Separation Anxiety

[Guest amour]

I have a new boy! He is so people oriented that he has to Be in the same room with you . He will follow you from room to room.

He hasn' been left alone yet but when I take the trash out to the garage I can hear whining.

Does such SA turn destructive or not.

Any advise? I've never had one with SA.

[Laurenbiz]

How new is he?

 

Following you from room to room CAN signal that he may have separation anxiety. Once he is actually separated from you, then you'd be able to know if he has SA or not. If you hear him whining when you go outside with the trash, then he likely has SA.

 

My guy has SA that has not improved despite our training for four months - he is now taking anti-anxiety medication.

 

Read up on signs of SA on the internet - there's a lot out there

[Guest mbfilby]

Following from room to room is pretty normal greyhound behavior and not necessarily SA without other symptoms . I watch a parade in my house daily as DW moves around.

 

Whining for a short period of time after being left alone is also not necessarily SA. Not all SA is destructive, and not all destruction is SA.. Bored hounds chew..

 

Classic signs of SA would include;

 

elimination in the house especially if well trained, shortly after eliminating outside, and/or after only brief periods alone..

destructive chewing (your personal items, household items, the house itself ie walls, doorjambs, windowsills)

Strewing trash (not digging for gold but trash throughout the entire home)

crying for excessive periods

shaking, panting, drooling

scratching at exit doors or carpets at exit doors

 

SA can progress over time to destructive behavior. In a hound with severe SA you would have multiple above behaviors exhibited.

[Guest amour]

How new is he?

 

Following you from room to room CAN signal that he may have separation anxiety. Once he is actually separated from you, then you'd be able to know if he has SA or not. If you hear him whining when you go outside with the trash, then he likely has SA.

 

My guy has SA that has not improved despite our training for four months - he is now taking anti-anxiety medication.

 

Read up on signs of SA on the internet - there's a lot out there

I've had him for almost 1 week

[Guest amour]

How new is he?

 

Following you from room to room CAN signal that he may have separation anxiety. Once he is actually separated from you, then you'd be able to know if he has SA or not. If you hear him whining when you go outside with the trash, then he likely has SA.

 

My guy has SA that has not improved despite our training for four months - he is now taking anti-anxiety medication.

 

Read up on signs of SA on the internet - there's a lot out there

 

What is he on, how long and is there improvement?

[GeorgeofNE]

The idea of medication shouldn't have even entered your mind after just one week of having this dog.

 

Medication is a last resort when alone training has failed.

 

Please do him (and yourself) a favor and get the Patricia McConnell's booklet, "I'll Be Home Soon." Read it, and get started before it becomes an issue.

 

In the grand scheme of things, a week is more like "I just got him." Many hounds take MONTHS to settle in. My dog was with me well over a year before his true personality emerged.

 

If you don't already have one, get yourself a large Kong, and start with that--when you leave the house, give him the Kong with some yummy stuff in it. Do not give it to him at any other time. Don't make a fuss, just give it to him and walk out. LEAVE. Go take a walk. Come back in 5 or 10 minutes. Don't make a fuss. Pick up the Kong, and carry one. Repeat. Many times. Gradually make the "go away" last longer and longer. But you need to actually GO. He'll know if you're just standing outside the door.

 

That's the very general framework for "alone training." But the book is invaluable--I think one should be handed out with every new adoption personally!