separation anxiety

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g16

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hi i usually lurk but i was hoping for some advice. i have a roughly 5 year old staffie- terrier mix that i have had since february. she has been abused in the past, not quite sure of her history but she has been beaten. despite this she is incredibly loyal, friendly dog who in general is very well behaved and loves people. the only issue is leaving her. i am a student so her day consists of an early morning walk off lead before i leave. im gone anything between a few hours, or 9 til 5. she has got used to this and will only whine if im late home. there are other people in the house but even though she likes other people she would prefer to be with me, to the extent of when im in the house she has to be in the same room as me. the problem arises if i go out in the evening. now she is always walked again and i try to tire her out a bit. i leave her in my room (which is quite small), she has her bed, chews, pigs ears but she wont touch them until i come home. i was wondering if a cage would help and i might be able to get her to sleep on the landing instead of in my room.
apart from this she really is the most amazing, affectionate dog who is incredible considering all she has been through!
 
Yep, introduce a crate in the bedroom and then gradfually move it onto the landing....if you would like a crate guide PM me an email addy and I will send you one:)
Are you going to share some pictures of said doggy?:)
 
than you, iv borrowed my friends crate which is bigger than what she needs which is prob better to begin with. shes not a big fan of it though! i keep putting chews in so she sneaks in gets them and runs out again!
iv never uploaded photos so not sure if this will work....
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Oh my how cute is she...propper old fashioned little origonal scruffy cutie she looks to be:)
You just have to make sure the crate is introduced gradually and positively (very important) and a nice think cover over it a must.
 
I don't know what cayla's method is, but my mum's dog had a crate when we first got her as she destroyed everything (GSD cross so nice big teeth - one day she tore up the hall carpet and took the toilet rolls all over the house :eek: ). Her bed was always in there, so she slept in there at night with the door open, she was only a problem if we were out in the day. We slowly increased the length of time she was in the crate. We didn't let her out immediately when we got home (used to have to ignore her for the first 10 mins). The crate became her safe place and she never minded going in there I don't think. Cayla probably has better plans than that, but just thought I woudl share :)

Lovely cute dog btw :)
 
thank you for the advice, just want to know im doing the right thing, we've never crated a dog at home before. boyfriend says im being mean because for some of the time she was at the rescue centre she was in from lack of space.but i need to do something, i cant risk her making noise when im not here and i would love if she was more relaxed when im out. when im in shes the most chilled dog in the world!
its covered with thick blankets my friend gave me. its come with bits of carpet in and iv put her own blankets in. should i take out the carpet so it smells less of the other dog?
iv been sitting by it with her and luring her in with her favourite treats but shes a bit wary so il just take it slowly with her.
thanks for the compliments, i may be biased but i think shes beautiful :-)
 
ime the first few times let her go in and sleep in the crate without closing the door, then start closing the door when you are still there, so she learns it isn't always a bad things to be shut in there.
 
It is besst not to pit pitying emotions on dogs in the case of using training aids when taking them on from rescues, we had a post once where we talked about not flooding a dog with attention and affection before creating a routine....stability is what a dog needs most, tell you boyfriend that this needs to be done in order for you not to "create" behavoural issues which may see her/any other dog returned to rescue when issues become truely problematic to the point of not return. (not that I am saying you will ever return her:) but it happens all to often.
As rightly suggested by tinsel face, slowly and gradually is best, by padding it out with a luxurious bed (old blanket lol) and covering the crate over as you have then leaving door open and letting her explore if she feels she wants to. Feed her meals in there, she may well not take treats in it at the moment but that will come when she feels secure....As mentioned above if you would like a guide to read through drop me a PM with an email addy, it wont fit in a PM:)
 
don't worry shes not going anywhere! i knew what i was getting into when i got a dog and shes staying. iv had difficult dogs growing up just never one with separation anxiety hence looking for advice!
she has a pretty good routine, she looks upset when i leave in the morning but she doesnt make any noise during the day (iv asked my housemates).its only if i have to go out in the evening, even if just for an hour or two. i always make sure shes walked before i leave as shes alot better then. its well padded and covered, shes sneaking in stealing the treat and coming out again but atleast shes going in for the treat. il try feeding her in it and see if shell go in for that. theres no rush so ill take my time :-)
cayla i pmed you a while ago, do i need to send it again?
 
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