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Another Luna Post...just Feeling Sad.


Guest LunaTheGreyt

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Guest LunaTheGreyt

Then I've got my fingers crossed for you!

 

 

Fingers and paws crossed for a good result tomorrow...even a tiny bit of good is good!

 

Thank you <3 Yes, even a tiny bit of good would be huge for us.

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I had an adopter in an apartment who's dog was having a really hard time when he left for work. He finally found out that they were working on the other apartments in his building, so his dog was hearing talking, banging, hammering, etc. all day while he was gone. Luckily they were almost finished and he could work at home for the rest of the week. Once all the noise stopped the dog was fine. Maybe make sure there isn't anything going on that's causing her stress?

 

I've had others who take a bit to settle into apartments where they can hear and see people coming and going all day.

 

Hope having a buddy that she knows is the solution!

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Wingnut (DC Wingnut), Voo Doo (Voo Doo von Bonz), Barb (Myokie Barb) & Romey (Nose Stradamus)
at the bridge Molly (CM Blondie) 9/8/14, Maddy (Reuniting) 10/17/13, Rocky (Ranco Popeye) 1/7/12, Mimi (Flying Ringneck) 8/13/09 and RJ (RJ What For) 5/3/05

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Guest LunaTheGreyt

I had an adopter in an apartment who's dog was having a really hard time when he left for work. He finally found out that they were working on the other apartments in his building, so his dog was hearing talking, banging, hammering, etc. all day while he was gone. Luckily they were almost finished and he could work at home for the rest of the week. Once all the noise stopped the dog was fine. Maybe make sure there isn't anything going on that's causing her stress?

 

I've had others who take a bit to settle into apartments where they can hear and see people coming and going all day.

 

Hope having a buddy that she knows is the solution!

 

Since I have a webcam on her all day, I know for certain strange noises aren't bothering her. My complex is actually pretty quiet in terms of people noises - most people leave for work in the morning and come back in the evening. I also leave music on so she can't really hear anything going on outside. So far she's never even perked an ear up when she hears a neighbor close their door, etc. When I leave she just begins frantically pacing/barking/howling with no trigger other than my absence. Alone training has not been very successful thus far...she's okay for periods of time, but can't handle more than 15 minutes alone. Testing out the buddy system later today...fingers crossed it works!

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Guest grey_dreams

You should continue alone training always, even now that you have a second dog. For a dog like Luna, you really have to take baby steps and repeat to boredom. I would recommend that you not use a crate and please ditch the citronella collar. You are going to have to keep going back to the first step, because she already has advanced SA.

 

This is alone training:

Get your keys, bag, jacket, everything just as you do when you leave, say goodbye to Luna, go to the door, open the door (but don't go out), close the door, then put all your stuff down. Wait a few minutes. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Keep doing it until Luna no longer responds with anxiety when you open the door and then close the door. You may have to do this step about 50 times or so.

 

The next step is to go outside, close the door, and immediately go back in. Repeat, repeat, repeat. You may have to do this step about 50 times, until she no longer reacts with anxiety.

 

The next step is to stay outside the door for a second or two before going back in. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.

 

The next step is to walk away from the door for some seconds before going back in. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.

 

Do you see the pattern developing here? For a dog with SA like Luna, you should dedicate a whole weekend to alone training. Each day you should do at least 100-150 repetitions of the steps that you are working on, and still not even leave from in front of your door for more than a few seconds.

 

Once she is ok with you being gone from the door for a few seconds, build it up to 10-15 seconds, then 30 seconds, then a minute, each time with about 20-30 repetitions at each step. Then mix up the times you are gone, one time for one second, the next time for 45 seconds, the next time for 5 seconds.

 

Once she is ok with 60 seconds, then you can try 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes. And keep mixing up the times when you are gone.

 

Then you can do steps like 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60 minutes. Keep mixing up the times when you are gone, and keep mixing in the first steps where you only go to the door, open it, and then close it. Once she is ok for 60 minutes, you can do steps like 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 hours.

 

For a dog like Luna, you should be doing the very first steps of alone training (without being outside the door for more than a second or a few seconds) every evening when you are home.

 

I had to use this method with my first dog who had severe SA. It was a lot of work, but it was so worth it. He also had to have Clomicalm, which we started after he had been home about six weeks. I did alone training with him everyday, starting on the second day he was home, and continuing even after he started to respond. Within three months he was ok, no more howling, no more panic.

