troublesome dog

twink

i think its great you rescued a dog but i think i would be bored stiff if i was stuck in the garden all day, seeing no one, not even hearing or seeing another dog
a dog needs lots of exercise and i think your one needs company too

JennyW_2

village_life wrote:

jenny

i accept your comments- this scenario applies (at worst) to tuesday, weds and thursdays - i ALWAYS work at home on a monday and friday and some weeks i dont go away at all - so we hoped it wouldnt be an issue

the problem has only come about as i got a project in london which is demanding me there midweek at the moment - the last thing we want to do is get rid of the dog, so we're trying all avenus.

this is new information so perhaps would've been more helpful at the beginning. However, now we know you are away midweek, say 3 days, then you do have options as already given (ie employ/ask for help for lunchtime walks/wees, catflap, radio and toys). It would probably help too if he had a good long walk in the mornings, this may help tire him a little so he'd be more inclined to sleep.

In reply to llh189's post. what was harsh about my comments? Too many people get dogs only to easily give them back because they dont want the hassle or cant be doing with it all (this is no reflection on the OP). I'm a regular dog-walker at my local homing centre and the amount of dogs which get handed back because "he's not what we expected", or "he doesn't fit in". Then the poor dog goes back to the home and wonders what he's done wrong?

patchwork_cat

Please don't leave your dog outside while you are out.

Do you have a kitchen with an easy clean floor? If so please leave him in here perhaps with some newspaper down.

Is it possible for someone to visit at lunchtime- friend or neighbour. If not there are plenty of people you can pay to do this - check at the vets, pet shop,yellow pages.

researcher

I agree that taking a dog for a walk first thing, every day, rain, snow or shine, works for us.

After his walk,and then his breakfast (half his daily food) our dog sleeps, but up until he goes out he's rushing around like crazy. He get's his hour (50 mins if we're pushed), but never less.

village_life

50 minute walk?

how bigs your dog lol - mine is only tiny so is there a sliding scale ;-)

researcher

village_life wrote:

50 minute walk?

how bigs your dog lol - mine is only tiny so is there a sliding scale ;-)

Mines a big lab - golden and absolutely beautiful! (Just changed my avatar to show him!)

bluekp

I agree with Georgina that leaving the dog for increasing amounts of time (starting with 5 minutes or so) is the best way to calm the dog down. He needs to know that he's not being abandoned and you are coming back to him.

I also think the reward method of training works well.

Please do seek help from someone professional before you give the dog away - it'd be very sad if he had to be rehomed again.

Debt_Free_Chick

village_life wrote:

despite us work during the day, we still lavish attention on him in the evening and enjoy the time we can spend together - and hoped that the dog would appreciate living with us rather than in an anonymous rescue centre.

But it's a dog, not a person. It doesn't have the ability to think "Oh, it's OK. If I just sit here quietly they'll be back later" :rotfl: Dogs don't think like us. If they think at all (and they don't, in the human sense) it's by associating one thing with another. For example, you train a puppy to return when called by rewarding it so it associates returning to you with a treat. Everything is that simple with dogs and so incredibly difficult for owners to understand.

It's quite possible that this dog was left alone for long periods or even abandoned as a puppy and it got frightened. It carries that association with it for the rest of its life i.e. alone = fear - unless you can train it out of him. Despite the saying, you can teach an old dog new tricks - but it's much more difficult than teaching a puppy and takes much longer. It's not really a task for a layman - you'll need help from a trainer.

Two suggestions. Firstly, change your "leaving the house" routine so you don't do exactly the same thing every time. If you normally put shoes on before you go out, the dog thinks "shoes on - he's off out then and I'll be left alone". So several times a week, put your shoes on and stay in. Eventually the dog will think "shoes on - ".

Go out "in stages". Make as if you're going out, but simply put your coat in the car then come back. At the moment the dog thinks "he's gone out of the door - I'm all alone now". Eventually he will think "out of the door - dunno, as he sometimes he comes back". Also, go out for very short periods - in fact, make out as if you've forgotton something so that you return very quickly. Again, to "confuse" your dog so he doesn't associate you going out with hours of lonliness and boredom.

You need to break your routine as the dog associates certain actions with specific consequences.

Don't make a fuss of the dog when you leave. Simply go out and say nothing to the dog - don't even look at him. Do the same when you return .... don't make a fuss. Making a fuss on exit and/or return simply helps to cement the association between you going out and him being alone for an extended period of time.

If you have to leave him alone all day, every day then he should get a good long walk at the beginning of the day. And a toy or something to occupy him whilst he's alone. Those chew toys made out of hide are pretty good at keeping a dog amused.

BTW a fifty minute walk for a small dog is not unheard of. I have a Springer and he gets three 45-60 minute walks a day!

I think you need some professional help here - try to find a local trainer. And if you can find a local dog walker/sitter to take the dog out during the day, so much the better.

Good luck

Debt_Free_Chick

village_life wrote:

50 minute walk?

how bigs your dog lol - mine is only tiny so is there a sliding scale ;-)

Depends on the breed - even if it's a cross. If it has any working dog in him e.g. lab, retriever, spaniel, collie etc then one 50 minute walk a day is nothing, I'm afraid.

What breed is he?

patchwork_cat

Debt- free chicks idea about a chew is great, but what about a kong or treat ball or both.