Worst Night Ever

[Guest cheltzey]

Lando had been doing well with his separation anxiety, and we haven't had an accident in over a week (last Thursday, to be precise). So tonight we decided to take everyone out bowling. Our routine was exactly the same as usual, except he was eating dinner when we left. We came home to our garbage can strewn all over the living room, two pees, and a poop. That room stunk to high heaven! He's never gotten into the garbage before. It's tall and has a lid that's fairly difficult to open. Now I'm stressed out that he's now figured out that there are good things in the garbage, and removing the garbage from the room is going to be yet another step in the "leaving the house" process. This is driving me crazy! I do melatonin, I make sure he goes potty before we leave, I leave the radio on, and I make sure that we're very nonchalant about leaving. But it's terrible to come home to a mess like this! I just spent the last hour cleaning up ground-in banana peels, the dust from the vacuum bag, watermelon juice, carrot peels, etc. And I feel terrible because I'm so irritated at my dog right now. I know that it wasn't malicious, but this really wasn't how I had planned on spending my Friday evening!

 

 

Thanks for letting me vent!

[Guest gecko_foot]

Lando had been doing well with his separation anxiety, and we haven't had an accident in over a week (last Thursday, to be precise). So tonight we decided to take everyone out bowling. Our routine was exactly the same as usual, except he was eating dinner when we left. We came home to our garbage can strewn all over the living room, two pees, and a poop. That room stunk to high heaven! He's never gotten into the garbage before. It's tall and has a lid that's fairly difficult to open. Now I'm stressed out that he's now figured out that there are good things in the garbage, and removing the garbage from the room is going to be yet another step in the "leaving the house" process. This is driving me crazy! I do melatonin, I make sure he goes potty before we leave, I leave the radio on, and I make sure that we're very nonchalant about leaving. But it's terrible to come home to a mess like this! I just spent the last hour cleaning up ground-in banana peels, the dust from the vacuum bag, watermelon juice, carrot peels, etc. And I feel terrible because I'm so irritated at my dog right now. I know that it wasn't malicious, but this really wasn't how I had planned on spending my Friday evening!

 

 

Thanks for letting me vent!

 

Wow.....That sounds like enough to drive anyone up the wall...I'm sorry you had to come home to such a mess.

With summer in full swing, I'm sure you won't be the only one with a SA problem. Good luck!

Edited July 3, 2010 by gecko_foot

[Guest krystolla]

I don't know about where you are, but here we had fireworks (the start of a long, crackly weekend I'm sure). Maybe the noise made for worse than usual SA, and he'll be back to normal soon?

[Guest cheltzey]

I don't know about where you are, but here we had fireworks (the start of a long, crackly weekend I'm sure). Maybe the noise made for worse than usual SA, and he'll be back to normal soon?

 

Well, it was just barely dark when we got home, so I doubt there were many fireworks. And he doesn't usually spook at loud noises, so I would be surprised if that was it. But it's worth a thought, because there could have been some. It at least makes me feel a bit more empathetic!

[Guest jupiterooos]

Ah, I have one of those dogs. No matter what there'd be a mess when I got home. Eventually I had to start crating him during the day so we weren't living in a giant dog bathroom. Two things helped: muzzling so he couldn't eat and destroy our stuff, and getting a second greyhound. That was really the key here.

[FiveRoooooers]

I'm sorry about your walking into that mess but I have to agree about the fireworks. Our neighbors in the McF'g Mansion next door had them going off at 7:00 last night. It is not dark at 7pm. So logically, although we think that we are safe until dark, depending on your neighbors that may not be so.

 

Have a glass of wine and hug your pup. There are worse things.

[Guest NJgrey]

Not sure what your normal routine is like, but leaving him alone at a different time of day than he's used to can trigger a bad reaction. Our girl has SA, I'd say it's mild. On a normal work day she's pretty much just fine. But when we leave her on a weekend night for a couple hrs, there are often a couple chew marks on the baby gate. Being left alone outside the normal routine stresses her out more. Maybe try some rescue remedy next time. It's worth a shot.

[jenn8]

removing the garbage from the room is going to be yet another step in the "leaving the house" process.

Problem solved.

 

Jenn

[CaliforniaGreys]

Have a glass of wine and hug your pup. There are worse things

 

True, you could have Ekko

[Guest Lovemyhound]

removing the garbage from the room is going to be yet another step in the "leaving the house" process.

Problem solved.

 

Jenn

 

 

I got this trash can from Bed Bath and Beyond for when my grand-puppy beagle visits as he raids the trash can all the time -- that might help with the trash??

 

Good Luck.

 

eta: I forgot the most important part of my trash can is that it has a little slide lock so you can lock it closed as you need to!!

Edited July 3, 2010 by Lovemyhound

[Batmom]

FWIW, we don't keep any kitchen trash inside the house except for coffee grounds and kleenex. Other stuff goes in a little bag or can on top the counter during meal/snack prep, and out to the garage as soon as we're done. Things that might accumulate during the day -- popsicle sticks, banana peels, food wrappers -- also go on the countertop can and taken out periodically. I've never had a dedicated trash surfer but I really hate smelly/sticky/slimy stuff inside the house. So out it goes, and nobody can get into it, ever.

