So, I'm back to getting a dog...

tk123

Be careful if you're walking in dunes the way they're so flooded - in case you go running after him end up having a swim yourself lol!! Or you can end up surrounded by water. You'll learn the different colours of the grass and be able to tell how wet/dry it is from a distance! .

LucyBliss

I'm so happy to read this latest update.

DeVore

Slowly slowly catchy monkey.

Life with Josh is settling into a routine. I'm not sure the old me is wild about new-me's routine as I dont get lie ons in bed any more and I *really* liked them, but on the plus side, I'm getting more exercise and lots more done in the day.

Unfortunately a lot of what I get done is "cleaning up after Josh". The amount of muck around my ex-pristine kitchen is astounding! Almost all my clothes are covered in muck/hair.

The morning madness comes and goes now, some mornings he's a lot more mental than others... The overall trend seems to be positive but the battle for who controls the kitchen is still on! Crate training is still an option but while the trend is going the right way, I'm willing to try to compromise with him.

The positives are coming to the fore too. Walks dont seem like SUCH a chore (though the relentless "everydayness" of them when you live alone do tell on me sometimes)... the insistent demands for playtime have dropped to a manageable levels and are actually FUN now as opposed to a prelude to WW3. I can leave the room and while he still whines and runs around in a circle he at least isnt bashing off doors as much as before.

I took him to a secluded river and let him off the leash. He had a ball and loves the river bank. Then he spied a dog on the other side and ran a quarter mile to the bridge and back to "play" with him.Freaked me out because the bridge is near the nearest (minor) road. I could see him across the river, 100 meters away but half a mile for me to get there. Tried shouting, waving treats, tossing a ball to no avail. I might as well have not been there. I took a deep breath turned on my heel and walked away thinking about every door he bashes that gets between us. About 15 seconds later (if that) he'd covered the half mile to get back to me which made me very happy!!

Last night I went to sleep hearing him making yappy half-barks in his sleep chasing rabbits by the river no doubt

Whispered

DeVore wrote: »

Unfortunately a lot of what I get done is "cleaning up after Josh". The amount of muck around my ex-pristine kitchen is astounding! Almost all my clothes are covered in muck/hair.

You will never have a pristine kitchen again, well you might, but it won't last long. Have you had the pre-non-dog-person-visiting panic yet?

DeVore

I'm not sure what you mean but my mother came to visit and is "aghast" (is the only word to describe it) at the state of the place.

I love playing with him at night when he's quiet. I took out my camera tonight which kinda freaks him when I hold it up to my face (:)) and snagged a nice shot of him.


Hello you! by devoresphotos, on Flickr

He's rarely this placid....

gavmcg92

Loving all these updates. I'm a little late to the thread but congrats on the new member of the family. You should bring Josh to the dog park from time to time. You can let him off the lead to go socialise with others. They're great.

DeVore

Remember I mentioned that he jumps up and off the kitchen patio door... well I caught a shot of him doing it, from my bedroom window... witness the birth of a new extreme sport, I call it "Barkcour!"

Thats pretty much the top of the 9 foot door he's at...

Captain you are cleared for takeoff by devoresphotos, on Flickr


... and then he bounces off in a funny sort of a half somersault.

We just lost cabin pressure... by devoresphotos, on Flickr

tk123

I wouldn't allow that tbh - he could do damage like break a bone or snap ligaments = months of restriction in a crate and restricted exercise afterwards. Not to mention vets bills if he's not insured.

DeVore

I would LOVE to stop it, but how?!

He does it when he knows I'm inside and he can hear me moving about or he can see someone else in the house with me. If he doesnt hear me he doesnt do it (or so it seems) and he doesnt do it when I'm there in view so I have no idea how to stop him or train him not to do this... its getting less frequent (and lower altitude!) as time goes on so I was hoping he would just get bored of doing it and stop by himself. I dont react to it or reward it by letting him in...

Any suggestions?

FoxyVixen

Why is he jumping at the door like that? Appears to me he's anxious or terribly bored? I wouldn't consider it to be a normal behaviour in a content dog.

I'd look into getting to the source of that behavioural problem and reverse it quickly before it becomes habit or you'll have a tougher time breaking it. Drag scent something in the garden perhaps and hide it so he has to find it can be a good game. About 4 games of that has my Akita tired and she decides to do her own thing or take a nap.

If you're having issues with sorting it yourself then it's time to bite the bullet and get in touch with a QUALIFIED behaviourist (no cowboys irregardless of how long they claim to have worked with dogs).

DeVore

Generally he's a very content dog, but that pic was taken after a walk that lasted over 2 hours from Coolock to Dollymount and back, so its not boredom or lack of exercise.
He does NOT like being separated from me and he has done this ever since I rescued him. He used to do it inside when I left the kitchen but thats stopped now (thankfully!). He used to do it outside ALL the time, like an hour or two continuously but now I find he only does it when he wants to get in to be with me.

He has a half dozen toys he plays with in the backyard and a shed and bed and blanket too.

The best I can tell its either separation anxiety (which seems to be dying away) along with frustration at not getting what he wants (to be with me). He's a very headstrong dog which I believe is a Beagle trait so when he doesnt get his way he lets you know.

