Major issues


  • Okay… where to begin?! My 8 months old female B has been pulling up the carpet in our apartment. When we leave her in her crate while we leave for work she goes nuts!! We purchased a large wire crate that is placed in our bathroom when we leave. There was plastic flooring in the bottom of the crate until she started chewing on the plastic, so I removed it. NOW the new problem is that she has figured out how to move the crate without the plastic bottom. That would be why we don't have any carpet in the doorways of bathroom. I know that she has separation anxiety but have no idea how to solve the problem. We are so fed up with this behavior; however I do NOT wait to get rid of her. I can't say the same for my husband. Please help!!!!


  • How long is she left alone?


  • She is left alone for no longer than 4hrs.


  • Patricia McConnell has a book on working with dogs with separation anxiety, I'll Be Home Soon.

    http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/product/dog-separation-anxiety


  • How much exercise does she get before being crated? Total exercise per day? Does she get a treat upon entering the crate and does she enter voluntarily or pushed in?


  • that's not excessive but has she always been left or is it a fairly new arrangement? Why i ask is if it has always been the arrangement, she should be used to it by now. But if not, maybe she still has to adjust. Can anyone look in on her for you while you are out, say after a couple of hours? Have you tried leaving a radio on, some background noise. Do you take her for a good long walk when you get home? etc


  • We do not exercise her before we crate her bc it's usually early in the morning. She has been crated ever since she was 6wks old and still hates it. She gets a treat in her crate but we do have put her in there. We leave the radio on while we are gone and my mom comes by to take her out if we will be gone longer than 4 hrs.


  • Everyone on here question???? Could it she has came into season causing this???? Would this not be her first time?????

    Rita Jean


  • It sounds like she has never truly been crate trained and that is contributing to her anxiety.

    http://www.askdryin.com/movies/CrateDogLR.pdf


  • Thank you Ivoss for the article. We will try these tips but we will still have to put her in the crate while we are gone. This won't confuse her?


  • You may want to use a large vari-kennel plastic crate so it is different then the crate she now has the negative associations with.


  • Haha yeah we have one of those too. That is what we tried to begin with. Would using a muzzle her while in the crate be cruel?


  • Not only would using a muzzle in the crate be cruel, it could also be life threatening.


  • I have used the process in the video and even after a day of intensive work there is a difference but it is a long term process. You could use that in conjunction with DAP spray or diffuser to help with anxiety.

    Since this has been going on for quite sometime, you will proabably be best served by hiring a behaviorist or trainer to help you with the short term and develop a long term plan.


  • I would highly recommend that you get the book that lvoss recommended. It is inexpensive and very helpful. In the meantime, buy a large sheet of plywood to put under the crate to keep her from eating the carpet. A muzzle is a bad idea. The dog is stressed out enough already and a muzzle would only compound the problem.


  • I bought the book on amazon. We will try the wood under the crate and work with her to be stress free. So the muzzle should be a no-go then?


  • Right, you should never muzzle an unattended dog.


  • I do a lot of stange things but I would never use a muzzle and go away. Just to many what if's.

    Rita Jean


  • What happens if you just leave her loose when you are gone?…. Have you tried that?... is there a way you could leave her in an area that is gated off from the rest of the house... ?....

  • First Basenji's

    I had a similar situation with Cody when I first got him. One of the things that helped was that I put an old sheet in his crate that smelled like me. I slept on it for one night before putting it in there.

    I don't have to crate him regularly anymore, but I still put it in there (wash it once a week, sleep on it for a night, the put it back in there). I also still put his favorite treats and new toys in there instead of giving them directly to him. Now he willingly goes in his crate when he needs some alone time away from Moe (or my family :) ).

Suggested Topics

  • Leash issues

    Behavioral Issues
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    3k Views
    D
    I agree. It upsets me to see people walking with Flexis and their dog attacks some other dog because they're not paying attention, or don't know how to work the trigger mechanism properly. I've come to think that maybe people in cities just shouldn't use them because errors will inevitably occur…humans will be humans. I live in the country though, and there's no one around where I walk my dog. The long Flexi is the best choice for me because I like to let my dog explore some on her own when we're on walks, and she can run here and there while still not being able to take off. Not every situation is the same for everyone. If I were in the city or around people and congestion I'd probably use a 5 or 6 ft. fixed lead.
  • Sleeping Issues

    Behavioral Issues
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    3k Views
    krunzerK
    Yeah they do the whole 'omg my fur is all messed up' shake turn around 3 times then flop their furry butts down back in bed. I know about the super light sleeper thing. I too can wake up at the first sound of puking puppy and either throw a towel underneath them or try to get them to the bathroom in time so they can vomit in the sink. Once they get they get those ears going it's hard to stop!
  • Multiple issues with Basenji

    Behavioral Issues
    37
    0 Votes
    37 Posts
    19k Views
    M
    Yes, she eats in the crate and we put treats in there randomly throughout the day, as well as meat-stuffed bones chained to the inside (so she can't run off with the bone outside the crate.) She has the run of the downstairs while we are home and sleeps in her dog bed in our bedroom at night. On a side note, when we give her a really tasty stuffed bone or bullystick outside the crate she acts crazy! She runs around aimlessly with it in her mouth while howling. What is with that? It is comical, yet slightly annoying! :) I wonder what she'd do with a bullystick IN the crate?!
  • Issues with walks

    Behavioral Issues
    34
    0 Votes
    34 Posts
    9k Views
    Rita JeanR
    Jaycee on Sunday was on the deck sleeping in the hot sun. However when we did class on Sunday my husband took his shoes off and was on the pavement with her to see if it was to hot. Trainer ask him if he had shoes Steve told sure do but if it is to hot for my feet its to hot for Jaycee. Rita Jean
  • Dog Park Issues

    Behavioral Issues
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    4k Views
    ELERICKSON40E
    Hey we had the same thing happen to us on this past Sat. We have taken Trixie for over a month one to two times per week. All of a sudden on Sat. Trixie got an attitude with a dog that was under our table and I had to scoop her up, she was trying to fight the dog and of course once that happened all the other dogs came over to see what was going on. I had Trixie picked up and we left quickly. She would not not stop making her lovely growling and devil noises. It scared a lot of people who were looking at me like what the HECK lady? I could not tell you what happened but we will be taking a little break from the dog park!!
  • Possesiveness issues

    Behavioral Issues
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    3k Views
    S
    My dear friend Jean Skaggs, who deals with this often says… When the dog is guarding you...get up and leave the area. Don't squirt the dog, don't say anything, get up and leave. Turn your back and ignore. These dogs do get it. You might makes many trips off the couch, when that is where you are... But they will get it. I would be happy to send you to her if you have more issues. But really, its just that simple...