Please help with fretting dog!

lovesabargain123

Hello,
We've had problems the last week with our springer spaniel, he's not very happy being left alone.
He's 5yrs old (today!) and we have a femal springer that's 6 and they get on fine and are good company for each other. They also have 20-30mins on lead walk in a morning and then at least an hour in the evening, most of the time more so they get plenty of exercise.
He's always been a bit of a bug g er when dh isn't here and will bark quite a bit at people passing etc.
I work 2 days a week and dh full time, kids at school/collage and we've always left them in the back room with access to the kitchen and conservatory (mainly because he chews the door when the post man comes!!!!)
Anyway, the kids have been off for the school hols, I've had a few weeks off work as has dh so there has been pretty much someone always around since may and now we are all back I think he feels a bit left out.
Our neighbour has said he has barked,howled and cried the last 2 days we have left them constantly , they are on their own from about 9am till 3pm at the very latest (although my mum tends to come about 2 most days) and we've never had a problem before with them.
I have bought 2 big bones for them tomorrow and we are going to leave the radio on as a bit of back ground noise. But is there anything else we can do? We obviously don't want him fretting for us or upsetting the neighbours but obviously we can't give up our jobs to stay at home with him (as I say I only work 2 days so it's not like he's being left all day,every day)
We are also going on hols in a couple of weeks and I'm worried taking him to the kennals is going to make things a whole lot worse, but what else can we do???

Caroline_a

How much are you walking them? Springers are working dogs and often need tons of exercise. If they get this, then they are likely to spend the rest of the time snoozing. Mine get a good run every day (not springers, but a GSD and a Spinone - hunting dog), they do a bit of wrestling with each other, and spent the rest of the time sleeping!

krlyr

A good book for this issue is Nicole Wilde's "Please don't leave me" - available on Kindle (you can put a Kindle program on any PC) so downloadable immediately.
A behaviourist may be a good route to go down, many insurers will cover costs if you have dog insurance in place.

lovesabargain123

They get plenty of exercise , they get 20-30mis on lead in the morning, then at least an hour off lead in the evening,chasing,running,swimming etc . Plus the kids are constantly playing with them before and after school with a ball or hiding and making them find them or tricks with treats etc x
Eta, they have always had this and he was fine before we were all off , he snoozes all the time we are here if he's not playing with the kids x

BECKIN1507

My dog is 6 and took up howling after we lost our old dog. There really is no easy fix but this last week I had no howling! yay. I put the Radio on quite loud and a natural chew thing as I don't like the thought of dogs been left with proper bones in case a bit breaks off and they choke. You could also try a treat ball, filled kongs, anything that will keep him busy. I'm sure he'll settle back down when he gets back into a routine. Also don't make a big fuss of him when you get home. Good luck with it I know how frustrating it can be.

lovesabargain123

Thanks, I hadn't thought about that with bones but I don't think I've found anything including the kong that he doesn't destroy!! Lol
Thank you, I just hope he doesn't get worse when we go away.
I've had a look for the book on kindle store at amazon but can't seem to find it x

krlyr

Oops, sorry, no "Please" in the title
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Leave-Step-Separation-Anxiety-ebook/dp/B005QD0Y34/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1347861962&sr=8-2

If it is true separation anxiety then the amount of exercise, mental stimulation, chews etc. may help a little but won't really be the cure. Think of it as a phobia of being home alone. You have the benefit of not working most of the time so that could help - the less you have to leave him for extended periods, the easier and more effective it is to train him to manage being home alone. You might even want to consider finding someone who can sit with him or have him in their own home during those 2 working days for a few weeks. I understand life getting in the way though, I work fulltime so although I was able to get some time off and then work from home for a period of time, I did have to go back to work eventually so I just managed as best I could. Probably meant it took a lot longer for me but it was all I could do.
These threads may help, I explained separation anxiety and the methods for treating it on a few of them too (of to work soon so no time to explain it again, sorry)
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4166733
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4021885
A behaviourist could be a great help though especially if you feel a bit chucked in at the deep end. Remember that even just stretching to one consultation could help - they will assess everything (might help to be able to record his behaviour a few times to show the behaviourist - see end of this post for info about software) and give you tips to move forward, and most will come back over email to give you some kind of written plan to follow too. Try http://www.apbc.org.uk to find a local behaviourist.

Other points I've raised before - health issues can be reflected as behavioural symptoms so could definately be worth a vet trip. My dog was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and the medication had a huge effect on her anxiety as a whole, especially about being left. Not 100% cured, I think some of it had become a learned behaviour, but she is a lot calmer in general which has helped her cope.
Lots of products on the market for anxiety, that don't need a prescription, but unfortunately they don't all work for every dog. Might be worth scouring Ebay or joining a dog forum with a classified ads section to buy and sell these products to try a bit cheaper, and recoup some money on if they don't work for your dog. E.g. someone sent me a Thundershirt to try so I didn't have the outlay of that, just the postage charge to return it, and I swapped my Pet Remedy diffuser and refill for a bundle of dog treats which my two appreciated!
If you have a webcam, I'd recommend downloading a video recording program - mine's a free one called Debut Video Capture, it will record for as long as you need it to I think. Then you can watch his behaviour and notice improvements, any triggers (e.g. I noticed that being able to peer out of the window put Kiki on edge, so we moved furniture around to prevent it) and so on.

lovesabargain123

Thanks everyone for the advice, I've been at work the last 2 days with the tv on and a few huge bones hid round the rooms.

On the most the bones have been ignored and it's looks like the springers have spent the day chilling on the sofa watching Jeremy Kyle!!! My neighbour hasn't heard them at all.

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