Fin Says: hey guys... me an my momma were jus wunderin bout sum stuff... Both my momma and dad work durin' the day and eben doe i fink i wuld be fine runnin round da house with the kitty all day they dont like it cuz they say i eat EVERYTHING :thinik: (i only eat the stuff that fits in my mouff geez) So they put me in my crate. I HATE IT! It makes me so sad dat they are leavin! My mom thinks i should be used to it by now buts i still hates it and hide when i know its time to go in it.. I dont even have to be in there long.. and i gets water and a treat and my comfy bed and a toy ane eberything.. but i still hates it. And my momma wonders if the udder doggies hate theirs too? :scratch:
Katie here. Also, whenever i leave Finnegan turns into such a baby. Even when his dad is still here. I cant leave to do anything without getting a phone call that he wont leave the door or stop crying. He is ok when Dad leaves, he might cry a little but he eventually just comes and finds me. But just gets so upset when i go. He tries to block the door or squeeze out so i wont leave him behind so we usually have to trick him, but then he just looks for me! I hate stressing him out, but i have to leave the house sometimes! And i bring him with me when i can (he doesnt like his seatbelt but he endures it if he gets to come) But its summertime now and if i'm doing chores i cant leave him in the car with the heat!
Any suggestions? I realize this is seperation anxiety but i wonder why he has it? :dontknow:
I've tried not making a fuss when i come or go, but that doesnt do anything, i try saying bye or just causually walking out.. nothing works!
And when i come home he gets so frantic i worry about his back cuz he flips himself everywhich way and jumps up past my knees! He wags so hard he looks like the letter 'C' and i think his tounge is going to fall off cuz he gives me like 900000 kisses. Its like i've been gone ten years when it might be 20 minutes! :idiot: (I secretly really like this, even though it worries me, its the best feeling comming home to him :) )
He always wants to be in the same room with me, when i take a bath i have to bring his bead into the bathroom or else he tries to jump in with me!
I dont mind having him with me all the time, in fact i love it. But i just dont want to stress the little guy out so bad everytime i have somewhere to go that he cant come. :confused:
My two have the run of the house....but we have no other animals. Rather than make him always go in his crate, do you have a place that you could set up for him (i.e., kitchen) using an x-pen or baby gate to block off the entrance when your gone. He would then have more space along with his bed, treat, water. I know when Sarge was just a puppy many years ago, we would set him up with his toys, water, bed in the kitchen with an x-pen blocking the entrance. Once he was potty trained, he had full run of the house. Looie-Angel and Duggie were adult doggies when we adopted them and they had/have full run of the house right along with Sarge.
Mine have always followed me and they are wherever I am even the bathroom. When I leave, I always say good bye to them, tell them to be good boys and I'll be back soon. I always talk for a few minutes to them. Reassure him that you will be back. They will sometimes also do the trick of blocking the door or howling/barking/whining because they want to go. I generally say I'm going to the store and doggies are not allowed....then they will retreat. But, depending on their mood, they will howl a bit when the door is closed. Once they see the car drive off (they have a big picture window) they quiet down. They are always quiet when I leave and my husband is home. They will do the howl thing sometimes when we both leave. I always leave the radio on for them when we are gone. It provides them with noise so the house is not so quiet.
When I or we come home, they are in their picture window barking like mad, their tails wagging so hard, you think they are going to fall off and rear ends are shakin' and movin'. That is the best greeting to come home to! Sometimes, when we've come home and they are in a deep sleep, they don't hear the car.....then we surprise them! Typically, though, they will be in the window watching as we round the corner and drive in (we live on a cul-de-sac).
How old is Fin? Give him some time....as he grows older, he'll do fine. But, if possible, I would recommend that he be set up in a larger area rather than his crate.
