Lurcher and seperation anxiety

raemie10

My partner and I adopted a gorgeous 2/3 yo female lurcher three weeks ago.
She was a rescue dog (abandoned in woods a few months ago with scars and knocks which led the rescue workers to believe she was used for coursing and abandoned when injured)
We adore her, and she's good as gold (apart from thieving food!) when we're at home.
I work from home mostly (but in an office.. so she knows I'm there but I'm not on top of her all day)
She had a lot of peeing accidents inside (usually from excitement) the first week or so but thankfully no number 2 accidents. The peeing stopped after about 3/4 days. (she still has the rare excitement pee which isn't too bad to cope with!)
That was until friends of ours stayed last week for a night and we woke up to both no 1 & 2 accidents in the hall the next morning.. we figured she must have been stressed with new people in the house.
All was well for the next few days until I needed to head away for work for a few days.

She literally sleeps about 22 hours of the day (thus the reasoning behind rescuing a sighthound like her.. as I might be away a couple of days every second week and we thought she would be okay at home by herself)
We have a big dog bed in the living room where we would watch TV and eat.. that's where she stays for most of the day.. however we got another big bed for the hall as we thought it was safest to leave her there when we go out (It's quite a large hall with two big windows the length of the house so she can see out to the garden and front door) she actually took to sleeping in the hall bed at night when we got the second bed so we figured she must like it and felt safe and comfortable there.

So anyway.. the day of leaving her on her own for the first time...

We got up, my partner brought her out for toilet and a run around (around 6:45am) and we fed her (we've been feeding her morning around 7:30 or so and evening around 6:30pm or so every day) and she seemed ok.
We installed skype (created an account for her!) so we could see how she was when we left.

Oh Lord.. my heart was in my mouth all day at work watching her.. she was so upset and whined and barked for hours throughout the day.
My partner came home at lunch around 12:30 to walk her (though she's usually too lazy to want to go) and he was greeted with several toilet accidents.. in two separate rooms either side of the house that she managed to get into.. little pees and awful runny no 2s.. on white carpet..

When I'm at home, she holds everything in until we go outside and generally no accidents overnight so I know she can hold it in!

The same thing happened the next day.. only more extreme.. lots of pees in my office where she had managed to get into.

We're unsure whether she was retaliating or if it was an anxious thing...
Today I'm back home and she's barely left her bed sleeping, I had to drag her outside twice to go to the toilet!

So... we're not 100% sure what to do.
Should we get a crate and go back and try and crate train her?
Should we maybe look at feeding her once in the evening on days we know we're going to be away??

How do owners cope with dogs when they're away for the day..feeding schedules etc?

Other background info.. we've filled kongs and toys and left them but they don't last that long and she's not that bothered by it.

My partner was recommended Royal Canine Adult Maxi for her (€80 for a big bag) She's relatively small, 20kgs so not sure if maybe it's too rich for her..
Her no 2's are prob 70/30 runny/normal.
We feed her bits of fruit,dog treats,dentasticks and peanut butter in her toys.

Have left radio on..

Would really appreciate some tips
Also.. would love some tips with Irish products on how to clean the accidents from carpet and cracks in wood..The house currently smells like a zoo!
Thanks

Ms Doubtfire1

yes, sep anxiety.Not surprising if she was dumped in the woods by some i-prefer being-dead- lowlife.

Take it very very slow. only leave for 10 minutes the first time you leave her alone.Praise her to heaven when she manages without an accident. build up gradually...
There are probably some natural reliefs you could get her, would recommend speaking to a vet on that. I have a rescue lurcher too, and every time there are strangers in the house he trembles so badly that he shakes on his feet.As a result, my current social life is non existing as I bring it on gradually, no visit lasts longer than 30 minutes at the moment, and he can cope with that amount at this point. It will take a good bit more time to get him to relax...as it will take your girl a lot of time to relax when she's alone...

aonb

you only have her 2/3 weeks, so very early days yet, dont panic!

