whimpering

[kurlyandia]

tim is a 3 year old mail. i adopted him when he was 2 months old from SPCA. when we leave him home alone he whimpers and destroys furniture, cushions are his favourite. our neighbours say that he is able to whimper all day long. even when only one of us leaves, he runs around  and whimpers but calms down in several minutes. we also can't leave him

Comments

[crysania4]

You can't. It sounds like he has separation anxiety. There are some good books and resources out there for dealing with it. I always recommend Patricia McConnell's book (well, it's more like a pamphlet) that outlines a program for working with a dog that has separation anxiety.

[magnoliafly]

I would recommend seeing your vet first and getting your dog on medication so the training can have ample effect. Some dogs with SA respond to training quite well and can be weaned off meds. Some need to be on meds for a prolonged amount of time so they don't continually hurt themselves or destroy more things in your home.

Dr. McConnell's book would be an awesome resource though too!

It sounds like the OP's dog has more severe SA unfortunately.

[crysania4]

I usually recommend meds as a last resort but definitely sometimes with SA it can be a huge help right off the bat. Especially if the dog is hurting himself.

SA is such a sad thing and so hard to deal with. :-(

[magnoliafly]

I honestly believe with moderate to severe cases meds should be your first stop. Training won't get through to a dog that is over-threshold so you'd be wasting your time without something to calm their anxiety so the training can get through to their brain.

[crysania4]

Crate training POSSIBLY. Some dogs hurt themselves really bad on crates. It depends on how serious the separation anxiety is.

[kurlyandia]

he never hurt himself, even when he did destroy furniture. but he whimpers really hard

[teacupdiaries]

I agree with crysania4. It sounds like Tim has separation anxiety. Google that and 'alone training', and you will be able to find resources to help you. The good news is that dogs with SA often respond to training and for those that don't, there are medications that can help.

[kurlyandia]

thank you all

[moon_happy]

For many dogs turning on the radio or television (sound at normal level) before you leave helps them settle down. Leave it on. You're not fooling them; they just seem comforted by the familiar sound. It doesn't matter what program, music or talk show, all same same. Good luck.

[kurlyandia]

thanx

[kurlyandia]

we moved around about 4 month ago, and he stopped being destructive, even though the sofa is right next to his rug. so this issue bothers me less. even when he did atact furniture, he never hurt himself.
i was advised to put him in a cage, so that he has his place and calms dowm. i didn't have a nerve for that, so we chain him inside the house when we leave. the chain lets him move, get to his rug, to the food.
tim is not a chuwe type, so he doesn't like kong. i will probably try it again if it worked so well for you.
we also tried to give him food before leaving, and it worked for a couple of days. he was to busy with eating to remember about us. but then he learned that food=leaving and stopped eating in the mornings. we had to skip several morning meals to make him eat.
and we always leave him smth to do: bones, toys. it seams that when we leave nothing interests him. he becomes chewing when we come back.