Fin is just seven months old so i am sure that has alot to do with it.. We would love to let him have the run of the house.. its just that he eats everything! We have to watch him constantly, i am always pulling stuff out of his mouth! We have no idea where he gets it! And sometimes he has some mighty interesting, colourfull poop.. Ha ha
I find that when i do cuddle him and sit with him for a few minutes before i put him in he seems a bit better. But everywhere i read they say thats the worst thing to do so i didn't know if i was just convincing myself it made him feel better. I always tell him i love him and dad will be back really soon (he is off work early in the afternoon so Fin isn't alone long) I also leave the TV on, Kids programs so nothing loud and/or scary comes on, i came home one day to Gardan Ramsey's kitchen nightmares.. poor Fin ha ha so its not too quiet.
Thank you very much for the idea though.. i think i might try it with actual gates and see if that works.. It seems like a good plan. He is a little weasel though.. i wonder if i could contain him without having four solid walls! We used to try and baracade him into the kitchen but he always manages to snake his way out.
Although it can cause some stress, it sure is great being loved so much by these little guys eh?
we are like Dee and dave. Up till April we both worked full time, so they were lefta the front door, whcih had a window with their bed and toys, they could only use the hall ways we had an open plan so put a barrier into the lounge and another into the family room. These are out 4th and 5th Dachie. when we leave them here it is by one of the big windows so they can see. We have always left them quicky saying little, "be back soon be a good boy and girl" and give them a treat. Then when we return the same as sarge and duggie....................wipping and see me see me. We have started here not to pick either up come into the kitchen put bags then when they have settled bend and cuddle. In Melbourne we used to take them for a walk when we came in as well as it sort of took some enery out of them.
Do trials set him up toys etc and leave him for just 10 come back and add time.
We don't have crates even when we had pups, but we have never had anyother animals, plus we have always had a doggie door.
Picking up and cuddling is reenforcing what he is doing.
We have even used the way we leave when we went for a weeks holiday............they just sat at thedoor for a few hours and decided nannie was OK.
Roberta
We got Parker at 7 months. We tried the crate - once - didn't work. He cried for 8 hours, and clawed at the door. (I have a web cam at work). We promptly went out and bought an exercise pen that we set up in the basement. He had his bed in it and water, and food. Eventually we removed the food as he just spread it all over the place. (I never remove water). He would pee in his bed, and poop in his bed, and I always had a mess to clean, and laundry. At first I didn't realize he was pooping because he is a recycler). He eventually would settle down. Now we give him the run of the house. He knows the routine - Daddy leaving first, me showering, the hair dryer, packing my lunch etc. My morning routine never varies. He is always watching. I get my coat (my good one) out of the closet and lay it across the kitchen chair, when he sees it he curls up on the couch. I never say goodbye, just leave. I have a different coat that I wear when he is going, and different shoes. He knows the cues.
He is good Monday thru Thursday. On Friday, for some odd reason I come home to a puddle on the carpet, and poop on my chair. Never fails. We are thinking of reintroducing the xpen on Friday.
He also soils in the house if I leave with my husband. Even though we leave him for a short period of time. I'm pretty sure it's "behaviour", but I am at a loss for how to correct it.
Anyways, lots of toys and stuff, keep you cues consistent, and Finn will eventually settle down into a routine.
Well we take Romeo over to grandma and grandpa's during the when me and hubby work. He is use to it and loves it and knows when we are going to go. There have been a few times he stayed home with daddy because he wasn't working and when I got ready to leave he heard me and jumped out of bed and ran like heck to make sure he didn't get left. lol lol and when I pick me up he is the same way you would think I had been gone for 100 years he pees all over and is just so excited. Can't stop kissing me the same way as fin. They just love us so much I guess. I think me and hubby did wrong because we take him to grandma and grandpa's all the time like if we have to go out on the weekends like shopping or something we take him over there and they watch him. I guess we should have left him alone at home when he was a pup and he could stay there now but we are worried to leave him in house by him self becaue he has never been left alone. I guess we should have done that differently.
hugs and love laura and romeo
I was just watching "It's Me or the Dog" the other day where the owners had this problem (among others). They were told to vary their leaving routine so the dog wouldn't know they were leaving. The lady did all her regular routine but instead of walking out the door, she sat at the kitchen table and read the paper for a few minutes. Then she simply got up and walked out the door. No fuss. She did this a few times, making the time longer each time. This dog was not crated, so I'm not sure about when to put him in the crate. Would he cry if you put him in and then sat down to read something?