The rest of the time he is very happy and loves rubs, learning tricks, playing games and dozing in his bed. So long as I'm around he's very happy it seems...

FoxyVixen

Sounds like you're doing enough by him in terms of exercise/attention, but IMO I still wouldn't condone that behaviour.

Have you got a "charged" toy that you can use only when you want time by yourself? Toys that are constantly at the dogs disposal lose their value.

If it's a case of seperation anxiety it needs to be addressed now, not wait for it to diminish itself. Am I right in assuming you've done everything you can think of in erasing this behaviour? And it still continues? I'm really not trying to be rude, but then it's time to accept you've gone as far as you can and to at least call an animal behaviourist to see what assistance they can give from a professional point of view.

Whilst it's great having this forum to ask for advice, sometimes it's not enough and the only route left is through a professional individual.

Hope that makes sense. I can see the dog is really well looked after, loved and exercised, but behaviour like that can damage the wee guy.

borderlinemeath

Have you any idea how long he was in the pound/rescue before you got him Dev?

Sometimes door bouncing like that is a learned behaviour from being kenneled/confined for too long without mental stimulation or physical exercise. In the absence of either the dogs only outlet for exercise is kennel bouncing or tail chasing or the like and the behaviour can continue even when out of the situation.

If Josh is feeling even slightly anxious by you heading indoors without him he may revert back to the behaviour as an outlet for his fears. Just one suggestion.

DeVore

He was 5 days in the pound, picked up off the street, so I dunno how long he was without interaction of that kind. He *hated* the pound and wanted out eagerly.

I had a behaviourist in and she gave me some advice about how to reassure him when I'm going out but mostly it boils down to "lots of reassurance and patience".

The positive thing is that before this would happen for hours on end, while now its down to maybe 6-12 times a day... I've had him for what, 6 weeks 2 days now so I think there is still plenty of time for some more "settling in"...

Stheno

Do you react in any way when you see him doing it?

And is the door all glass or half pvc/glass?

whitesands

Stick a couple of chairs or something in front of the door so he can't jump at it. You want him to look at the door & realise
his bouncing off it game will never work.

borderlinemeath

If you say he does it when he knows you're there it may be a small insight into his former home. He may have been one of those dogs that was full time banished to the garden while being able to view his family through the door but never allowed in. He could well be showing his frustration at the inability to get in to you whereas if you're not there he's nothing to get frustrated about. It could be familiar to him but the fact that it's dissipating is a good thing, he may be beginning to think that you're far better than his previous owners!

borderlinemeath

whitesands wrote: »

Stick a couple of chairs or something in front of the door so he can't jump at it. You want him to look at the door & realise
his bouncing off it game will never work.

That's not solving the dogs problem, it's putting a further obstacle in his way and will mentally frustrate him even more. He's not going to 'realise' that his learned behaviour won't work, he'll be upset further and may revert to chewing the chairs or howling for attention.

DeVore

I dont react now (I did initially but quickly changed tack), I ignore it and reward when he sits calmly outside.

That door is all PVC and very solid, he wont break it but the door in the kitchen is part wood part glass and he has pulled this trick on it before when he has seen me leaving through the front door.

As I said, he seems to be getting calmer every day (for example, in weeks 1-3 I would have to sliiiide out of the kitchen door or he would be after me like a shot, now I can open the door and walk out normally and he stops and doesnt follow. Before when I walked upstairs he would go bananas and jump at the kitchen door, now he whines a bit and walks around in a circle but then goes off to play with his toys or goes to bed.

Basically any separation between us is NOT ON in his book and it looks to me (being wary of projecting human feelings onto dogs) that he's pissed off or frustrated that he's going to be left alone and we're not going to "play" now, this behaviour is part anxiety, part annoyance. He basically ALWAYS wants to play and I get about 20 of those "play bows" a day

ppink

DeVore wrote: »

I dont react now (I did initially but quickly changed tack), I ignore it and reward when he sits calmly outside.

That door is all PVC and very solid, he wont break it but the door in the kitchen is part wood part glass and he has pulled this trick on it before when he has seen me leaving through the front door.

As I said, he seems to be getting calmer every day (for example, in weeks 1-3 I would have to sliiiide out of the kitchen door or he would be after me like a shot, now I can open the door and walk out normally and he stops and doesnt follow. Before when I walked upstairs he would go bananas and jump at the kitchen door, now he whines a bit and walks around in a circle but then goes off to play with his toys or goes to bed.

Basically any separation between us is NOT ON in his book and it looks to me (being wary of projecting human feelings onto dogs) that he's pissed off or frustrated that he's going to be left alone and we're not going to "play" now, this behaviour is part anxiety, part annoyance. He basically ALWAYS wants to play and I get about 20 of those "play bows" a day

I may have missed it but have you started hiding toys for him to find yet? I find that great for one of my dogs. I have her now spending a long time hunting for toys . I know it is back to a game again but if you got him doing this initially it may distract him from that jumping when he goes out the back?

