Velcro Dog Owner Question

[Guest greyers]

Our new boy Rego is my first Velcro dog as all the others have been spooks or had aggression issues. I totally am unprepared for this new experience! I am use to dogs who spend most of the time in the dog room just chill in' out and hardly pay attention to what I am up to during the day.

 

He has to physically be in the same room I am in at all times, or at least see me at all times when I am home. We went to the mountains tonight to our trailer and he was besides himself that he couldn't see me well when it was time for bed. The bedroom door was wide open but there was no room for his bed next to ours and he isn't a big people bed dog. So now I'm sleeping on the couch in the front area next to the dog beds. As soon as I came in here and laid down on the couch he immediately got in his bed and went to sleep. Within minutes he was dreaming and chasing rabbits. Content as can be. He will only sleep during the day if he knows I'm settled down in one room where he is.

 

For those of you with velcro doggies does it ever lessen? Is he so bad right now because it's new and he is uncertain of his environment and uncertain because he has had multiple homes? Do many Velcro dogs get over this extreme when they get comfortable in a home, or are these behaviors likely to persist?

 

FWIW, his last home wouldn't allow him to sleep in the same room with them at night. So I am sure he has some anxiety over the sleeping situation because of his past experiences.

[Guest IrskasMom]

Most likely his Past has something to do with it. Because he is new to his Enviroment is also a factor. In Time when he gets very comfy in your Home it will lessen. For right now , he needs the Assurrance of your Pressence.Congrats on your new Boy,

Edited October 22, 2011 by IrskasMom

[Guest BrianRke]

Diamond was exactly like that for over a year after I first brought her home. Now, I have to go around the house looking for her I now have Frank and he is my velcro dog but I am starting to slowly see him "pulling away" too now. They still want to be with me but they dont panic when they cant be.

 

In most cases, I would say that it lessens over time.

[GeorgeofNE]

Hmmmm. I don't think I'd change where I sleep to accommodate his issue unless you ENJOY it.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Nixon likes to know where I am but is not a Velcro' dog.

Our last Dobe was a Velcro girl.

 

And our Ruby has to see me.

All the time.

We've only had her for 2+ months and it is slowly getting better. I can now go to the bathroom and she will not follow me. Most of the time.

I can not leave a room/go upstairs/downstairs without her getting up - even out of what appears to be a deep sleep - and following me.

That said...we can accomodate this habit, even at bedtime.

We have dog beds all over the house. Ruby has yet to get on any furniture and we are not encouraging it.

 

For this short trip can you place his bed right outside your door so he can see/hear you?

If not, I'd do as you are doing, but when you get home I'd start doing some alone training at bed time...slowly move his bed further and further away from yours.

Given his 'bounce' history this could take a l-o-n-g time. Be patient!

[Guest greyers]

Hmmmm. I don't think I'd change where I sleep to accommodate his issue unless you ENJOY it.

 

I definitely wouldn't change where I sleep if he was a spook. My spooks have sometimes taken years to fully adapt and it would be tough to start them on the routine of me sleeping somewhere other than where I want to be. But in Rego's case I watched him adapt beautifully between night 1 and night 3 in our home this week. The first night he kept getting out of his bed in our bedroom to check on me and be close. The second night, down by half and by night three he slept all night long in his own bed about 6 feet from the foot of ours. still always having to see me and be in the same room, but not right next to me.

 

This 5th wheel thing has him being a bit of a scary cat. It's parked in a great campground in the mountains alll the time and we have a small fenced in yard overlooking a green that has wildlife constantly in it. He is a fraidy cat to be outside with the nature sounds! It has a typical 5th wheel bedroom where the bed is up in the hitch area and there are stairs and a bathroom area between the bedroom and the front living area where their beds are. We keep the doors open so they can see in and we can hear them, but he couldn't see me well enough last night because of the wall configuration. And he knows there is o room to lie on the bedroom floor with us. This morning at first daybreak I took them out to potty and when I got back laid on the couch for just a couple minutes till he got cozy and settled. Then I calmly took my blanket and pillows back up to the bedroom to lie down. He handled it like a trooper. He rearranged himself so he could see the bed from his dog bed and with the morning light illuminating the bedroom so he could see in better, he fell right to sleep. So I really think it's just new situations he needs some patience and accomadations with.

 

I love your new fall George piccie btw! Very nice.

 

Thanks everyone for your encouragement that he may get better cling wise with time. I'm happy to hear it may lessen. He adores people and he seems to bond quickly and strongly to a person. I feel bad when I have to tell him to go lie down in his bed. But I know it's good for us both to not be attached at my hip all the time!

[XTRAWLD]

We have a velcro dog and one partial velcro dog. I find it does lessen with age, that's why I say we have one partial. Kasey, our first grey, always had to be in the same room, would get up if we got up, etc. Now he will lie on his bed if we get up to go into another room, but usually this doesn't last for more than 5 minutes. He really just wants to hang with his people! Ryder is up the second we rise. We've had Ryder for a year now, and after a few months of first getting him, he realized we can indeed go to the the bathroom and come back, there isn't a secret escape door we can leave from! He will lay on his bed now if we get up to go to the bathroom because he knows we'll be back.

 

I find a cue that works well for us is lighting. If all of us are piled into the same room and the lights are on in that room and we have to leave (usually it's because we have to get something from another room and come back - like when getting ready for work in the morning), they seem to know we will be back in the room to finish what we were doing, etc., and will then turn the lights off when we are done. In our house, lights are never on in a room that is unoccupied, so I think that might be why it works so well. People in the room = lights on. People not in the room = lights off.

