HELP! Seperation Anxiety

[Laura-Anne]

Heya,

Ok. Muffy has separation anxiety, completely understandable looking at her past. This wasn't an issue before when i lived at home with my parents as we owned a detached house. we tried to correct her but she still barked, it wasn't too much of an issue. I believe both previous owners gave her up due to her constant barking so shes had this problem since being rescued at least.

As some of you may know Janis very kindly dog sits muffin during the week, limiting noise disturbance to our neighbours since me and Haig moved into a block of flats. As Haigs at home thurs and works from 3 and i come home at 4 on fri Janis' only watches her mon-wed. After coming home tonight Muffin was frantically barking so loud i could hear her outside in the carpark in my car at half 5. I thought she may have recognized my engine noise so sat with the window down for half an hour (as i didn't have my key anyway) and she did not stop for the entire time.

Its getting to the point where we can't go out at all because Muffys going to bark and as I'm on a short term lease my tenancy can be terminated at any time. I'm not going to give on her ever, just starting to lose it slightly.

Ive tried coming in and out frequently letting her no I'm coming back, long walks, rewarding toys to keep her stimulated, a crate, bark collars, i don't say a word to her when i leave in the morning or when i come in at night. I'm starting to think last resort is muzzling her on a Friday when Haigs at work and if were planning to go out and she can't come with us so at least its only temporary but I'm wondering what are people's thoughts on this? Has anyone else had this problem and conquered it? Does the muzzle actually stop her barking?

Thanks
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[Maxxy&Kirstin&Oll]

Hey Laura, we had the same problem with Ollie when we got her and we stayed in a block of flats too, people actually got really rude with us and became abusive because of it, we used crate training and a canine lullaby CD, sounds daft but it really did work. This was recommended to us by a pet behaviourist, what you do is make it really comfy for them, put a blanket over it to block out distractions and noises etc or at least minimize them, then play the CD (which i can make a copy for u if u like) and its just kids lullabies but with a heart beat in background that calms them down and relax. It did take along time for it to work but it did work, works for some dogs, but not all, but now we can leave Ollie out crate and she makes no noise, and if she's a bit stressed we put the CD on for her, which also helps her sleep, worth a shot. Hope this helps, xx
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Kirstin and Craig & Ollie and Maxxy

[Laura-Anne]

Our crate has the same set up but the cd i would certainly be worth a shot. Would be great if you wouldnt mind making us a copy. Would really appreciate it. We play noises in the background but its just tv radio etc.

Thanks Kirstin
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http://www.justgiving.com/Laura-Anne-Innes Please support our cause. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. Laura x

[Maxxy&Kirstin&Oll]

i'll make a copy of the cd and i'll have it to you at training next week.
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Kirstin and Craig & Ollie and Maxxy

[heather n luke]

ano this was an old post but did u get muffins separation anxiety sorted? luke has been drivin me nuts the past few days. since luke came out of the vet school after he got knocked down when he was around a year old he has been a very vocal dog. barking when he heard something, when you go out the door or when he knows he is going for a walk or when we have visitors and they go to leave. luke got better as the time went on and after we got skye luke seemed to have got a lot quieter only barking when he heard the odd thing. but recently he has been barking like mad all i have to do is put clothes on in the morning and he gets very hyper thinking he is going for his walk. then once he settles and i change from my slippers to my shoes its the whole rigmarole all over again. and then when he is settled all someone has to say is the word 'right' or 'lets go' then hes off again. then when you do go out he barks frantically but as soon as you shut the door he stops barking and goes and lies down. he will then only bark if he hears something. is this separation anxiety?
even when he knows you are coming back he still barks, for instance when i put the bin out and I'm in my pj's as soon as he sees me walking to the door with the bag he gets very stressed. i lock the dogs out of the porch and leave the front door open so he can see me and once he sees me walking back from the bin to the house again he will stop barking about turn and go an lie down.

when he is left in the house he does not trash any thing or bark. any help would be grateful.

[Lisa/Colin]

Heather, It doesnt really sound like separation anxiety to me, more like he's just excited. Hektor barks quite a lot too but its more like he is guarding the house. If anyone dares to come to the door or walk past (heaven forbid with a dog!!) he will bark like mad. He doesnt bark when he gets excited for going for a walk though sometimes we get a Scooby Doo howl!