I know what you mean about needing to crate him for safety. Now that we have Elli who is 10 months old, I can so relate to your post about eating everything and getting into everything. Luckily for us, Elli's breeder already had her crate trained. We have been toying with the idea of leaving her and Gretch baby gated in the kitchen so they'd both have access to the doggie door. As it stands, Gretch has run of the house, Elli is crated. We have 2 openings to our kitchen. One opening is too wide for a regular baby gate so we ordered a wider one that hooks into the wall, as opposed to the pressure ones. Since it's wider, the wooden slats are farther apart. Since it's a baby gate, it would serve it's purpose for a baby. But ... the slats are just far apart enough for a doxie puppy to get stuck! Luckily, we tried her while we were home and watching her. She got her shoulders through and then freaked out, trying to back up but couldn't. I guess I'm telling this long story because it scared me. I would have never thought of that happening. Whatever setup you make for Finn, try it out while you're home first. In the crate, he's safe, for sure. He may get mad but he'll be safe. We decided to leave Elli in the crate. For us it was just a matter of why fix what isn't broke - Elli is fine in her crate.
Our boys are the same as Parker in knowing our routine. I always do the same things in the morning because I, too, am a creature of habit. The boys just seem to know that they are not going when I get ready for work. Before I leave, I put a baby gate at the base of the stairs so no one slips on the stairs and has an accident while we are gone. They have free run of the downstairs. Luckily for our boys, Cale works nights and gets home around the time I leave for work, so they are not alone for long.
We do sometimes get lip from Sammy when we leave in what he perceives as walking clothes. If I put on my tennis shoes, he fully expects to accompany me. While the other boys eventually give up when I do not get out the leashes, Sammy is very persistent, trying to sneak outside to go along. I feel bad every time I wear the tennis shoes and don't take him along, but he settles down and behaves after we leave - no pottying or destructive behavior.
I think it really helps our boys that there are 4 of them. They hunker down to wait it out until we return. We have a detached garage and sometimes manage to come up to the house without them knowing. We can see through the window that the big boys are curled up on the couch together, and the dachshunds come running from the dachshund lair (blankets that our senior Oscar drug under our desk and began sleeping on when he was with us, they are still a hit with the dachshunds). Does Fin have any canine company? Maybe you need another dachshund!
Please do not make a big deal of leaving or coming home, Patches is crated because she is a trash dog also has pooped on the Daddy's bed.Buddy the Doberman is left loose another reason Patches is crated do not want them playing unsupervised.Buddy 98# Patches 14# too big of difference in sizes rather be safe than sorry.Ok this is what I have done for 30+ years with all the dogs I have had. I walk out the door say dogs name and I say watch the house.Then when I come home they are ignored for a few minutes then they get some pets I do not go over board on petting them.I have never had a dog with Separation problems Patches is the only dog that has to be crated when we leave. In her crate she has toys that only stay in the crate + a bone that is the only time she sees or gets those toys. Also when Buddy was crate he would get frozen Kongs with stuff inside like peanut butter or cheese & treats He was not left loose until he was 2 years & 6 months old Dobermans can be like Marley the Lab in the movie.Patches is 3 years old still a trash dog so she is crated for her own good.Your pup still maybe too young to be left loose yet the smaller dogs mature out about 12 months old where as the big dogs do not get mature until 2-3 years old. Good Luck with your Fur Kid.
Thank you for all your suggestions and help!! It might take a while to figure out which one (if any :S) will help us out! I really appreciate it!!
When Finngean was still a little pup and had his grown up teeth just coming in, we had him in the crate while we were eatting supper because other wise he would just jump and jump like crazy, and he managed to get his mouth around one of the wires of the cage and it hooked on his back tooth and he just started screaming! It was the scariest thing thats ever happened.. i didnt know how to get his mouth out without hurting him and he was so scared we were worried he was going to break his neck. Eventually i just became the hulk and bent the metal out of the way. And i refused to put him into the crate untill all his grown up teeth were grown in. it was so terrifying.
So i like the idea of the crate for safety (Now that the crate isn't the dangerous one) because he has gotten stuck like yours Delia! IN the weridest places.
