a year. I finally gave up on it. Although, my vet and the pet store I bought it at said they knew of people that had had success with it. Good for you for working with a behaviorist...they definitely will have better ideas about things to try. The second beastie was the golden ticket for Ruby though...and seriously, I've found that 2 b's are so much easier than one. So much so that I'm thinking of adding another either this year or next...and for that I might need my head examined.