He goes mental when the window cleaners come round and I have had to lock him in the kitchen with the blinds down or he is anticipating an iminent attack!

My last dog Ollie (boxer) was really quiet, you hardly ever heard him bark at all. Sorry, i dont have any advice to help but was thinking about maybe looking into getting one of those spray collars to try and calm his barking down. I like the fact that he guards the house and lets me know when someone is there but I would like him to stop when I ask him to...before my neighbours start complaining

Lisa

[kendal]

i agree with Lisa, id say its just excitement. our lot get excited if i put my shoes on or pick up a jacket, but they get more exited if i pick up a jumper or boots that they know i use for walking.

my girls do have separation anxiety but its more to do with if my mum and i split, like if the girls are in the care and my mum drops me at work they go mental at the fact im not going with them. or if i take one Inca out Echo goes mental. but if they are just put to bed or left in the hall if im going to pick Innes up from school they don't bother.

if its only just started it mite just be a phase and he might just relies that just because your getting changed doesn't mean he is going out, i would say carry on as normal.
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[Suzanne H]

Our older dog only barks when there is someone at the door....although he does have loads of other vocal sounds. It's what dogs do and it's hard to stop. But we don't let him greet people at the door and he is told to lie down. He stops as soon as he knows it's not a foe. I don't mind it, though it is a pain in the summer when there are more people about so more people to bark at...we shut the curtains and he stops.

The younger one is more of a barker - mostly he is just excited ie when he's out playing, when he sees some dogs/people out on a walk. Just likes the sound of his own voice and he's still a baby.

Shouting doesn't work - we just try to keep him calm. Or say quiet to him and reward him with a clap/treat when he's calm and quiet.

[Laura-Anne]

With Muffy’s separation anxiety she would be completely calm until I left the house. It’s a very individual sounding bark, she would go from high whimpers to the loudest frantic barking sounding as if she was almost in pain or in danger. It would only be once shed realize I was gone she would get upset. So I could leave the house without her barking by preoccupying her with treats and toys but as soon as something triggers that im not there she will bark. Being in darkness, her crate, having toys, hidden treats, collars, noises wouldn’t stop her. She would become fixated and frantic. When shes at her worst her beard will be dripping wet almost as if shes been frothing at the mouth or just from her saliva from barking so much. She barks from the second I leave the house until I come in and see her.

Sadly I have no answer to barking I took the easy way out in getting another dog rather than treating cause of Muffys anxiety. We tried so many things with no improvement I could see no way of helping her other than that. One thing we did which may help is repetition. We would unlock open the door then close it without leaving x amount of times a day so she couldn’t trigger the door unlocking/locking and opening with me coming in or leaving the house. I carry my car keys on me a lot which some of you may notice in training and on walks so they cant trigger the car keys noise with me leaving but associate it with good things. I went through a stage of not getting ready where she could see and not spraying deodorant in the same room as she triggered that with me getting ready to go. So all the things that lead up to his excitement do in a different order from normal. Routine can be great but it can be a build up for behavious problems like Muffys. Like put your shoes on then if he starts barking sit down and watch tv for a while? Always worth a shot.

Best of luck
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[heather n luke]

we live in a linked detached house, so we have a garage on both side of us which attaches us to our neighbors. so our neighbors say they cant hear luke from inside of their houses only when they are outside so thats a bonus. god knows what we would do if we had neighbours through the wall. i am beginning to think he just likes the sound of his own bark.
i dont know if i is mibi a dominace thing, so when luke decides that he thinks its time for his walk he will get extreamly over excited, because he knows that i will take him because i know it will shut him up. prob not the best thing to do i should prob just make him wait till im ready.
a mean some days i can go out the door and he wont even bark but it just seem like the now they are few and far between.
the other day i just kept going in and out the door and treating him when ever he was quiet, but that just got him so wound up that he didnt know what was happening then he head butted me on the chin i bit my tongue then i gave up. oh the joys of having a great dane lol.

[heather n luke]

oh btw lesley i used a barking device about 2years ago thing cost me over 100pound it was one of the ones that made a high pitch sound. i eventually sent it back and got my money back because it was going off when my neiece who was 3 spoke. lol so i didnt want luke associating the sound with her. it also kept going off with certain noises on the tv and stuff. not good. so i would advise not 2 get one of them