Guest lynne893 Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Our misfit child, Greta, is exhibiting increasing separation anxiety when we leave the house for a few hours. We've had her for 16 months, with Swiftie, and she occasionally chewed things, but lately (and we've been gone more often than usual lately) she's been chewing on almost anything she finds when we're gone. Christmas gifts, Christmas ornaments, paper bags, sunglasses, hats, plastic glasses (hard) from the sink, she's pulling glass glasses out of the sink.... hasn't broken one, yet.... We try to keep things out of her reach and close off rooms that have too much clutter, but she's getting very naughty and increasingly goes out of her way to reach something to chew. I've heard about the Thundershirt for noise/storm anxiety (she's also afraid of fireworks), so I bought her a Thundershirt this evening. When we fit it on her, snugly, my husband said she laid down and got comfy on her bed immediately. He's very skeptical about things, so the fact that he thought it had a small immediate effect is impressive. I guess my question is, do we just leave it on her all the time? Since the chewing happens when we leave the house, it seems like it would be a pain to take it on and off all the time. But I definitely want to have the best shot at it being effective, so would you advise we only put it on her when we're going to leave? I searched others' questions and didn't find this one addressed.... Thank you in advance! Lynne Oh, and also, we have those antler/marrow chews for them, which I would hope they would be very into and they'd be a long-lasting distraction for them while we're gone, but they don't take much interest in them, even when I smoosh peanut butter into the marrow part to try to give it more flavor and scent. They just lick the peanut butter off and are done with it. Any recommendations for long-lasting hard chews for when we're out of the house would be appreciated, too! TY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 I wouldn't leave it on her all the time, she'll just get used to it and it won't be effective when you want it to be plus I don't think it would be very good for her skin to be covered all the time. As for the antlers, I would never leave food items down for more than one dog in the house while we were away. More dog fights happen over food or bones. Even dogs you don't think will fight will over high value treats. Personally if she were chewing while I were away, I'd muzzle both dogs until you got back home. I would never muzzle just one because that dog couldn't protect itself from the other so I would just muzzle both. It won't hurt either one of them. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 You're assuming this is anxiety; to me, after 16 months home, it's more likely boredom. How much exercise is she getting? I'd suggest trying to do a better job of dog proofing and upping the exercise as much as possible before you leave her. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krystolla Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 According to the behavior expert in the vet tech classes I'm taking, separation anxiety is only in the first half hour or so after you leave. So, basically, if you leave for only a half hour and nothing happens, it's not separation anxiety it's boredom. A thundershirt is not going to help with boredom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeh2o Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I agree with Judy, muzzles (the big loose greyhound basket muzzles...you can buy them from GEM and they have FAST shipping) while you are gone. Muzzling worked really well (along with a lot of other things) when we were working through his SA. Pooping her out and taking her for a long walk before you leave might go along way to helping her, too (also one of the things I had to do with Carl). I wouldn't feel safe leaving any treats out for them when your gone. You never know what could trigger a disagreement. Both of mine are food crazed, but not food aggressive in any way...except when I left them alone each with two treat dispensing Kongs. I heard them start to mix it up when I left the house, walked in to find them both hovering over one of the Kongs in my bedroom. Lesson learned, no treats or Kongs when I'm not around. Quote Sunsands Doodles: Doodles aka Claire, Bella Run Softly: Softy aka Bowie (the Diamond Dog) Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prodogtrainer Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Our misfit child, Greta, is exhibiting increasing separation anxiety when we leave the house for a few hours. We've had her for 16 months, with Swiftie, and she occasionally chewed things, but lately (and we've been gone more often than usual lately) she's been chewing on almost anything she finds when we're gone. Christmas gifts, Christmas ornaments, paper bags, sunglasses, hats, plastic glasses (hard) from the sink, she's pulling glass glasses out of the sink.... hasn't broken one, yet.... We try to keep things out of her reach and close off rooms that have too much clutter, but she's getting very naughty and increasingly goes out of her way to reach something to chew. I've heard about the Thundershirt for noise/storm anxiety (she's also afraid of fireworks), so I bought her a Thundershirt this evening. When we fit it on her, snugly, my husband said she laid down and got comfy on her bed immediately. He's very skeptical about things, so the fact that he thought it had a small immediate effect is impressive. I guess my question is, do we just leave it on her all the time? Since the chewing happens when we leave the house, it seems like it would be a pain to take it on and off all the time. But I definitely want to have the best shot at it being effective, so would you advise we only put it on her when we're going to leave? I searched others' questions and didn't find this one addressed.... Thank you in advance! Lynne Oh, and also, we have those antler/marrow chews for them, which I would hope they would be very into and they'd be a long-lasting distraction for them while we're gone, but they don't take much interest in them, even when I smoosh peanut butter into the marrow part to try to give it more flavor and scent. They just lick the peanut butter off and are done with it. Any recommendations for long-lasting hard chews for when we're out of the house would be appreciated, too! TY! No, you don't need to leave it on your dog all the time. Use it prior to anxiety-producing events. But let me also add that it is important to determine the cause of your dog's anxiety. Pressure wraps calm the dog by treating the symptoms. They do not address the underlying cause. I would like readers to also be aware that the Anxiety Wrap is the original, patented pressure wrap designed for dogs - and cats - by certified professional dog trainer, Susan Sharpe. In a recent clinical research study conducted by veterinarian Dr. Nicholas Dodman at the University of Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine the Anxiety Wrap was found to be effective in 89% of study participants. Compare this to the 80% reported effectiveness of the Thundershirt. The patented design of the original Anxiety Wrap works in two ways, by 1) maintained pressure and pressure over acupressure points in the neck, shoulders, chest, belly, mid-section and legs. It applies more maintained pressure than any other product on the market today. For more information about the Anxiety Wrap - not to be confused with the Thundershirt - see the company website: https://anxietywrap.com/default.aspx Cindy Ludwig, M.A., KPA-CTP Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner Owner, Canine Connection LLC Dubuque, Iowa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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