I mean, overall this isn't a HUGE problem.. i just hate upsetting him! He doesn't pant or howl or act TOO anxious. Its more just that he is sad and misses me too much.
And he is fine in the crate once he is in it, he lays down but just looks at me mournfully.. haha. He doesn't cry unless i wait too long before i go. I have to pretty much put him in RIGHT before i leave or else he can hear me doing stuff and whines.
Its just when it comes to putting him into it that he acts like i am sentencing him to death! He hangs his little head and hides under our desk, looking up at me with his huge brown eyes like "Momma do i have to?"
Geez they work us over eh? Has me wrapped around his little paw. :thinik:
Patches goes into the crate I speak in a up beat tone always throw in a treat or two mostly one of the CET tooth cleaning rawhides. Dogs do not have human emotions they live in the now know nothing of past and future they mainly read our emotions deep down you hate putting him in the crate he senses it.They also read our bodies like we read the newspaper.Some people say they know when they do wrong no to a dog there is no right or wrong it is how they read us.Example: You leave come home to a mess the dog tore up a book or what ever the dog knows you are mad by your body language. You can test this theory if you want leave the house walk in like you are mad at the dog and they will act guilty does not matter if they did anything or not.They have learned our body language to a T it is how they get along in our world so well.Papbouv
Everybody is giving you the best of their experiences, so I'll chime in, too. I have gotten most of my dachsies as puppies, and they were crated when I had to leave. The rest of the time, I have crated my new adult until I know how the group dynamics work out. Once I know things go smoothly, I only gate areas where I don't want puppers to be - like carpeted areas. If I have people in the house doing work, I usually use the ex-pen across the kitchen doorway so the dachsies don't get in the way. There is a doggie door in my dining room with a ramp to a little cement area, and some grass with a doghouse for shade, so they have facilities all day. (Workmen always laugh when I tell Robinton or Brekke that they'll charge me extra for dachshund advice. :2funny: ) I almost always leave a radio on for my two - as "white noise" and I also tell them as I leave - "No wild parties, no long distance calls, and no visitors while I'm gone, and Robinton, you watch the yard, and Brekke, you watch the house." When I get back, we always go outside, and then when we come back in, I have some blueberry, carrot, or apple dog biscuits for them. I ALWAYS give a treat when I get back home, and it seems to help.
We used to keep Ozzy in the laundry room until he nearly chewed through the door, so we had to crate him when we left for work. Ozzy actually acted relieved to have a more confined space to call home. I usually leave first, so he does fuss a little while hubby is still home, but he does stop when hubby tells him to be quiet.
When I get out the kong and cookie, Ozzy now runs to his crate and is waiting for me to give him the treats and close the door.
He does go crazy when I get home; again, I'm usually the first to get home from work, but its nothing more than running around, which I attribute to pent-up energy.
I do put a blanket over part of his crate, to give him a den-like feeling. That may help out.
The Zs are crate trained, but I got them that way from Yamisi. Also, being more "middle aged" they have learned our routines and will go to their crate without protest.
It sounds like Finn has the makings of a "one owner" dog and he has selected you. That is not an uncommon trait among dachsies.
Quote from: klsb on June 30, 2009, 09:03:37 AM
And he is fine in the crate once he is in it, he lays down but just looks at me mournfully.. haha. He doesn't cry unless i wait too long before i go. I have to pretty much put him in RIGHT before i leave or else he can hear me doing stuff and whines.
Its just when it comes to putting him into it that he acts like i am sentencing him to death! He hangs his little head and hides under our desk, looking up at me with his huge brown eyes like "Momma do i have to?"
This sounds like Scooter. Although he only gives a slightly mournful look to me as I'm walking away from the crate. It still guts me, though - if I had my druthers, I'd be home with him 24-7. I'm hyper conscious of the fact that his time with me is finite and I don't like being away from him any more than I have to!
But honestly, he's safer in his crate. I live in an apartment complex, and if Maintenance needs to come by - as they sometimes have to do - I'd rather have him tucked away where he couldn't get into anything or, God forbid, get out the front door. Because if anything ever happened to him I'd be DEVASTATED. So I suppose, selfishly, it's for my peace of mind, too.
