Separation Anxiety - barking

gettingready

I am not too high up - only first floor, had various people climbing in when I managed to lock myself out several times... to a massive joy from my guard dog not who greeted them with happy barking and wagging tails from inside..... but I am a bit worried about LEAVINg the flat that way

Radio/TV on, voice recorded etc etc - done that got a t-shirt and no change.

Smell of me? She got it all over the flat, it is only 2 bed flat. She sees me going out and that is it - panic, total panic....

She sits on a footstool right in the middle of the living room window and howlssssssssssssssssssssss like a wolf. Yes, I have tried drawing the curtains.....

Yes, neighbours are complaining - not to me, to the council and it is a council flat. So we have been trying to make sure someone is always at home to stop this noise but this is simply not possible 100% of the time.

She has 4 cats to look after when I am not in.... she does that when I am in, or lounges on one sofa or another, couch potato, not eve in the same room as me.. just sleeps belly up and snores.

Me out of the door - hell breaks loose.

And She has been with me for well over 4 years now, got her at 4 months, she turned 4 years old on 28th August. For all that time I was working so she KNOWS I am coming back home.....

:mad:

CFC

Well gettingready, you have indulged your baby. I have no objection to you feeling your pooch is your baby, I will happily admit to the same, but no child or dog should get their own way when it is contrary to good order. Discipline is key!

Now you know what you need to do in terms of making a Kong interesting, this is for Zara's good in the end, believe me she and you would not enjoy being made homeless when the neighbours complain to the council.

My boy is not terribly food orientated, but he does love dentastix (I think he is addicted in fact) and he also loves the Kong paste. Nothing else makes the nose twitch...find what Zara really adores and make sure she's hungry when you stuff that kong and show it to her....sarabe's advice is spot on!

gettingready

CFC - thanks, I know Sarab is spot on.....

I used to give Zara a kong, she would be busy with it for few min and THEN stilll start barking....

I am not sure about that waiting behind the door bit that everyone posts about on other threads - she KNOWS I am just outside the door..

Oh - emptied her food bowl now, fed the cats and she got nothing, starting the work tomorrow morning....

Wish me luck everyone.... sigh.....

gettingready

Well, according to this....

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1551&aid=153

Zara is:

Attention-seeking barker
Play/excitement barker
Lonely/anxious barker

Does it all add up to:

Pathologic barking

gettingready

Hmmmm Zara never says that to me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXo3NFqkaRM&feature=related

PRINCESSX87

LOL... cool video..:)

CFC

gettingready wrote: »

Well, according to this....

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1551&aid=153

Zara is:

Attention-seeking barker
Play/excitement barker
Lonely/anxious barker

Does it all add up to:

Pathologic barking

Probaby not a lonely barker if she doesn't do it if your daughter leaves last! She's just got you on a bit of string!

gettingready

O yes - and a short one too.....

sarabe

gettingready wrote: »

Sarab - of course I know how you feel about this type of "training" methods and I hope you know I would not use it on my baby I mean on Zara who is my DOG

Will be feeding twice per day - from tomorrow. Morning before or after walk? We go out at 6 am for the first time for about an hour.

.

After the walk and after a rest - at least an hour.

the midday walk off the lead, with other dogs, with a ball - recall non existent

This needs addressing then. Does she have the ball all of the time? Does she not bring it back to you?

When I get ready to take her out - she starts barking happy bark like mad and does not stop till we are out of the door. When my daughter's b/f takes her out - she is quiet and just goes out with him.

Well it sounds as if it works for her.

On a lead - pulls like a horse unless on a halti, every dog is an enemy (even the ones she knows - off lead she is fine with the same dogs, on a lead - she wants to kill them).

Relatively easy to fix by teaching her an alternative behaviour. However you will need to use food rewards.

gettingready

She does give ma a ball.... if I have another one to "sawp" with her otherwise I walk like a lunatic with that stick for throwing balls in my hand and she runs around with a ball in her mouth - she can fit 3 tennis size balls in her mouth, to prevent me or any dogs to get one

Her barking gives ME a migraine, how can one ignore it? It is that high pitch bark....

Sarab - I am at home all day now, till I find another job... I will try to work with my girl, I mean with my dog....

So let's say I take her out, on a lead at 6am as I do now, for an hour walk, we are back around 7am, feed her half of her daily allowance at 8?

Then I would take her out around 12-1pm againg for an hour or a bit more - off lead. Watch out for what and what to do? When I am at work when I get back to work (hopefully soon after New year) the dog walker will be taking her out at this time.

Then she goes out with me or my daughter's boyfriend (my daughter does not like to take Zara out, ended up with her backside on a kerb once when Zara pulled like mad towards another dog, my daughter weights 50kg, Zara is 38kg...) for like 15 min, just for the toilet, on a lead.


Last time she goes out about 9-10pm again for like 15min for the toilet, on a lead.

So second feed when?

She eats dry, used to be Orijen, tryng her on Skinners now but oh boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy she does not like it Good I got free samples from them, 3 flavours, she does not want any of it... Hmmmmm


Thanks a lot