[rschultz]

sorry, no advice but so sorry u are going through this with your dog. vent anytime, that's what we are here for

[FiveRoooooers]

Have a glass of wine and hug your pup. There are worse things

 

True, you could have Ekko

 

Greyt. What time shall I expect her?

[Guest cheltzey]

removing the garbage from the room is going to be yet another step in the "leaving the house" process.

Problem solved.

 

Jenn

 

 

I got this trash can from Bed Bath and Beyond for when my grand-puppy beagle visits as he raids the trash can all the time -- that might help with the trash??

 

Good Luck.

 

eta: I forgot the most important part of my trash can is that it has a little slide lock so you can lock it closed as you need to!!

 

That looks fabulous! Did you get it in the store or online?

 

I was out, and my husband went upstairs. In less than 15 seconds he heard a crash and came down to find the garbage knocked over. Obviously Lando's got this garbage thing figured out now, so we have a much bigger issue than SA on our hands!

[greysmom]

It might be time to explore some different medication options. Melatonin works for many dogs, but for some it's just not enough.

 

I do second the idea that leavingat a different time can also trigger an SA attack. Mine don't have any problems - unless we both leave late at night. This is something we don't normally do and we usually come home to something destroyed from their anxiousness at being left alone at a different time of day.

 

Plus, if you left while he was still eating, he hadn't really settled down. We always go outside after we eat and that might have triggered his potty accidents.

 

If you can't isolate the garbage, then babygate him out of the room it's in. Muzzle him if he has a problem with destructive chewing. Not sure what you can do about the poop, but there are belly bands for boys to wear so they don't pee all over.

[Guest cheltzey]

It might be time to explore some different medication options. Melatonin works for many dogs, but for some it's just not enough.

 

I do second the idea that leavingat a different time can also trigger an SA attack. Mine don't have any problems - unless we both leave late at night. This is something we don't normally do and we usually come home to something destroyed from their anxiousness at being left alone at a different time of day.

 

Plus, if you left while he was still eating, he hadn't really settled down. We always go outside after we eat and that might have triggered his potty accidents.

 

If you can't isolate the garbage, then babygate him out of the room it's in. Muzzle him if he has a problem with destructive chewing. Not sure what you can do about the poop, but there are belly bands for boys to wear so they don't pee all over.

 

Chris, thanks so much. This was all really great advice. I think I might talk to my vet about a prescription for him. Is it something you can use intermittently (like when we know we'll be gone outside of our normal schedule)? We're going out of town and leaving him with friends, and I would hate for this to happen to them. He knows them really well and loves their dog, but I can imagine him getting pretty worked up. And I never considered a belly band for SA--that's a great idea!

[seeh2o]

Carl had dreadful SA, it really developed about a month or so after I brought him home. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before. It is pretty well controlled - now. He was very very destructive, but muzzling him stopped that immediately. He was also noisy (he still howls for about 20-30 seconds after I leave), I'm lucky I have a neighbor who a) loves my dogs is patient as a saint and, c) sleeps very deeply. That being said here are the things that worked for us:

 

* long walks first thing in the morning

* a strict routine for leaving

* lots of alone training

* a treat dispensing kong filled with goodies (this only worked before I had 2 greyhounds, after I added Claire they would fight over the kongs)

* using my cell phone in conjunction with my home phone on speaker, thus creating a long distance baby monitor that I could listen in on and

intervene when he started howling (I'd hear him start howling and say, "Carl, no"...worked like a charm, he thought I was somewhere in the

house with him! Outside of having to use medication was the cell-phone-baby-monitor-thing that helped him turn the corner)

* leaving several radios on (he seems to prefer our local NPR alternative music station...go figure!)

* leaving curtains open

* medication for about 5 months, Clomipramine sometimes combined with Valium so I could actually get out of the house to got to work without

him throwing himself at the door....this was because he was destructive and hurt himself as well. I did all the other things in this

category while he was on the meds, he had to relearn his behavior and learn to not be afraid when I left the house. The meds reduced his

anxiety so that he could learn new skills. They were truly a godsend

 

 

Things that absolutely didn't work and were a 100% waste of money for him:

 

* Rescue Remedy

* DAP diffuser

* Stress free Calmplex by Springtime

* leaving the TV on

* my other dog, Sheila (at the time - she's 14 now - a 12 year old shiba inu/chow mix)

* crating him - drove him ape-sh*t and cause him to really be super destructive, he and I were both lucky he didn't shred himself when he tore

the soldering apart and got out.

 

What continues to work:

 

* walks in the morning before I leave for work (we walk about a mile)

* routine, routine, routine

* my changed attitude (I needed to pretend to feel positive confident about his behavior when I left...as an old colleague once told me, "All

new behavior is false", but I've made it a habit and now it is not false confidence!)

* melatonin, melatonin, melatonin 3mg an hour before I go to work, seems to take the edge off and has the added bonus of making his coat

extraordinary and filled in his bald thighs!