DeVore

I do occasionally hide things like a small stuffed Kong somewhere when I'm going out and when I get back I have a small UNstuffed Kong

I have two "charged" toys, inside we have a HUGE rope that he goes mad for and which tires him out quite quickly in the evenings, for outside I have two Kong tennis balls (thank god for Kong, the only things which stand up to his abuse!). He loves to play throw in the back yard.

He has done this jumping thing from the very first day I have had him so I am guessing its learned behaviour from his previous owner and quite possibly why he was strayed (which is my best guess as to how he ended up in the pound, this isnt a dog who gets lost or leaves his master for any distance). I think he was doing this in his last house and they dumped him...


Now comes the tricky part, I have a long weekend away at the end of Feb and I have to kennel him. I *had* thought my family could take him but life with Josh has opened my eyes to how prepared you have to be for this bombshell to land in your life... and my sister's house and family are just not up to it.

So, after some research I'm going with Lissenhall kennels and going to kennel him for 4-5 nights. I'm a bit anxious about that if I'm honest as I don't want him to feel like he's been dumped again but I have a life too and Josh has to fit into it. I just hope he doesnt come back to me the way he was after 5 days in the pound. I think I'll take him down there for a day or two's "day-boarding" to get used to it...

jsabina

About the boarding kennel I had an experience with my previous dog I like to share.
He was a Difficult dog.
Separation anxiety, he was coming with me every day at work and when we were leaving him alone for short periods he was barking all the time and being a "bad dog".
For years my sister and me didn't go on holidays together to not leave him in a kennel.
I took him from the pound as well.
When he was 8 years old we HAD to leave him in the kennel.

He has done the test for half day, then for 1 day, then for 1 weekend in a very nice place.

At the end he LOVED that place!!
He was going there all happy and we put him in that boarding kennel for few weekends and two "longer" holidays!



So it depends, you should find a good place and try the short days boarding it's a good thing!

Good luck with everything

anniehoo

Have you thought about a petsitter i.e someone coming/staying in your home and keeping the same routine you have with him? I was a petsitter for 8 years part time and id literally stay in the peoples houses for the length of time they were away. It meant the pets didnt stress out,their routine wasnt disrupted and the house got minded too. Its obviously more expensive (not hugely) than kennels, but for the "regulars" that i had it was fantastic peace of mind for them to have someone they trusted minding their pets and their houses with no stress of worrying about the effort of kennels.

Alot of vet nurses do this to supplement their income if you rang around practices.

DeVore

Thanks... I had thought a bit about some kind of baby-sitting but the other thing is that I need to start socialising Josh with other dogs too (and he LOVES other dogs, cant wait to say hello)... so perhaps he will love the kennel. I live alone and I'm not sure how I would feel having someone I didnt know live in my house during time when I wasnt there...
Thanks for the advice re: the kennels, I think we are just going to have to take a leap of faith and see how he does...

tk123

My dog has separation anxiety and the 2 times he's been in kennels they said he was good as gold!! The last time the guy was sitting in the back of the car kissing him before we left lol! Some kennels have a buddy system where they match your dog up with a friend for playing and walks etc and let them out to play together.. That said I've heard more bad reviews aboout Lissenhall than good(!) - they've been mentioned here a good few times iirc eg http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056676669

jsabina

There are also dog owners that could mind your dog at their place.
In this way he would socialize with dogs and with people and he will not be closed in a kennel but in a nice environment..
maybe it could be another idea..
or as I said the kennels are not always that bad for dogs.. mine loved it!

ISDW

Have you been to the kennels to have a look around? I would suggest that you should go and view a few of them, and see which one you feel more comfortable leaving your dog in. As he came out of the pound, you're right to be concerned that a kennel environment may stress him out, so maybe look at which of them is least like the pound environment.

it is a good idea to put him in for a few hours, or an overnight stay, then he will realise, before you go away properly, that you are coming back for him.

nemo32

tk123 wrote: »

My dog has separation anxiety and the 2 times he's been in kennels they said he was good as gold!! The last time the guy was sitting in the back of the car kissing him before we left lol! Some kennels have a buddy system where they match your dog up with a friend for playing and walks etc and let them out to play together.. That said I've heard more bad reviews aboout Lissenhall than good(!) - they've been mentioned here a good few times iirc eg http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056676669

Hi tk123, What kennels did you use?

tk123

nemo32 wrote: »

Hi tk123, What kennels did you use?

The first time it was Best Kennels and no probs. Second time around I left it too late (i had reservations and as was stalling being honest) and they were booked out so it was a guy who runs a small kennels at his house that was recommended to me by a trainer. The kennels themselves are NOT modern at all and look very old fashioned which might put people off but the guy himself is fantastic and I knew from speaking to him on the phone and when we met that he was the right person to look after my baba! I can dig his number out and PM it if you want? He's based in Naul but not in middle of nowhere/hard to find - close enough and easy to get to from the exit off the M1

DBB

tk123 wrote: »

That said I've heard more bad reviews aboout Lissenhall than good(!)

+1

A good kennels will not mix adult dogs together unless they know them very well.
I'd be more inclined to find a good home pet carer, where you bring your dog to them to live in their house, with their dogs, as an in-house pet dog.
There are good home pet carers out there, there are even some who post on this forum.