 

Don't forget to try to keep your dog busy. If you get up obviously something more exciting is going to happen wherever you are as opposed to staying on his bed. He might get a treat, he might get some pets. You can try to keep him busy with a stuffed kong, or a bone while you go about your business in the house...of course supervise him and keep an eye on him as he chews away, but he may not feel as solitary when he's left in a room alone without anything to do, as opposed to chewing on something yummy and keep his mind off of not being with you constantly.

 

That's all I've got for now. Good luck!

[Guest greyers]

Thank you xtrawild! I love the ides with the lights on in a room. We have a ton of natural light in our home during the day so we often do not turn lights on even, but that might be helpful for him. He is a very smart boy. A smart boy who is seriously wrapping himself around my body as I sit right now! His biggest thing is that he has to have his muzzle touching me whenever possible.

 

Unfortunately I can't leave him to chew on things without separating he and Prudence. He has food aggression issues so no treats when mom isn't right there! I have had very good luck with these mini rubber treat holders. I give her the easy one and him the difficult one and I put a duck jerky strip in each of them. It keeps him busy and away from her treat, but I still have to be there. I think routine will be key for him.

[Guest SusanP]

I would say that all of our 5 hounds and 1 municipal shelter Labrador started out velcro-y to some degree, and for ours it lessened over time. Her first 3 nights in our home, our bridge angel Simon slept on top of my stomach all night. The 4th night she moved to a bed right next to our futon (which was, at the time, right on the floor), and over time to any dog bed anywhere in the room. Our two first boys used to leap up and follow me every single time I got up, but after a couple of years, they didn't do that anymore. Our new little Labrador, Mabel, had to be right next to me at every moment for the first couple of weeks, but now after 2 months, she is just as likely to go take a nap anywhere in the house.

 

You didn't mention Rego's being a spook, and I can't see any harm in working things out so that everyone, human and animal, is comfortable and happy.

 

You also didn't say, and I'm curious if Rego has any separation anxiety when you leave the house. If not, I'd say you are in good shape with him, and he will relax gradually as he learns to feel secure.

Edited October 22, 2011 by SusanP

[Guest greyers]

Hi Susan

 

No, Rego is not a spook by any means, though I will say a few things have made him a bit more of a scary cat than I would have ever expected.

 

As for the speration anxiety when I leave the house that's a tough one to answer. In his previous homes he didn't have any when people would leave for work, etc. So far I haven't noticed that with him, but to be far we haven't left him more than a handful of times thus far and when I leave he sticks to my husband.

[Guest june]

One of my girls was very timid when I first got her. She was a velcro girl and still is a bit. I've had her more than 7 years and she has gone from crying when I would go to the bathroom standing outside the door or having to know where I am every minute to now letting me go from room to room or even outside without much anxiety. She actually passed her TDI test. I had to leave the room without her crying and she did greyt. She still prefers to know where I am but no longer is stressed.

 

Be patient and reassuring but continue to encourage him to be more independent. It will happen.

[cleptogrey]

i did have a foster whose original foster mom was sleeping in the living room since the dog was crying all night. when she came here,i let her sleep in the crate in a corner of the room and i genereally do not let dogs into the bedroom. i rearranged the furniture and figured out how to get the crate in to teach her to sleep all night and was able to move the crate out of the room within 2 weeks. maybe your boy needs some confinment at night. when the foster went back into the living room one or two squirts w/ a water bottle silenced her down.

 

it sounds like some obedience training might help your relationship w/ you and your pup. the training gives them focus and security. for you it helps lay down some easy to follow routines and opens a new form of communication. it might be worth a try.

 

btw, my scottie's name was VELCRO! he was one of those pups who stuck to your side and on top of that everything stuck to his coat, hence the name VELCRO! a wonderful spirited dog.

[Guest greyers]

June, congrats on your girl passing her TDI test! That's a huge feat for a timid girl!

 

Clepto, I definitely do think that confining some dogs in the beginning can be a huge help. We try to avoid the crate unless needed with a new grey and will usually just confine to a specific room. Fortunately the boy is silent. Never heard a peep out of him and eventually he will settle down. So nothing like a squirt bottle or any negative stimulus needed. He is super sensitive too. This boy just needs patience and reassurance and he modifies his behaviors fast. He knows how go "sit", so we work on that for treats and going out on walks and he is learning new commands easily. So we def are doing some training work. Love the name of the Scottie! I started calling Rego "black Velcro" as a nickname.

 

The fabulous news is he slept in his own bed in the trailer last night while I was in the other room in the human bed! After everyone got their bedtime pets and love , I went into the bedroom and went to bed while hubby layed down on the couch with a blanket as if to go to sleep for the night. He didn't mean to fall asleep but he did and so an hour later I came and woke him up and he left the couch for our bed. Rego didn't care in the slightest! He is definitely a quick learner! He just needs a little encouragement and comfort when introduced to a new place, but even 1 night makes a huge difference with him. Poor boy has had a good number of homes throughout his life so he probably just needs some reassurance. But he is doing great!

[Guest BlingDogs]

Dory is my little velcro girl. The first 6 months with her we were completely inseperable. Now I've gone back to school, she looks to other people for walks and breakfast but we still stick together whenever we're both around. Sometimes it can be a little annoying, like 'that's my foot you just stepped on!' or 'must you really cast a shadow over the picture I'm taking??' but I wouldn't have it any other way.