separation anxiety when someone is home (golden retriever, toy, train, rescues)

[groar]

my sister recently got a dog named iggy (she found him running in the street and advertised that she found him but never found an owner); he's still with her on sort of a trial basis because her boyfriend is not that into the idea. he's ok with it, he doesn't actively dislike the dog or anything, but he's not a dog lover. their first concern was that their very neurotic cat would not be too traumatized, and that seems to be working out fine. generally, iggy is really, really well behaved. he is scared of the cat and the cat is not scared of him.

however, whenever my sister goes out, even if her boyfriend is there, iggy whines and cries for about an hour. i suggested a puzzle ball or kong that only comes out when she leaves but she said he's not very motivated by treats. i told her to try higher-value treats like meat and cheese, or feeding him meals in a toy, but i was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions. her boyfriend is usually working when he's home alone so i doubt he'll be able to do much work with iggy (and i'm not sure if he wants to anyway).

any ideas? i know that a situation where one partner is not as enthused about the dog isn't ideal, but it worked out well with me and my husband! she is willing and able to find the dog another home if he becomes too much of a strain on her boyfriend though. she wants to be fair to him and to iggy, and she has several friends who will take iggy if she can't keep him.

[FiveHorses]

Obviously to Iggy, unless that someone is your sister, it doesn't count.

A lot of strays/rescues are not food motivated at first, it's love and affection they're starved for and it's love and affection that's the biggest reward to them. I often joke that our latest acquisition should walk around with a sign that reads "Will work for love". For about a year, if you gave him a treat, he'd take it very politely and ... drop it, disinterested. It didn't matter if it was filet mignon or a biscuit, nothing doing - it was the attention you were paying him just before the treat he was working for (ie, with a sit).

When you sister goes out - is this for an 8 hour working day or what? When she does go out, where is the dog (ie, crated, just in one area of the house)?

[groar]

i'll have to ask her when she's going out. she co-owns a bike shop so theoretically, she could bring iggy in to work. i know that one of her co-owners' dogs comes in a lot (she's even listed on the staff page on their website), and she and iggy are both dog-friendly. i'm not sure if she does bring him to work on a regular basis or not.

i'm guessing that when she's out he is just loose in the house, and is probably hanging out around her boyfriend. it's a small house so there's not that much choice, really.

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by groar

and is probably hanging out around her boyfriend. it's a small house so there's not that much choice, really.

And a solid hour of a dog whining is enough to fray most nerves....

I think the thing to bear in mind is consistency or lack thereof - ie, if Iggy's going with her to work one day, but not the next that's going to just further confuse him. At this juncture, there has to be a consistent policy or the dog isn't going to be able to figure "life" out as easily.

It also pays to remember that to the dog, just because your sister went out, does not mean she's coming back. You don't say how long he's been with them, but from the sounds of it, it's not been all that long. It might well settle with time and experience (ie, she goes out, but she always comes back).

There are exercises she can do with the dog to get him used to her leaving/returning. This article is pretty thorough. Hope it helps some.

Separation Anxiety - Helpful Dog Info - Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue

[groar]

thanks! i also suggested to her that she leave the room to teach him that she comes back when he quiets down, but i don't have any experience with doing that myself. and just logically, it seems like that might backfire when she goes out for real and quieting down doesn't bring her back immediately. that article has lots of good info. i like the idea of working out what cues you give that you are leaving and then desensitizing the dog to them.

and he's only been with them about a week. you're right, it may just be a matter of giving him some time to develop the confidence that she's not leaving him forever every time she leaves the house. our dog went through a period like that too.

[girlbuffalo1]

Is he in a crate when gone or? Maybe try a dark crate (covered with a blanket partially etc) with some comfy bedding? I've also heard of trying a radio or TV going.

Personally (and yes I know this isn't what you are 'supposed' to do) but when my dogs try some lonesome cry I yell at them to quiet and that's that--but then again I wouldn't necessiarly recommend this...

[groar]

crate training might help.

yelling, i'm not going to suggest to anyone. i don't think it will help iggy deal with my sister's absence if she leaves AND her boyfriend starts yelling at him!

[CoastalMaine]

My Corgi/mixes always had anxiety issues when I left. Or when married, when their dad and I left together and they were left home alone. The answer was to put them in a crate for those hours we were at work. They loved it. It was their safety zone. We also would use it for training. When they were being PITA's, lol, we could just say, do you want to kennel up? And we'd look like this: and that would be the end of whatever nonsense they were up to! lol

Your sis might try a crate large enough to hold a comfy pad or big blankie, along with some food and water, and a toy or two.

[latetotheparty]

aaaahhhh yes .... the "mom look" ...... works on the puppers as well as it does on the human kids...... well, at least most of the time......

[groar]

bonus iggy pic: