seperation anxiety in dogs

[crawler nub]

hi everybody thanks for all the great advice!! the run and walks seem to come him down and the anxiety pill we gave him calmed him down enough so he wouldnt poop and pee everywhere. we are only going to be using these till we can get him trained properly. especially since the vet we went to 1 pill costs like 2 bucks......ima look that up haha. but serious thanks for the great advice everyone!!

[entropy]

Good deal Nub! A drop or two of Benadryl works to - just dont combine them, and use conservatively.

Is this your first Lab?

[stubs179]

We rescued an abused 3 year old AmStaff about 7 years ago and he had some serious separation anxiety. For the first couple months we tried the crate, but there is not a crate made that will hold him. He almost ate threw the side of one of our appartments, pulled a door with the frame off the wall. After 3 years we decided to try getting another dog to keep him company. Everything we read advised against it but we had tried everything. It worked great. We have never had a problem since, its been 4 years of smooth sailing

We rescued another Pit and she is 3 now. She will tear shit up if she doesn't get enough exercise. She leaves us warnings a day in advance so we know she is getting resless. We will come home and there will be couch pillows in a different room, shoes moved, and things like that. If we don't take her for a run that day she will **** shit up the next day! But as long as we take her for a run once a week she is great I bring her to most come so there are a lot of people on here that can vouch for me, she minds great. She just has a ton of energy.

So i guess what i am trying to say is don't give up on the dog, you will learn her personality and find the thing that works for her. She is a 1 year old lab so she has to much energy for her own good. Try getting one of those things you put a tennis ball in (so you can fling it like 150 yards) and take her out once a week. Throw the tennis ball till you have to carry her back to the car. I bet that will help and its cheep!

[stubs179]

Originally Posted by crazyorigin

I have a pitbull and he did the same thing until he was over 2yrs old. Your dog is still young, and has a trememdous ammount of energy to burn up. Expending some of his energy on walks will help, but the main thing is time. We tried to board my dog up in the kitchen w/ child gates, sometimes he was good, but most of the time he wrecked the place. He was house broken but would piss on the floor, he ate some cupboards, some moldings, tore all our coats off the wrack, and would generally just get into everything he possibly could (besides the garbage, he has never messed with that).

The sedative may work, but unless its your last resort, I would avoid it. I don't like drugging my dog, but I have to give him steroids for his allergies, he is allergic to evreything. I am working on ways to get him off the roids.

Sorry for the hi-jack

crazyorigin - Have you ever had you dogs Thyroid checked? My older Pit had a ton of allergy problems for years and about 6 months ago we took him to a new vet and he wanted to check his thyroid. He has thyroidosis (or something like that). No more allergy's, he acts 3 years younger, more energy, his joints are better. The difference is amazing and the pills are only $50 every 6 months.

[Bukwylde]

Originally Posted by entropy

, and the choking to death seems a bit out there.

I work for a vet and dogs choking is a VERY real concern, especially while home alone and unattended.

[crazyorigin]

Originally Posted by stubs179

Sorry for the hi-jack

crazyorigin - Have you ever had you dogs Thyroid checked? My older Pit had a ton of allergy problems for years and about 6 months ago we took him to a new vet and he wanted to check his thyroid. He has thyroidosis (or something like that). No more allergy's, he acts 3 years younger, more energy, his joints are better. The difference is amazing and the pills are only $50 every 6 months.

I had bloodwork done to see what his allergies were, the vet didn't mention anything about his thyroid. I will ask about it next time I take him in for a checkup, I want to get him off the steroids because they can't be good for him to be on for prolonged periods. Most of his allergies are food related, I now have that under control, he is allergic to over %95 of dog food. Some of his other allergies are almost impossible to avoid, like our cats, he is allergic to them, a few types of grass, trees, cotton, and many other things. I have learned this is a fairly common problem w/ white dogs, especially purebreads. I am also putting him on his 2nd regiment of antigen shots to help him build an immunity to his allergies soon, that makes them flare up bad and the steroids help him w/ his skin irritation and itching.

[djjiz]

I wish you the best.. I had a dog I gave up on after two really bad owners had him and I regret it still 6-7 years later. He could have been a great pet.

He started as a prized pup from a local kenel that's now known for over breeding and on top of this his first owner went to prison.. Mom with three kids and no clue and just fed him until she couldn't take it any more.

He was around 8 months old when my brother got him for protection. He only stood 21" high but had a 22" jaw line and looked like a gargoyle. After my he screwed this dog up I had to rescue him and it was too little too late.. I did anything I could without raising a hand to this monster and the only thing that calmed his mind was running until his pads would bleed. Kennels were no match and he ate lightbulbs and a brass door knob as well as anything I would touch.

There's some great tips in this thread and I wish I knew more then. He was sadly put down after I couldn't find a proper home for him and I think he would have made a great working dog.

Don't give up is all I can add. Im pretty sure someone had a great friend lurking in all that trouble.

[entropy]

Originally Posted by Bukwylde

I work for a vet and dogs choking is a VERY real concern, especially while home alone and unattended.

I was a tech, and have done far more in the last 20 years. If its something like a Kong, good luck.