 

It's a lot of work, but you are going to have to do it to help Luna.

 

Good luck.

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Guest LunaTheGreyt

You should continue alone training always, even now that you have a second dog. For a dog like Luna, you really have to take baby steps and repeat to boredom. I would recommend that you not use a crate and please ditch the citronella collar. You are going to have to keep going back to the first step, because she already has advanced SA.

 

This is alone training:

Get your keys, bag, jacket, everything just as you do when you leave, say goodbye to Luna, go to the door, open the door (but don't go out), close the door, then put all your stuff down. Wait a few minutes. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Keep doing it until Luna no longer responds with anxiety when you open the door and then close the door. You may have to do this step about 50 times or so.

 

The next step is to go outside, close the door, and immediately go back in. Repeat, repeat, repeat. You may have to do this step about 50 times, until she no longer reacts with anxiety.

 

The next step is to stay outside the door for a second or two before going back in. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.

 

The next step is to walk away from the door for some seconds before going back in. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.

 

Do you see the pattern developing here? For a dog with SA like Luna, you should dedicate a whole weekend to alone training. Each day you should do at least 100-150 repetitions of the steps that you are working on, and still not even leave from in front of your door for more than a few seconds.

 

Once she is ok with you being gone from the door for a few seconds, build it up to 10-15 seconds, then 30 seconds, then a minute, each time with about 20-30 repetitions at each step. Then mix up the times you are gone, one time for one second, the next time for 45 seconds, the next time for 5 seconds.

 

Once she is ok with 60 seconds, then you can try 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes. And keep mixing up the times when you are gone.

 

Then you can do steps like 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60 minutes. Keep mixing up the times when you are gone, and keep mixing in the first steps where you only go to the door, open it, and then close it. Once she is ok for 60 minutes, you can do steps like 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 hours.

 

For a dog like Luna, you should be doing the very first steps of alone training (without being outside the door for more than a second or a few seconds) every evening when you are home.

 

I had to use this method with my first dog who had severe SA. It was a lot of work, but it was so worth it. He also had to have Clomicalm, which we started after he had been home about six weeks. I did alone training with him everyday, starting on the second day he was home, and continuing even after he started to respond. Within three months he was ok, no more howling, no more panic.

 

It's a lot of work, but you are going to have to do it to help Luna.

 

Good luck.

 

Thanks. I will certainly continue to do alone training even with James around. I only tried using the citronella collar...once it was obvious it was ineffective I stopped using it.

Edited by LunaTheGreyt
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Since I have a webcam on her all day, I know for certain strange noises aren't bothering her. My complex is actually pretty quiet in terms of people noises - most people leave for work in the morning and come back in the evening. I also leave music on so she can't really hear anything going on outside. So far she's never even perked an ear up when she hears a neighbor close their door, etc. When I leave she just begins frantically pacing/barking/howling with no trigger other than my absence. Alone training has not been very successful thus far...she's okay for periods of time, but can't handle more than 15 minutes alone. Testing out the buddy system later today...fingers crossed it works!

 

The fifteen minute thing is actually quite a recognised boundary, IIRC. Keep at it, with patience and commitment, and you'll get there! It sounds as if you're working really hard at this, and I know it can be discouraging, but it's like dripping water on a stone. For months nothing seems to happen at all, and then you notice a change. :)

 

Good luck with leaving James and Luna. Fingers crossed that this works for you all. :goodluck

 

I'm glad to hear you've ditched the citronella collar. I really don't think they're the best thing for SA.

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The plural of anecdote is not data

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Guest LunaTheGreyt

The fifteen minute thing is actually quite a recognised boundary, IIRC. Keep at it, with patience and commitment, and you'll get there! It sounds as if you're working really hard at this, and I know it can be discouraging, but it's like dripping water on a stone. For months nothing seems to happen at all, and then you notice a change. :)

 

Good luck with leaving James and Luna. Fingers crossed that this works for you all. :goodluck

 

I'm glad to hear you've ditched the citronella collar. I really don't think they're the best thing for SA.

 

Thanks :) So far, so good!

 

Yeah, I didn't really love using it, but I was so desperate I was up for trying almost anything. It didn't make things worse, but it didn't make things better either.

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