Please help...my spaniel has gone off the rails...!!

Katiehound

by the way the expensive interactive toys are NOT home alone toys! Though fun they are not very robust IMO so not to be left around!

The buster cube on the other hand is some form of hard plastic.In the past when I have taken one my dogs out and t'other is left behind Buster cube(s) and kongs are left out. Then I try to hide a 2nd kong to be found later on- no idea if that happens!- to extend the activity

Cream cheese &/or peanut butter smeared inside the kong are good, just a small amount spread as far as possible!- make for a long session of licking.
Another idea is if you cook a roast ever to save the baking tin (tough- mine is s/s) with dripping remains (again not loads) One of my dogs will spend an age cleaning it and it stops him from realising I am not available!!

Katiehound

I have just realised/ remembered that the expensive toys are variants of scenting games so here are two cheap ideas with which to start:

Find the sausage!
Place a smelly piece of food (sausage, liver flapjack etc- decent sized piece at start) under a flowerpot in a line with 2 other empty pots. Can your pooch find the food. 1st time I would do it on the lead and take her round the pots to sniff- when she finds the right one tell her to get it with lots of praise. Spaniels are bright dogs (why they are used for sniffer work) so she should get the hang of the game fast.
Increase difficulty- smaller food, more pots to choose from, layout of pots (eg circle) smaller pots.

Find the cloth
What you need:6 (or more if you want to prepare more at the start) squares of sheeting (pref cotton) or cotton hankies. Wash all thoroughly. I would tie 4 in loose knots before washing. Handle as little as poss.
The game. Keep 2 flat cloths on your for some hours- stuffed down bra! or under arm as you want these to have your scent strongly.
Play: mark your scented cloths in some way- biro cross? Tie one of these in loose knot. With tongs (ie don't touch the unscented cloths if poss.) lay out 2 clean cloths plus yours. Hold the remaining scented cloth over her nose (to sniff) and ask her to find from the group of 3. Probably walk round on ther lead, as before for starters.
Cloth is knotted so dog can hold easily. When she finds correct one treat her.
Build game by making more comlex ie more cloths, different layout ask a friend to scent a cloth etc

If she enjoys these see what local dog clubs have to offer in the way of activities!

Gingham_R

More kong ideas:

Stuff a chicken or peanut butter sandwich in it using the back of a spoon.

Mix up some yoghurt and kibble, stuff and freeze

Freeze it filled with chicken stock

Fill with kibble then pour in water or stock and wait for the kibble to swell. Press it down so it is more difficult to get out.

Strip a cooked chicken leg and use that.

I wouldn't use meat when it's hot and you're leaving them for a while though.

libbyc3

just wanted to say it may well be your mum's dog she is stressing about being separated from.
My cocker doesn't particularly like being separated from us - but try and separate her from our labrador and dear god you have serious trouble!!!
you may well find once he has his friend back he's fine.

krlyr

libbyc3 wrote: »

just wanted to say it may well be your mum's dog she is stressing about being separated from.
My cocker doesn't particularly like being separated from us - but try and separate her from our labrador and dear god you have serious trouble!!!
you may well find once he has his friend back he's fine.

OP said they were looking after their mum's dog though.

bobbytooshoes

libbyc3 wrote: »

just wanted to say it may well be your mum's dog she is stressing about being separated from.
My cocker doesn't particularly like being separated from us - but try and separate her from our labrador and dear god you have serious trouble!!!
you may well find once he has his friend back he's fine.

We had my mums dog the most of the time she was away and tbh they only tolerate one another. My mum's dog (Sadie) is a bit of a loner + she is 6 years older than Holly (mine), so although she protects Holly and gives her a good telling off every now and again I wouldn't say that they are the best of friends.

Things seem to have settled down at home now Holly hasn't chewed during the night since Sadie went home and has got back into her usual routine of going to my mum's through the day

My mum did leave her home alone for 45 minutes yesterday with Sadie and when she got back Holly had chewed the covers that my mum has on her chair arms in the garden room. This is the room where they have always been left if my mum has to pop out.

I maybe think she is doing it out of frustration or in the hope that we will stop leaving her alone but really she should be able to be left for 45 minutes without causing havoc :mad:

We are seriously thinking of re-introducing the crate. We had one when she was a pup but she rarely used it as she trained really well. I think it may just give her the security that she needs and stop her chewing things she shouldn't.

Gingham_R

bobbytooshoes wrote: »

We are seriously thinking of re-introducing the crate. We had one when she was a pup but she rarely used it as she trained really well. I think it may just give her the security that she needs and stop her chewing things she shouldn't.

That's what I'd do. 45 minutes is a perfectly reasonable amount of time to leave a dog alone.

krlyr

Bear in mind that a dog with seperation anxiety doesn't think rationally and wouldn't be scheming to act up for a specific purpose. Think of a spider phobia for example - you don't scream and flail your arms because of any rational reason, you're just not in the mental state to keep your reaction in check. Not saying that your dog has seperation anxiety but do consider it and the fact that the behaviour may not be on purpose.

bobbytooshoes

krlyr wrote: »

Bear in mind that a dog with seperation anxiety doesn't think rationally and wouldn't be scheming to act up for a specific purpose. Think of a spider phobia for example - you don't scream and flail your arms because of any rational reason, you're just not in the mental state to keep your reaction in check. Not saying that your dog has seperation anxiety but do consider it and the fact that the behaviour may not be on purpose.

I understand this and believe that she is acting out of fear, panic and frustration rather than malice.