First of all if her poo is that runny, the food is not suiting her. Royal Canin is a pretty poor food in any case. Sight hounds do well on 'different' foods - to other bog-standard dogs I mean - there are some knowledgable sight-hound people on here who will advise you on food for sight hounds. Oh and lurchers are renowned for food theft

Poo and pee in the house are anxiety related - dont even think about her 'retaliating' - dogs dont think like that. Its a pain to clean up, there are excellent non-ammonia products that will help - non-bio washing powder in warm water helps, again there will be someone along who will tell you the names of these products (I dont have carpets!!)

With seperation anxiety its going to be a very slow learning process. Leaving her in a room on her own when she is settled, while you are in another room (making noise), working up to leaving the house for a few minutes working up to a longer and longer separation. There are products you can get to help - thundershirts etc.

some other threads on the subject here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=89021414

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=93880394

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=82894484

Vel

If you are on Facebook there is a really great private group for pet sighthound owners in Ireland where you will be able to get lots of advice and support. If you are interested in joining pm me your email address and I can add you

njs030

As already said the runny poo could be down to the food, for future reference avoid buying big bags until you know they suit her tummy. Expensive doesn't equal quality unfortunately!
I feed my dogs on burns sensitive, your vet would have samples if you're interested in trying burns but as already said she might prefer a food specifically aimed at sighthounds.

Puppy pads are good for catching wee if she goes in the same place a lot, to clean up a dustilled white vinegar in warm water mix helps cancel the smell....google is great for tips!

tk123

A dog with sep. anxiety can poo themselves from stress - and it's runny messy poo so while I agree RC isn't the best it may not be the problem. Bailey pooped his pants a few times from stress and had to be washed down when he'd normally have hard poos..

Shint0

OP, I use a product from this website www.mistralie.co.uk
for any accidents. It comes under their pet products category. The one I use is for hard floors and I find it quite good. I emailed them before and they got back to me quickly with a recommendation for my type of floor tiles.

I see they also have one suitable for carpets but I have never used that one. The containers are quite large and last a long time.They are based in Northern Ireland but deliver here too.

fits

My lurcher does runny poos if he gets even mildly stressed out. Its not to do with his food.

Id probably look at a crate/ safe space for her until she is a bit more secure in herself and leave her for short periods of time to begin with. Dont just use the crate when leaving the house.

strandroad

Speaking from experience, 3 weeks is early days still and she's made an amazing progress already if you think about it. From an abused dog to a healthy almost perfect pet in not even a month... you're doing great!

First of all, to be alone for a whole day is a big adjustment. Start with shorter periods of time and build up. If you have a garden leave her on her own, lock the house and go gardening for an hour every evening. Crate will help if you get her used to it but it's a gradual process too.
I would leave the rooms open but hide all loose objects and roll up rugs temporarily, being suddenly locked in the hall (however big it is) must be a source of stress to her too. Who knows what conditions and spaces she was kept in... let her make her choice where she wants to be to find comfort (ideally her crate, but again it will take time too). If your partner can come in for lunch while you're away it will help a lot to break up her day.

Runny poo is due to stress if she has normal stools otherwise, no need to change food, it will only upset her, but you may bulk it up with some carbs to be a little more stodgy and solid.

Pet stores have this anti-smell enzyme spray that will break down and neutralise smells... stains are elbow grease I'm afraid.

You'll get there though! And I'm sure she's worth it.

aonb

tk123 wrote: »

A dog with sep. anxiety can poo themselves from stress - and it's runny messy poo so while I agree RC isn't the best it may not be the problem. Bailey pooped his pants a few times from stress and had to be washed down when he'd normally have hard poos..

so true! stress/anxiety = runny poo!

razorblunt

OP, I'm in the same boat (rescue, not a lurcher) and recently started a thread on the same thing. Unfortunately we had her for a week and had to "board" her (not in a kennel) for a week and only got her back on Friday.

We had been making good progress with her and have been since Saturday but letting her out to do her business in our patio.
Even if she doesn't go we try it half a dozen times, when she does go she gets lots of praise and a treat. We found so far this helped to give her a distinction between going for a walk to pee and just being able to get when she needs to in that area.
She woke me at 3am to go this morning and I was delighted (might not have expressed that at the time).

