@MrsLittleMac I guess our dog had a couple scuffles with my brothers dog, but no one knew which dog started it. I'm a SAHM so I'm almost always home with her but we have times we all go out. What exactly is that backpack you use? I never heard of it. We've had our dog for almost 2 years maybe it's a "magical number?" Lol (I can dream)
@MLRocha we tried crate training our dog, but she chewed and pried (spelling?) Her way out. It was a metal wire crate and she would work her way our. My husband added all kinds of boards and even sheet metal and she would eventually tear out after a few trips of us leaving. It had us completely baffled. She also would be sopping wet and covered in drool. And she smelled awful!! I can't even describe the odor she puts off when she has an anxiety episode. Currently we keep her in our cement basement when we leave just to avoid any messes on the carpets. So when you got Tigger he was a grown dog? We were considering a puppy but got nervous our original dog might teach a puppy her anxious ways... I'd hate to have 2 dogs with separation anxiety. Yikes!
@kswiger06 I never understood why dogs do that. My old roommate had a pug and the first few times he was left alone, he pooped and he like FLUNG it all over the walls for some reason! I understand the pooping, but why did the little guy throw it everywhere?
This was toward the end of a nice long hike so she was a bit worn out, and it's a bit big for her frame so I never put more than maybe 12 lbs total in there. We got it for backpacking trips so she can carry her own weight but she likes it so much we let her wear it at home too. It's made by a company called Outward Hound and I think it was $30ish. Best dog-related investment I've made, she instantly has leash manners (as in not trying to yank my arm off) when this thing's on, haha.
@kswiger06 my dog has a backpack like @MrsLittleMac's dog does. He loves it. I never thought about putting it on in the house to wear him out though, that is a great idea! We found ours on sale at Pet Smart for $4. Its pink and he's a boy but I think he wears it well.
We like it because when we take him on long walks he can carry his own treats and toys. Here he is and you can see the backpack a little. It sits on his back and straddles his sides like you would have on a horse.
@kswiger06 - Yes, the smell of an anxious dog is the worst. Our entire basement would smell like her frito-feet.
Tigger was estimated at 3 YO when we got him but no one really knows because he was a stray before the rescue got him.
There were some definite pros to getting an older dog: much less work at house training, we knew what his real personality was like already (Lana kind of grew in to hers), skipped the chewing/biting/chasing stages.
But, trying to get him to learn new things is definitely harder than with Lana when she was a puppy (we got her at 4 months). Like, no matter what I do, he won't do 'lay down' without my exaggerated hand signal. And, he does have some bad habits (stealing food off the counters, barking a lot) that I wasn't expecting.
@MrsLittleMac and @Gretchypoo thanks for those pics! I'm going to have to look into one of those. Normally when I'm in a pet store or pet section I'm on a strict mission to get in and out as quickly as possible lol... I think those packs would be amazing for our walks and even some of our trips we take her on!!
@MLRocha I never thought about the possible cons of an older dog... they most likely have habits they will do for at least a very long time. But it'd be nice to not have to house break a puppy lol thanks for the info, it gives me more to consider!
One of mine is crate trained but has horrible separation anxiety. She has actually broken a canine tooth because she grabs the crate wires with her teeth to bend them and break free. I actually just ordered this crate to (hopefully) keep her contained. I got sick of buying a new wire crate every 6 months. It should be here on Monday.
@SawyerRichardson dayum, now THAT is a crate! I've heard horror stories of dogs getting stuck, cutting themselves on the wire, breaking teeth, etc--exactly why I was hesitant to try it. But that one looks really tough!
We saw some supposed "dog proof" crates not the same as that one though... even though it takes some time until you see the damage I'll be asking you in the future how that crate us holding up @SawyerRichardson also I'm sorry your dog broke a tooth, it's awful how they get injured all because of the anxiety.
I'm ashamed to admit we have been paying to take our dog to doggie daycare for years now because he gets separation anxiety when we leave him for long periods of time. We are slowly working to get him used to staying home longer since once baby comes we can't afford to take him there anymore. He is crate trained, but we have been trying to leave him home alone not in his cage to see if it helps. I do wonder how he would do with a thunder jacket but they are so expensive to buy if he is going to hate it!
Also @Gretchypoo I've been obsessed with your dog since his snoogle picture!
@lfrank12 same same. Our dog goes to daycare and they give us daily report cards . The only way she can stay home without us is with our friends' dog (they live in our building). We've slowly been building her up to 4 hours alone. My H read somewhere that if they can do 4 hours, they can do anything (feel free to dispute this, people with real dog training knowledge). We've been using kongs frozen with treats inside and leaving for short periods of time. Also preparing to leave, but not leaving. These two things seem to be helping, though it's not the quickest route. We tried the thunderbra, but she hulked out of it. We also tried the medication route, but it didn't really help it just made her infinitely more lazy. We tried the pheromone collar, but it didn't work for her at all.
