Help With Separation Barking!

[Guest finny1]

Hello!

 

We adopted our 2.5-year old greyhound about 3 months ago. He’s the perfect dog for us and we love him dearly. Unfortunately, we’re dealing with some stubborn barking when we leave (no destructive behavior or house training issues). This problem didn’t start until after about a month in – the first month, he was very quiet when we left for work or if we went out at night. We could leave him for the full workday with no problems. He would sleep for the whole day in his crate (we have a nanny cam on him that records noise and movement).

 

About a month in, we noticed he started barking a bit in the morning; within a week the barking had escalated to on and off all day – and we got several complaints from neighbors. Once we realized this was an issue, we took several steps to address the issue (and have communicated kindly and generously with our neighbors that we are working to fix the noise).

 

Here’s what we’ve done:

· Took him to the vet to rule out medical issues since the barking was sudden (he has low neutrophil levels for a greyhound but nothing else, we’ll get him rechecked soon as advised by vet to see if that’s just his base level)

· Got him a DAP collar

· Re-done alone training. We leave and come back slowly increasing our time, and always take away his Kong on our return. Sometimes we can successfully reach one hour this way.

· Increased his morning walks to 1.5 hours (about 5 miles). These go from 6:30-8 a.m., and we leave him around 8:30 a.m.

· Hired a dog walker who takes him on a 20-minute walk around noon (he also gets an after work walk of 30-40 minutes around 5:30 each day).

· Got him a Kong wobbler to play with in addition to his frozen Kong full of kibble mixed with rotating very special treats (he gets a second Kong when the dog walker leaves)

· Tried calming treats (first Composure; now switched to Nature’s Calming Moments)

· Tried leaving different types of music/TV on (no effect so we stopped)

· Put the shades down (this helped – we think the sun gets in his eyes otherwise!)

· Got a Xanax prescription from our vet (made him super goofy and maybe even louder so we didn't try that again)

· Left him out of his crate a couple times (no destruction, but was just as loud or louder, barked by the door, seemed a bit “lost” so we recrated him)

· Leave our worn clothes with him

 

From our work, we’ve definitely seen an improvement. We’re pretty consistently down to about 20 minutes of barking/crying or less in the morning (always begins after he finishes his Kongs) and about 5-10 minutes after the dog walker leaves.

 

BUT – and it’s a big but – sometime he’ll totally relapse. About one day every week, he’ll go back to barking on and off for a couple hours. Nothing as bad as he used to, but he is very loud and we can tell some of our neighbors are losing patience. We can’t leave him at night because his noise is unpredictable, and if he has a bad night and we can’t get home soon enough, the complaints roll in. Plus, we’d really like to reduce his regular morning barking of 20 minutes or so (although we think it's impractical to expect him to be completely silent!).

 

Our vet said he would be a bad candidate for long-term anxiety meds because he’s generally a very confident dog. Our rescue group suggested at first that this is less of an “anxious” barking than a “bratty” barking – he wants us to come home to play and he’s going through his acting out period. Apparently, he was the “kennel favorite” at the track and very spoiled, got lots of out of crate time and attention. He is a super social and people-loving dog. He almost never makes a peep when we’re home.

 

Basically, we’re wondering if anyone has ideas about whether we just need to wait it out – do we think that his progress will continue and his bad days will go away? Or do we need to change what we’re doing and try something else? Specifically, we’re wondering if we need to reconsider medication. He does show some signs of anxiety like panting and yawning during his barking periods. Exercise seems to be the thing that really helps him – he does particularly great if he gets a 2-hour walk or a chance to run with other greys. But unfortunately, it’s tough to fit in that much exercise before work!

 

It’s so encouraging to see his progress, but heartbreaking to watch him relapse into crying and barking – and extremely stressful with our neighbor situation. Also, we cannot get another dog because of our lease. Thank you for any insight!

[Guest jlbfitz]

I'd say wait it out. We've had our girl six months, and most days she is fine. Some days she is totally back to her old self -- won't settle, barks, grabs random stuff and flings it around. She'll have two days or so where she is a total mess, and then go back to sleeping just fine. However, her bad days have gotten fewer over time, and her good days have gotten better (some days she could actually make it through without a dog-walker, I think).

 

After a while we've learned to anticipate what will trigger her: lack of exercise (like if the weather is bad and she can't be out long), change of routine, too many consecutive days where we are home, etc.

 

Clearly I'm no expert, since my dog has a similar issue, but just offering some support. We live in an apartment too and I remember how crazy stressful it was at the beginning. They're going to have good days and bad days just like humans. Over time the bad days do seem to get less bad though, and farther apart.

 

Good luck, it sounds like you are really good pet parents.

[Guest finny1]

I'd say wait it out. We've had our girl six months, and most days she is fine. Some days she is totally back to her old self -- won't settle, barks, grabs random stuff and flings it around. She'll have two days or so where she is a total mess, and then go back to sleeping just fine. However, her bad days have gotten fewer over time, and her good days have gotten better (some days she could actually make it through without a dog-walker, I think).

