HELP HACHI

[hachi-kun]

Ok, so here's the story. Hachi is a very very DEPENDENT puppy. He relies on me and stays by my side throughout the day. Since I recently graduated from college, and am currently unemployed, we spend a lot of time together at home (mainly just laying on the couch) and out of the home (walks, pet stores, etc.). For the last 7 weeks, he has not learned to stay at home in his crate by himself. I have been training him from the beginning to be independent in his crate when left alone, but it has not been working. I need suggestions and help from others who have also experienced these problems.

I am definite that Hachi suffers from separation anxiety. I will say it is in between the MILD and SEVERE type of separation anxiety. The symptoms are all there. He barks, whines, and pee's all over himself when left alone in the crate. When left out of the crate, he barks, whines, pees, leaves presents on the welcome rug, and scratches at the door until I return. He can bark and whine AND PEE for hours non-stop. In his crate he will begin to bark, whine, and pee as soon as I am out of his sight. I can be standing in the next room behind the wall, and he will begin his excessive barking and whining.

I am pretty sure the traumatic incident that triggered his separation anxiety was being moved back and forth from two homes. The previous owners shared him, and he went back and forth two homes for 2 weeks. They were trying to find someone who was able to take him and care for him, and fortunately they selected me. They had mentioned before that he barks and whines when left alone, but I had no idea it was this bad.

I have tried everything that I can find to help to ease his separation anxiety. I leave at least 2 different chew toys in his crate. I always leave a Kong (I use freeze dried chicken cubes). I leave a dirty shirt that I have worn. I leave the TV on. I put the crate in his favorite spot of the house (right next to my room and in front of the kitchen). He has all these things in his crate, and as soon as I leave, he will stop everything to bark, whine, and pee on everything. He will even stop playing with his Kong, bark and whine until I come back, before resuming to the Kong.

As of now, he has been desensitized to the signs of me leaving. I regularly walk around with shoes, and I constantly jingle my keys. However, my house is equipped with an alarm system that beeps twice every time a door downstairs is opened. As soon as he hears this beep he will be in a panic mode. I tried sensitizing him to the beeps, but so far it has been unsuccessful. There is no way that the beeps can be turned off.

I have also been training him to be independent in his crate. I tried the step program and it was unsuccessful. For 2 weeks, we followed the program, and he would still bark and whine until I came back even if it was for 45 seconds. I left him alone in his crate, walked upstairs and stayed there from 45 seconds to 1 hour, and he would bark, whine and pee, until I came back down. Starting last week, he spends at least 2-3 hours straight in his crate a day with me sitting in another room, and will be good as long as he has a close vision of me (trying to build separation). I am gradually trying to move further away, but as soon as I am out of his sight he will begin his excessive barking and whining.

Some notes that also need mentioning are:

-I walk him regularly a good 3 times a day for 30-90 mins each walk. I try my hardest to tire him out, but even though he is tired in his crate, he will still make the effort to bark when I am out of his sight.

-He sleeps in his crate every night, but that is because it is placed under the table next to my bed.

-His barking can be heard halfway down the block.

-When I try to leave him he will always follow me.

-As soon as I move into another room he will follow me even when he is in the middle of sleeping.

-When I leave him outside a room and close the door he will usually find somewhere to pee even though he is not in his crate.

-He usually knows and senses that I will leave before I leave.

-I can leave him in the crate and walk around the house, but as soon as he does not hear my footsteps he begins to whine.

-I have tried playing hide-and-seek, and was not very successful.

-He will stay in the crate alone and not bark when left alone in a CAR. STRANGE RIGHT?

People have suggested to me to just leave him in his crate and let him bark, whine and pee it out. They said to leave the house and to not think twice of what he would do. They said he will learn on his own after peeing all over his toys and himself. If I already know he will continue barking, should I leave the house everyday, and let him bark, whine, and pee on himself everyday? If I attempt this, how damaging would it be to his mental health?

PLEASE I REALLY NEED HELP. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT ELSE I CAN DO TO HELP HIS SEPARATION ANXIETY.

[HuskyCouture]

embry was like this after i started going back to work after i got him, except i don't crate him because he will hurt himself in there. but over the last few weeks he has stopped with the anxiety. I started taking him to the dog park an hour before i go to work and when we get home he just goes and plops down on his bed and doesn't even care that i'm going to leave. i do live with 4 other people so when he hears them come home he does bark a bit but when he realizes it isn't me he stop immediately.

also i noticed getting the kong and filling it, throwing it and stepping out of the house while he's looking for it works also. another thing, they sell those calming collars, i heard they work but i haven't tried one.

[KERNOWHUSKIES]

Ive been thro the exact same thing with my last pup. He used 2 pee in the crate n destroy everythin in it if i left the room but the only thing that worked was wot i did below.......

All the books say 2 not make a fuss when in the cage n if u cant stand it go sit nxt to the cage with ur back 2 it n ignore him, it may take a while but when he eventually stops screamin etc turn around n praise him n only let him out when hes good n quiet.

I thought it would never end but now Mushu loves his cage n will happily come in n out as he pleases, this isnt gunna happen overnight

As 4 people sayin u should leave him 2 it n leave the house i would strongly reccomend not 2, Mushu got himself so worked up his mouth n paws were sore from the bars n he was panting terrible n i couldnt believe i had let him get in that state. As soon as i let him out he fell asleep at my feet instantly (n yes i cried)

I know u feel like its at an end but just keep at it, its horrible 2 do but it does work.

Hope this helps. Em x

[Sarah]

A DAP defuser MAY help but by the sounds of it I think he's too stressed out for it to have any sort of effect?

Kimba was a nightmare when I was first crate training him, i cried so much and got no sleep - eventually he did settle down but it isn't easy - as well you know xx

All I could suggest is probably what you've already been doing - leave the door open, with toys and food in for him and praise him every time he goes in. Close the door when he's in after a time and sit with him then let him out - slowly increasing the distance between you and the crate for short periods of time.

Another off the wall thought would be to get another dog? I found getting Kaiser to be the best thing I ever did to reduce Kimba's seperation anxiety he used to follow me EVERYWHERE i couldn't go to the toilet without him trying to break the door down now they are both happy with each other and are superb in their crates

Obviously don't JUST get a dog for this reason, costs, space, etc all needs to be taken into consideration but maybe one other way of viewing it?