Guest Angelique Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Help! So I've had my grey going on 4 years now. We are great palls and understand each other very well. He is a very submissive and shy hound, who does perfectly in obedience and is fine in chaotic environments, but is not outgoing as in going up to strangers or interested in other dogs. He is a bomb proof dog (think thuderstorms, loud noises, and vacuum cleaners). I am definitely alpha and he respects understands this perfectly... except for whining when i am away. During the previous 3 years, he had gone to work with me almost every day, (and when left at home once or twice a week was OK). Had had one or two foster brothers/sisters at almost all times, as well as lived in the same house. We recently relocated to a new apartment where he is an only dog, and this has been a disaster. We have been here almost 6 weeks and his SA has not reduced. The neighbors have been very understanding but he is not improving. He seems to do fine in the morning (8am-2pm) but if i come home and have to leave again after noon he becomes a whining disaster. If i have to leave in the late afternoon, neibours 2 houses down have reported hearing him wail. I do not doubt this at all. Greys have some huge lungs. He is never destructive when left alone, just LOUD, very Loud. I have tried all the common tricks: 1.Desensitizing to leaving 2. Coming home often to check on him and leaving for short periods before returning. 3.Leaving kongs and other toys food around/hidden to entertain him. 4.Noise (We have always lived in a very quiet setting and leaving the radio/TV on has only made him louder). 5.Excessive exercise before leaving. I know it's not fair for me to expect my velcro dog to go from being with me almost all the time, everyday, to being home alone and adapting to it in only a couple of months, but i don't know how to ease the transition. I don't know how to address his issues. I think it's more a: "mom may not come back" issue more than a "im alone" issue, but again, i'm not sure. The only solution that comes to mind is to adopt another dog, but honestly i'm not sure i'm ready for the responsibility and cost of another dog. There are no local grey agencies i can foster for, and i'm not sure what my landlords response will be to another 70lb dog. Any ideas/advice are welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Leah_siewert Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Try the thunder shirt. It has truely worked for me and my 85 poud mamma's boy. And I was one of the non believers but I have talked to a number of other owners of different breeds at the dog park and they swear by the thunder shirt! Try the thunder shirt. It has truely worked for me and my 85 poud mamma's boy. And I was one of the non believers but I have talked to a number of other owners of different breeds at the dog park and they swear by the thunder shirt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest d0ggiem0mma Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Absolutely try a Thundershirt!!! It does wonders for my greyhound during thunderstorms and stuff I'm also a big fan of behavior meds, used in conjunction with the stuff you're already doing. Sometimes you need the drugs to break the cycle and help them adapt to the new situation. The drugs aren't forever, just for a little while to allow your hound to learn that it is really all OK!! You'll need some baseline bloodwork just to make sure the kidneys and liver are all OK before starting meds. They have recently done some additional research showing Trazodone as a very effective drug for anxiety (alone or in conjunction with other drugs) so that may be a good one to start with. You would give it about an hour before you leave and it lasts for about 12 hours. It's very safe and can be given daily or just as needed. If that doesn't work by itself, you could add a standing drug like fluoxetine (prozac) which is given every day. Fluoxetine takes about 4-6 weeks to build up in the bloodstream and you can't stop it suddenly. My Maggie wears a Thundershirt and takes trazodone and/or xanax for thunderstorms and fireworks. Luckily she does fine being left home alone, as long as I don't try to crate her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Time. It will just take time. I am watching George on a surveillance camera via my iPad right now. He is dead asleep on his bed. When I first got him, he howled at the top of his lungs for HOURS and I know this to be true because while I did not believe my neighbors, I videotaped him (to prove they were liars!) and found out he did not let up even once in the entire two hours the camera ran (ah, video tape! Remember that?). It was a nightmare. And now? Like I said. I am at work and he is home alone sound asleep! Here are a couple things I believe helped him: DAP diffuser--inexpensive and easy to get on line or at larger pet stores. Seemed to help a bit and surely cannot hurt. Not sure if it helped, but a behaviorist told me to try it and I did--if you have an "old fashioned" telephone answering machine, call your house and speak at the beep--and if you have a machine like I did, he'll be able to hear you. That was supposed to shake him out of major panic mode, and I would do that as soon as I got to work which was, for him, about 30 minutes in to his perceived abandonment. Then again in another half hour. Then that was it. I personally found that going home and leaving again simple doubled his stress, so I didn't do that. A "Kong Time" Kong dispenser. This is a nifty device that spits out a smallish Kong at a set time, and holds four of the little devils! George went through his Kong really fast, and then it was the rest of the day with nothing. The Kong Time gave him more treats to look forward to. Again, not sure any of these things did it--or if it was just time and trust. Also, for me (not your issue, I realize) not crating him made all the difference in the world. He hated his crate and to this day when I haul it out to use for a cat containment pen (during work on the condo, etc.) he looks at it with loathing! Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KPS915 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 A "Kong Time" Kong dispenser. This is a nifty device that spits out a smallish Kong at a set time, and holds four of the little devils! George went through his Kong really fast, and then it was the rest of the day with nothing. The Kong Time gave him more treats to look forward to. They don't make these anymore :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest badderh Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 A "Kong Time" Kong dispenser. This is a nifty device that spits out a smallish Kong at a set time, and holds four of the little devils! George went through his Kong really fast, and then it was the rest of the day with nothing. The Kong Time gave him more treats to look forward to. I was just wondering..... where did you get your Kong time dispenser?! I've been searching high and low for one and cannot find one to save my life! Everywhere I go says they have been discontinued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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