 

 

I did NOT get a second greyhound to calm him down, when I got Claire his SA spiked again. While she has no SA, he started to influence both Claire and Sheila and there would be 3 dog howling-fests throughout the day. I called my group's behavioral guru to talk me through the new spike, she was a god-send. You might consider calling your group to see if they have a member who is particularly good at behavioral stuff and who will coach you. Ours did phone and email consults with me for free. I will forever be indebted to her for her help.

 

Best of luck to you

Edited July 4, 2010 by seeh2o

[Guest Lovemyhound]

removing the garbage from the room is going to be yet another step in the "leaving the house" process.

Problem solved.

 

Jenn

 

 

I got this trash can from Bed Bath and Beyond for when my grand-puppy beagle visits as he raids the trash can all the time -- that might help with the trash??

 

Good Luck.

 

eta: I forgot the most important part of my trash can is that it has a little slide lock so you can lock it closed as you need to!!

 

That looks fabulous! Did you get it in the store or online?

 

I was out, and my husband went upstairs. In less than 15 seconds he heard a crash and came down to find the garbage knocked over. Obviously Lando's got this garbage thing figured out now, so we have a much bigger issue than SA on our hands!

 

I bought mine in the store -- they have several styles/sizes/colors to choose from. I bought the style/size I posted in the link because I knew it would fit regular kitchen trash bags. If you don't have a store near you, it's worth it to order online. No, it won't solve the problems you are having but it may remove that little anxiety of the possibility of your pup getting something dangerous out of the kitchen can or just spilling it and making a disgusting mess.

 

You've gotten good advice, continued luck with your pup!

[Guest twhitehouse]

You've gotten lots of good suggestions so far from people regarding the trash and from KennelMom and seeh2o regarding separation anxiety so I won't be repetitive. Believe me, I know how you feel and have been where you've been before.

 

Reading your post, there was one thing that I noticed that could have caused this issue. You said he was eating when you left.... This is out of your normal leaving routine, am I right? Typically, he's not eating and he sees you leave? Lexi used to do this too if we left while she was eating. It seemed better for her to be able to SEE us leave. It's almost like she was so focused on her food while she was eating, and when she was done....she couldn't find us and didn't know where we were so she would have a set back with her S.A.

 

Just something to think about next time....

 

Also, if you're worried about him getting into things, try muzzling him. We had to with Lexi for over a year because of her S.A....it became a type of signal to her saying "ok, you're leaving but you're coming back so it's okay."

[greysmom]

It might be time to explore some different medication options. Melatonin works for many dogs, but for some it's just not enough.

 

I do second the idea that leavingat a different time can also trigger an SA attack. Mine don't have any problems - unless we both leave late at night. This is something we don't normally do and we usually come home to something destroyed from their anxiousness at being left alone at a different time of day.

 

Plus, if you left while he was still eating, he hadn't really settled down. We always go outside after we eat and that might have triggered his potty accidents.

 

If you can't isolate the garbage, then babygate him out of the room it's in. Muzzle him if he has a problem with destructive chewing. Not sure what you can do about the poop, but there are belly bands for boys to wear so they don't pee all over.

 

Chris, thanks so much. This was all really great advice. I think I might talk to my vet about a prescription for him. Is it something you can use intermittently (like when we know we'll be gone outside of our normal schedule)? We're going out of town and leaving him with friends, and I would hate for this to happen to them. He knows them really well and loves their dog, but I can imagine him getting pretty worked up. And I never considered a belly band for SA--that's a great idea!

 

 

You can talk with your vet, but you need a fast acting drug if you want to give it intermittently. Most anti-anxiety drugs need several weeks of dosing to become effective. You can do a search of threads here for thunderstorm phobia for discussion of many of those options as they are many times the same. Alprazolam (generic xanax) and valium can be useful given like this.

 

He *may* not be as upset at your friend's house if they have a companion dog he likes. Though as seeH2o said, companions don't always work. (You should prepare your friends for the worst possibility and offer in advance to reimburse them for any damages or cleaning costs.) I would suggest crating, but sometimes that only concentrates the destruction.

 

Good luck!

[Guest cheltzey]

You've gotten lots of good suggestions so far from people regarding the trash and from KennelMom and seeh2o regarding separation anxiety so I won't be repetitive. Believe me, I know how you feel and have been where you've been before.

 

Reading your post, there was one thing that I noticed that could have caused this issue. You said he was eating when you left.... This is out of your normal leaving routine, am I right? Typically, he's not eating and he sees you leave? Lexi used to do this too if we left while she was eating. It seemed better for her to be able to SEE us leave. It's almost like she was so focused on her food while she was eating, and when she was done....she couldn't find us and didn't know where we were so she would have a set back with her S.A.

 

Just something to think about next time....

 

Also, if you're worried about him getting into things, try muzzling him. We had to with Lexi for over a year because of her S.A....it became a type of signal to her saying "ok, you're leaving but you're coming back so it's okay."

 

I think you're right. He usually watches us leave, but we had to go right at dinner time. I do think that this may have been what caused it. He had been doing so well, and it was obvious that he went ballistic while we were gone. We'll just have to be really careful about that next time.

 

You guys have given us so much good advice. I'm not so tempted to send my dog back now (just kidding--we wouldn't do that)!!