Story: Scooter once ate an entire electrical wire, resulting in a visit to the Emergency Vet, a weekend-long hospital stay, and a couple of sleepless, worried-sick nights for me. So I know that danger lurks in even the most innocuous-seeming home. This knowledge, combined with my compulsive need to WORRY about everything, keeps me putting him in a crate whenever we leave.
Luckily, he really doesn't seem too bothered by it. He's a bit sad because we're leaving, I think. But he goes in willingly enough -- all I have to do is say "Momma's gotta go to work", and he comes running from wherever he is in the house, and hops right in and waits for his treat. Oh, did I mention that? He gets a treat every time he goes in. Without fail. In fact, sometimes he anticipates me. Just this morning I hadn't called him in yet, but I was gathering up my purse and keys, and I look over, and there he is, sitting in his crate with his ears perked, posing as adorably as possible, all "SEE WHAT A GOOD BOY I AM. I WOULD LIKE MY BITE OF HAM NOW, PLEASE".
I never call him into his crate until the very last moment possible, either. I will say he is less than happy if we hang around getting out the door too long after he's in. But as long as we make our exit quickly and quietly - a calm "Be a good boy, mommy be home soon" is all the goodbye I give - he really makes no complaint.
Now, if I am eating food and not sharing with him, his fury is UNPARALLELLED. But that's another story. :wink:
Good luck with whatever you choose to do with Fin!
So yesterday morning, i tried to change things up a little, i turned the TV on way earlier then i normally do, and i got dressed before i went into the kitchen, then just sat on the couch with him for a bit. He acted a little weird like he didnt know what to do. So when it came time for me to go, i got these treats out that he go NUTS for. They actually make him lose his mind, most of the time i cant use them for rewards because he completely forgets what he is doing and just frantically tries to climb me to get them. So i put him in the crate and hid a couple around it and gave him one and he didnt even notice me leaving because he was searching for the treats!!
I'm going to try it again this morning and see if it works again.
I am the same way about Fin as you are about Scooter! I am terrified of everything, i see how everything can he a threat.. I know i might go a little overboard but this dog is my baby!!
Quote from: scootersmom on July 01, 2009, 12:25:07 PM
Luckily, he really doesn't seem too bothered by it. He's a bit sad because we're leaving, I think. But he goes in willingly enough -- all I have to do is say "Momma's gotta go to work", and he comes running from wherever he is in the house, and hops right in and waits for his treat. Oh, did I mention that? He gets a treat every time he goes in. Without fail. In fact, sometimes he anticipates me. Just this morning I hadn't called him in yet, but I was gathering up my purse and keys, and I look over, and there he is, sitting in his crate with his ears perked, posing as adorably as possible, all "SEE WHAT A GOOD BOY I AM. I WOULD LIKE MY BITE OF HAM NOW, PLEASE".
And THAT is just too cute!! I HOPE one day Fin realizes that the crate isn't bad! Its weird because its not like he is sad because he wants to play and is boxed up, when we are home he sleeps till like two anyways. I just want him to be safe and happy!
I wasn't a crater at first, but now all 4 of mine crate. As I am preparing to leave the house, I will say "OK, crate, crate" and they head for the kitchen and get in their crates. They always get a treat for going in the crates. When I get back, they come out of the crates and head for the back door and we go outside and everyone potties. I keep the crate doors open when I am at home and they sometimes will decide to nap in their crates. If Minna gets scared (men, loud noises) she makes a beeline for her crate and hangs out there until the "threat" is gone. For some reason, Minna is scared of men. I have about decided that she was abused by a man before I got her when she was 6 months old.
Quote from: klsb on July 02, 2009, 08:11:12 AM
i got these treats out that he go NUTS for. They actually make him lose his mind, most of the time i cant use them for rewards because he completely forgets what he is doing and just frantically tries to climb me to get them. So i put him in the crate and hid a couple around it and gave him one and he didnt even notice me leaving because he was searching for the treats!!
This? Is a BRILLIANT idea.