Essentially we know that with the break in between we are really back at week 1 of having her, so we're not going to rush things along but let her get in slowly to our habits. She's good as gold apart from that.

raemie10

razorblunt wrote: »

OP, I'm in the same boat (rescue, not a lurcher) and recently started a thread on the same thing. Unfortunately we had her for a week and had to "board" her (not in a kennel) for a week and only got her back on Friday.

We had been making good progress with her and have been since Saturday but letting her out to do her business in our patio.
Even if she doesn't go we try it half a dozen times, when she does go she gets lots of praise and a treat. We found so far this helped to give her a distinction between going for a walk to pee and just being able to get when she needs to in that area.
She woke me at 3am to go this morning and I was delighted (might not have expressed that at the time).

Essentially we know that with the break in between we are really back at week 1 of having her, so we're not going to rush things along but let her get in slowly to our habits. She's good as gold apart from that.

Great to hear. We actually had to board our lady over the weekend as we were going to a wedding and picking her up today... so we're thinking that yes, we will probably have to pretend it's back to week one again with her.

aonb

raemie10 wrote: »

Great to hear. We actually had to board our lady over the weekend as we were going to a wedding and picking her up today... so we're thinking that yes, we will probably have to pretend it's back to week one again with her.

how did she do at the boarding place??

raemie10

aonb wrote: »

how did she do at the boarding place??

Really well. It's a lovely kennel thankfully (John in Moycullen, Galway)
The guy (think his name is Robert) was brilliant with her.
My partner picked her up and was ecstatic to see that she had made a friend, a fellow lurcher and the two of them were strolling around together.
It doesn't seem to have hindered her beahviour/toilet issues.
We went out for dinner for four hours last night and were DREADING a dirty protest when we got home. There was a bit of pee, but we think she did that when we got back and she was waiting for us to get out of the car (excitement pee!) So we were delighted.
We're going to make a point of heading out every evening for even half hour this week just to really get her used to us leaving before I have to head to Dublin again.

Just need to work on her recall and get her a pair of shoes (she keeps cutting her paws on briars in a forest unfortunately) and she'll be a proper angel

Milly33

Sounds like things are working out OP! Great news they are such sensitive dogs but as most have mentioned 3 weeks is quite early to be all settled.. Trial and error is the way to happiness... Great that ye are trying though and keeping yer patience hopefully she will settle soon..

Great with the minder too, that might do her better to get some socialising....

raemie10

Milly33 wrote: »

Sounds like things are working out OP! Great news they are such sensitive dogs but as most have mentioned 3 weeks is quite early to be all settled.. Trial and error is the way to happiness... Great that ye are trying though and keeping yer patience hopefully she will settle soon..

Great with the minder too, that might do her better to get some socialising....

Yep, I can't remember what life was like before her
One thing I've noticed since getting her is how unfriendly Ireland is in terms of dogs

Milly33

How do you mean! I know people have a lot of attitudes with lurchers/whippets/grey hounds as they think they are hunting dogs, or well they are in a way but they aren't beats (haha I am using all the wrong words).. Think that is just old Irish attitudes

Choc Chip

Milly33 wrote: »

How do you mean! I know people have a lot of attitudes with lurchers/whippets/grey hounds as they think they are hunting dogs, or well they are in a way but they aren't beats (haha I am using all the wrong words).. Think that is just old Irish attitudes

I think they mean that Ireland's unfriendly re. being able to take your dog places (e.g. holidays, restaurants, walks etc). Lots of places don't allow dogs at all and many parks and walks have strict leash laws. Then there's the beaches who have rules about what times dogs can be on them during the summer. Don't get me started on the RB laws.

