Weekday Petsitter

academicsocialite · April 2010

I'm in kind of a tough situation: my husband and I recently adopted a dog who, we now realize, has SEVERE separation anxiety. While we train him to be more independent-we've been working with a trainer and consulting all the literature-he can't be left alone for more than 15 mins or so at a time and we both work days.

I’m looking for a someone in Park Slope/Prospect Heights/Fort Greene/Cobble Hill area who would appreciate canine companionship during the day, even a day or two a week. He's in doggy daycare most days now, but we're young arts professionals and our bank account is really taking a hit (let alone his recent vet costs, but that's another story). We're also happy to have people stay in our apartment, which is quiet and comfortable, for anyone who can't have dogs in their apt.

He’s a low-maintenance dog as these things go – he mostly sleeps during the day. Oh, and he's adorable.

Does this seem like an impossible request? For some reason it has been really tough to track down dog-lovers who would love essentially a free "share" in a dog for a few months. Or maybe we're just being cheap and daycare is the only way to go on this. He's a member of the family now, so we are pretty stubborn about making this work, whatever the cost.

sorry for my cry for help. I think we're frustrated and tired and hoping, for his sake and ours, that he'll get better soon.

I'm having trouble getting this image to embed (first time post!) but here's our little guy:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pM6APALKHf1tJRrP7Fr3vg?authkey=Gv1sRgCPOYnu2IyNP8Bw&feat=directlink

frustaz · April 2010

He's cute! He looks very serious and determined :-)

I embedded your photo for you:

academicsocialite · April 2010

Thank you!! I was having so much trouble (lack of caffeine) that I gave up.

As a sidenote: for that picture I had his ball, hence the look of complete concentration.

reggi · April 2010

know this isn't a solution but may be helpful....We leave the television on for Ms. Booger Brown when we have to be out, I have
always left either a radio or a TV on for my dogs been doing it for years. They
hear voices and may not feel all alone. Worth a try on short trips to the store
to see if it helps your most adorable doggie.

academicsocialite · April 2010

Yeah - we always leave the radio and sometimes the TV as well (as in both on at the same time), plus a stuffed kong when we leave. I even bought an itunes album called "music for dogs" which was supposed to be calming. All of this may work for some dogs, but our poor little guy just can't relax unless there is a human in the apartment (he prefers us but anyone will do).

Thanks for the advice - keep it coming as the support really helps me feel that there is hope for us yet!!

doublediamond · April 2010

So what happens when you leave? does he bark or get destructive? What does the trainer say?

carmen · April 2010

is he crated? crate training can really help with separation anxiety

academicsocialite · April 2010

He is crated, either with the crate door shut or with it open and a baby gate set up. He barks incessantly - hours at a time. We've used the crate to make sure he's not being destructive or hurting himself. He likes the crate fine enough - he sleeps in it at night no problem. But if we're gone, he seems to get panicked. Basically both the trainer and the literature seem to say that it should get better over time, but we can't leave him alone for long, unmonitored periods in the training phase or it will set him back to square one.

carmen · April 2010

my former dog had serious separation anxiety (he would actually bite all his own fur off when I would leave) I crated him in a dark part of the house with a towel over the crate to simulate nighttime which helped a lot. The vet also put him on some sort of puppy prozac (dont remember the name) which helped to mellow out his freakouts. Crating was an absolute must because he would hurt himself and my stuff if he wasnt confined (he ate an entire couch...no small feat for a 16lb dog) and the meds made him at least less destructive to himself. Further conditioning (like putting him in the crate when i was home and getting ready to leave but not actually leaving) made him manageable enough to live with. Oh, and TONS of exercise. We used to jog 45+ minutes a day at a good pace at least 5 days a week.

dda · April 2010

my little guy had some minor separation anxiety when i first got him from the shelter and i decided to crate train him as well. he loves his crate now and as i always leave it open, sometimes he'll just wander in and hang out. two things i did/do that helped (since he did not like the crate at first): 1) i would just randomly plunk some REALLY good treats in the crate when he wasn't looking - then he would start associating the crate with good stuff (i think that is why he still goes in on his own from time to time now). i don't have to do that anymore. however, i still always associate the crate (and therefore my leaving) with good stuff. 2) some dogs are happy with affection, some toys, and my dog - FOOD! i have some meaty-jerky treats that he LOVES and he ONLY gets them when i leave and he is in the crate. i also take a little piece of jerky and a little treat and stuff it in a kong and take another few pieces (all are small) of the high-value treat and wrap them in a towel (at first i used an old t-shirt that i wore and really sweat in - sounds gross, but it really comforted him). this is our routine when i leave and now he is happy for me to go and goes right in his crate because he knows when i go i always come back AND there are little treats for him to eat and find - treats that he loves and only gets when i am not there.

of course, i also never leave him without a walk.

perhaps this (or some of this) helps...
good luck!

academicsocialite · April 2010

Thanks everyone. Well, we'll keep perservering with the crate. As I said, he seems to like it and will go in it of his own accord. Hiding some treats in there may make it all the more pleasant. I also really like the suggestion of hiding treats in an old t-shirt. He seems to get the PB out of the kong very quickly (even after we have frozen it).

More exercise may also help, but we walk him about 4 miles a day which seems like it would be sufficient for a cocker spaniel, not to mention all the tennis ball fetch we play!!

doublediamond · April 2010

Oh, was going to suggest: perhaps there's an elderly person in your building that would appreciate the company?

How is he with cats? I'm unemployed at the moment, so perhaps I can help out on some days.

PM me if you want to discuss further.

Weekday Petsitter

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