@lfrank12 when I got a Thundershirt for my cat a few years ago, there was a money back guarantee. It said it if you didn't like it or think it helped, you could return it for a full refund.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got about separation anxiety is to make sure going and coming back are NBD. Don't look at the dog, don't talk to the dog, etc. Also, either crate or separate the dog when you ARE home sometimes so they don't always associated it with you leaving.
@kswiger06 FWIW we adopted an older dog (4ish) and I'll never go back. He was super easy to train, even though we think he was ignored on a chain before he came to us. He's a spaniel mix, and they're eager to please by nature. Honestly, I can't imagine taking on a puppy with a new baby on the way, but an adult dog wouldn't be bad if you start now. You could get one that has been fostered so you know what he's like as a family dog. Where I live rescues are very picky and usually won't adopt out to families with a pregnant person or infants and toddlers, but hopefully you're in a part of the country where that's not the case.
@Xstatic3333 our vet told us the same thing, to ignore her the best we could when we were coming or leaving. We've done that from the beginning, the most attention she gets when we walk in the door is when she trips one of us and we holler move molly! Lol she follows us everywhere at home, maybe I'll try to separate her from me for a little while during the day and see if it helps. I've never done that before.
I've been not feeling like training a puppy, but I told my husband if we got one I'd rather it be now, rather than when the baby is here. I'm not sure what the adoption/rescue shelters rules are on pregnancy or toddlers around here, thanks for the heads up.
So I was just laying in bed reading this thread on my phone and my TW is the spider that was apparently crawling on my pillow that I didn't see until it was an inch from my eye!!! I literally screamed and scared the crap out of DH. Ugh.
Re: Twatwaffle Tuesday 9/6
@MLRocha we tried crate training our dog, but she chewed and pried (spelling?) Her way out. It was a metal wire crate and she would work her way our. My husband added all kinds of boards and even sheet metal and she would eventually tear out after a few trips of us leaving. It had us completely baffled. She also would be sopping wet and covered in drool. And she smelled awful!! I can't even describe the odor she puts off when she has an anxiety episode. Currently we keep her in our cement basement when we leave just to avoid any messes on the carpets. So when you got Tigger he was a grown dog? We were considering a puppy but got nervous our original dog might teach a puppy her anxious ways... I'd hate to have 2 dogs with separation anxiety. Yikes!
This was toward the end of a nice long hike so she was a bit worn out, and it's a bit big for her frame so I never put more than maybe 12 lbs total in there. We got it for backpacking trips so she can carry her own weight but she likes it so much we let her wear it at home too. It's made by a company called Outward Hound and I think it was $30ish. Best dog-related investment I've made, she instantly has leash manners (as in not trying to yank my arm off) when this thing's on, haha.
We like it because when we take him on long walks he can carry his own treats and toys. Here he is and you can see the backpack a little. It sits on his back and straddles his sides like you would have on a horse.
Tigger was estimated at 3 YO when we got him but no one really knows because he was a stray before the rescue got him.
There were some definite pros to getting an older dog: much less work at house training, we knew what his real personality was like already (Lana kind of grew in to hers), skipped the chewing/biting/chasing stages.
But, trying to get him to learn new things is definitely harder than with Lana when she was a puppy (we got her at 4 months). Like, no matter what I do, he won't do 'lay down' without my exaggerated hand signal. And, he does have some bad habits (stealing food off the counters, barking a lot) that I wasn't expecting.
ME: 25, DH: 27
TTC #1 since 09/2015
Miscarriage @ 10 wks 02/28/2016
BFP 05/28/2016!
@MLRocha I never thought about the possible cons of an older dog... they most likely have habits they will do for at least a very long time. But it'd be nice to not have to house break a puppy lol thanks for the info, it gives me more to consider!
https://www.amazon.com/SmithBuilt-Heavy-Animal-Doors-Metal/dp/B00KGDX9DG/ref=pd_cart_vw_2_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3CA49NBSEQP4QGRR45MX
Also @Gretchypoo I've been obsessed with your dog since his snoogle picture!
We tried the thunderbra, but she hulked out of it. We also tried the medication route, but it didn't really help it just made her infinitely more lazy. We tried the pheromone collar, but it didn't work for her at all.
@kswiger06 FWIW we adopted an older dog (4ish) and I'll never go back. He was super easy to train, even though we think he was ignored on a chain before he came to us. He's a spaniel mix, and they're eager to please by nature. Honestly, I can't imagine taking on a puppy with a new baby on the way, but an adult dog wouldn't be bad if you start now. You could get one that has been fostered so you know what he's like as a family dog. Where I live rescues are very picky and usually won't adopt out to families with a pregnant person or infants and toddlers, but hopefully you're in a part of the country where that's not the case.
I've been not feeling like training a puppy, but I told my husband if we got one I'd rather it be now, rather than when the baby is here. I'm not sure what the adoption/rescue shelters rules are on pregnancy or toddlers around here, thanks for the heads up.