 

After a while we've learned to anticipate what will trigger her: lack of exercise (like if the weather is bad and she can't be out long), change of routine, too many consecutive days where we are home, etc.

 

Clearly I'm no expert, since my dog has a similar issue, but just offering some support. We live in an apartment too and I remember how crazy stressful it was at the beginning. They're going to have good days and bad days just like humans. Over time the bad days do seem to get less bad though, and farther apart.

 

Good luck, it sounds like you are really good pet parents.

 

Thank you for the kind words! It's encouraging to hear that you've seen improvements. Hopefully our guy will keep learning too.

[Guest JuliaS]

Any chance of trying a day or two a week at doggy daycare? It is expensive and maybe not available in your area, but if you are desperate to keep neighbor complaints to a minimum, this would help. Just a thought! Otherwise, it sounds like you are taking all the right steps. Three months is not long at all - just keep doing what you are doing and he will come around.

[3greytjoys]

 

Sorry that your new boy is struggling. Seems that you're doing a great job trying to help him.

 

- I'm curious about his schedule on non-work days?

- What time does he eat breakfast on work days, and non-work days?

- What time does he need outings on non-work days while humans are home? (Helps to keep a temporary time record initially.)

- Are his stools firm?

- Is he on any medications?

 

 

OP Quote: "This problem didn’t start until after about a month in – the first month, he was very quiet when we left for work or if we went out at night. We could leave him for the full workday with no problems." End quote.

​

Surprisingly, that might have contributed to his difficulty. He started realizing he was being left alone, crated for very long periods (full workday + travel time, and sometimes at night). Greyhound kennels typically let hounds outside to eliminate every 4 hours starting early morning and throughout day until evening/night bedtime. While some of your boy's barking may be linked to learning to be an only dog for the first time in his life, feelings of anxiety/abandonment may have been silently building up during the first month. Additionally, crated dogs only method of communicating their need for a potty break is vocally (whether anyone is home to let him out or not). Great that you recently hired a mid-day dog walker to offer him a potty break.

 

​Xanax can have the opposite of desired affect on certain dogs. (Xanax increased one of our Greyhound's anxiety.) Helps to initially test medication effectiveness when humans are home (on non-work days) when hound is naturally relaxed.

 

In your case (apartment + complaining neighbors), I would try a different medication, even if it takes time to build up in his system. When a dog is feeling anxiety, their brain is much less receptive to learning from alone training. Ideally, during alone training, a dog isn't left alone beyond his/her own comfort threshold. Since that isn't possible when pet parents work away from home, medication can help the dog relax enough to benefit from alone training (assuming hound gets elimination breaks). Even longer-term medication should be considered temporary, i.e. just use medication long enough to combine with alone training until dog is adjusted to his/her new life.

 

​You could try securing a floor level mirror directly across the room from his crate. (Ensure the mirror does not reflect any sun into his crate.) Seeing a Greyhound's reflection helps some new hounds feel less alone.

 

​If he's a chewer, Durabone - shaped like a flat fist with arm, "souper" size (made by Nylabone) could be used as a stress/boredom reliever after he finishes his Kongs. That specific Durabone is easy for Greyhounds to handle/chew. There's a potential for a chipped tooth with any hard toy but consider risk to benefit ratio for the behavior issue you're addressing. http://www.entirelypets.com/dchwbcnfls.html

 

Seems your vet knows Greyhound blood values are different from other breeds, but might be worth checking your hound's numbers against link below.

 

Quote per Making sense of Blood Work in Greyhounds:

"Greyhounds have lower neutrophil counts than the reference range for dogs

(3,000-10,000/μl or 3-10 X 109/L); thus, neutrophil counts as low as 1,800/μl (1.8 X 109/L) should not be of concern if the dog is healthy." End quote.

Source: See Pages 3 and 4 here: http://www.greyhound-data.com/dir/446/Making_Sense_of_Blood_Work_in_Greyhounds.pdf

Good luck.

Edited January 11, 2017 by 3greytjoys

[Guest finny1]

Thank you so much for your advice! That's interesting to hear that maybe the anxiety built up over the first month.

 

To answer your questions:

 

--On non-work days, we tend to go to bed slightly later and get up slightly later. (We tend to go to bed at 10 and get up at 6 on weekdays/go to bed at 11 and get up at 7 on weekends). His last night walk and his first morning walk shift slightly later. We usually take him hiking and to greyhound playgroups on weekend mornings, so sometimes that shifts his meal schedule around so he doesn't eat too close to the start or after the finish of the activities. We try to leave him alone for periods of time so he doesn't get too used to us always being there, but it's tough because there are many more people around on weekends to complain and we get nervous leaving him too long. Usually around an hour or two.

 

--On workdays he eats breakfast around 8 and assuming no special activities, probably around the same time on weekends.

 

--He doesn't really ask to go out, but we normally give him four walks a day, similar to his workday schedule. He is out and about with us in the mornings, then when he is home in the afternoon we take him out before dinnertime (around 5:30) and then again for his night pee (around 10:00).

 

--His stools are pretty firm currently--however, we are in the process of switching over his food. When he came to us, he quickly lost a bunch of weight. After being checked out by the vet, we increased his food so he was getting 5 cups of Kirkland Nature's Domain each day. The volume of his stool increased significantly, and he tends to have a small non-firm stool or two towards the end of each walk. He's back around his starting weight, but we are going to try the Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Formula Salmon & Potato Recipe with the hope that he will need less to maintain his weight.

 

--He is not currently on any medications other than monthly Interceptor and NexGard. He was on Panacur for hookworm.

 

He's not yet a chewer that we've seen, but we could always try offering him one! He does like puzzle-type toys with treats, so we have introduced new ones to him.

 

We talked to our vet today and she is going to work with us to figure out what medicine might help Finn best during this transition. Yes, his neutrophils are below what's normal for a greyhound! Around 1500.

 

Thanks again!

[3greytjoys]

Thanks for the additional information. A little more food for thought...

 

In addition to eliminating upon awakening, most dogs need to eliminate after eating meals/consuming fluids. (Eating gets bowels moving.) Some need to eliminate within 15-20 minutes or within an hour of food intake. Hookworms; medications (e.g., Nexgard side effect); extra food; and dogs' stress in a new environment can contribute to loose stools. Loose stools often create a greater urgency to eliminate -- crated dogs only have their voice to call/alert that desperation. (BTW, hookworms often take more than one treatment series to completely eradicate. Fecal retests are important: a false negative is common depending on hookworms' growth stage.)

 

Might be helpful to notice if his relapse days are usually on Mondays or Tuesdays. Some people find that keeping a similar schedule 7 days a week helps hounds adjust more easily. That said, you made an excellent point re: more of your neighbors being home to hear him vocalizing during weekends. Dogs are pack animals and need time with their humans, so it may take some creative juggling for a while. At the very least on weekends, keep practicing alone training within his (quiet) comfort threshold.

 

Few more things to try:

 

- If you don't have a cat/small pet: Baby-gate him into one of the family's most used rooms, leaving his crate door open for his padded, comfortable resting. Dog-proof the room (for Greyhound's height 5'-6' tall on hind legs). Helps if dogs do not have physical access to the door from which humans depart, i.e. create a buffer zone if possible. (I understand you left him out of his crate previously, but this space-controlled half-step makes a big difference for many hounds.)

 

- No fanfare from humans during departures or returns. Some experts recommend humans silently slip out the door during departures; others suggest it's okay to say "I'll be back later" (or the like). My experience is silent departures work better for some dogs.

 

- Encourage his independence by creating a little extra space wherever your hound rests while humans are home, i.e. place dog bed across the room from human's sofa (vs. dogs on the sofa or 6" from your feet!). Periodically reward hound by tossing treats to him for resting quietly on his own bed.

Be ready with treats to teach "down" by capturing him when he's naturally about to lie down. Happily teach him "go to your place/bed" with treat reward.

 

- Stay happy and positive in interactions. Don't scold him, especially for behavior rooted from fear/anxiety (anxiety is fear based); otherwise, it will backfire by him losing trust in humans, plus increase/magnify undesirable behaviors. If he snags a human's item by mistake, calmly "trade up" with a higher value toy or dog safe meat treat, etc. (BTW, if you eventually offer a Durachew toy, it's okay to smear it with plain peanut butter or lowfat cream cheese -- if enticement is needed.)

 

Many people find this short booklet helpful:

I'll Be Home Soon, by Patricia McConnell: https://www.amazon.com/Ill-Home-Soon-Separation-Anxiety/dp/1891767054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484104489&sr=8-1&keywords=ill+be+home+soon

 

Try to keep an open, caring mind. He sounds like a sweetheart, well worth your understanding effort.

[Guest finny1]

We have a positive update! We made two big changes and he has been quiet for more than a month now.

 

First, we worked with our vet, who consulted a vet behaviorist, and started him on a low dosage of meds that seem to be working well for him. Second, we switched his dog walker. Long story short, we learned he was very scared of his first dog walker (thank goodness we have a camera on him!). Now, he has a great walker who takes him out for an hour walk on a nearby hiking trail, instead of our busy city streets, with a couple other well-matched calm dogs.

 

It's so great to see how much calmer our guy is during the day - he's relaxed before we leave and spends most of his time roaching or curled up in adorable positions. He eats his kong and then goes right to sleep. We're even able to go out to dinner on weekends! And we're much calmer as well

 

He still definitely needs his 1.5 hour walks before we leave, so the longer mid-day walk is good for him. Thanks for all the advice! We hope he keeps it up.

[BatterseaBrindl]