I'm from the UK and things are a LOT more dog-friendly there (e.g. dogs are a regular sight on buses in cities and there are lots of dog-friendly cottages etc). It's far from perfect, but there are a lot more dog-friendly options.

raemie10

Milly33 wrote: »

How do you mean! I know people have a lot of attitudes with lurchers/whippets/grey hounds as they think they are hunting dogs, or well they are in a way but they aren't beats (haha I am using all the wrong words).. Think that is just old Irish attitudes

I'm used to (as I walked a neighbour's greyhound around Dublin before) to the stares and looks from people as they think greyhound are vicious.
It's not that I meant.
I mean it would be nice, if there were dog friendly (gated) parks.. certain areas of beaches that were off leash dog friendly etc.
I know, it's tricky to make sure that all off leash dogs are trained and safe etc.. but just from googling and reading blogs and stuff, we're a little behind in making travelling/holidaying around Ireland dog friendly

Milly33

Ah i see.. I suppose it is indeed mind we have found a few places on Air bnb that will allow dogs, even recently we booked a place in Cork and we can bring the pooch with us which is great.. Went to Ennis too and the self catering lodges there allow dogs..

I would be interested to know any hot spots OP in the Galway area where it is ok to let dogs off the leash as we are moving up for September. Herself always goes on the leash but she loves when you leave her off just to run around in circles (pent up energy) and go mad for a few mins...

It does mystify's me peoples perceptions of different dogs like a Labrador is fine but a greyhound vicious, but i think it is more to do with fads... Best of luck anywho OP i hope she settles in soon and is happier when she has some alone time..

muddypaws

raemie10 wrote: »

I'm used to (as I walked a neighbour's greyhound around Dublin before) to the stares and looks from people as they think greyhound are vicious.
It's not that I meant.
I mean it would be nice, if there were dog friendly (gated) parks.. certain areas of beaches that were off leash dog friendly etc.
I know, it's tricky to make sure that all off leash dogs are trained and safe etc.. but just from googling and reading blogs and stuff, we're a little behind in making travelling/holidaying around Ireland dog friendly

There are some dog parks around the place now, and from my experience, there are more beaches that allow dogs in the summer here in Ireland than there are in the UK.

Choc Chip

muddypaws wrote: »

There are some dog parks around the place now, and from my experience, there are more beaches that allow dogs in the summer here in Ireland than there are in the UK.

Mad- I've the totally opposite experience! None of the beaches near my parents or friends in the UK have restrictions on dogs being on or off lead at any time as long as they're under control. Whereas all the irish beaches near me in Ireland have restrictions on dogs being on them during summer. Must just be the locations!

muddypaws

Choc Chip wrote: »

Mad- I've the totally opposite experience! None of the beaches near my parents or friends in the UK have restrictions on dogs being on or off lead at any time as long as they're under control. Whereas all the irish beaches near me in Ireland have restrictions on dogs being on them during summer. Must just be the locations!

Yeah, all the beaches near me allow dogs on and off lead at all times, except one, then its on lead after 10 am. Have you ever been to Cornwall in the summer? I lived in Burnham on Sea in Somerset, and dogs weren't allowed on the beach in town at all, year round

Choc Chip

muddypaws wrote: »

Yeah, all the beaches near me allow dogs on and off lead at all times, except one, then its on lead after 10 am. Have you ever been to Cornwall in the summer? I lived in Burnham on Sea in Somerset, and dogs weren't allowed on the beach in town at all, year round

Never been to Cornwall with the dogs - that's mad! We're generally in Scotland when we go over. Most places there are great for taking dogs - we're doing Ben Nevis with them later this year (after having checked the path we're doing is suitable ).

muddypaws

Choc Chip wrote: »

Never been to Cornwall with the dogs - that's mad! We're generally in Scotland when we go over. Most places there are great for taking dogs - we're doing Ben Nevis with them later this year (after having checked the path we're doing is suitable ).

Ben Nevis sounds amazing, if you don't mind heights

Have fun, I take it you're going after Midge season?

Choc Chip

muddypaws wrote: »

Ben Nevis sounds amazing, if you don't mind heights

Have fun, I take it you're going after Midge season?

Haha - near the end so fingers crossed they're not too bad. I grew up in Scotland though so I'd be laughed at if I said I wasn't visiting because of the midgies!