Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Behavioral Issues
  3. Separation anxiety

Separation anxiety

Behavioral Issues
  • D

    We have rescued a male basenji - Jacob 5 weeks ago. He is very very timid and scared. At first we had no problems with the crate - it was almost a safe place for him as he was afraid of us. Now he refuses to go in the crate. In fact he has chewed off the wire bars trying to escape. We are so afraid he will hurt himself that we are trying to let him stay on the first floor. Everytime we leave he poops, pees and gets so wound up. He chews his fur off his back and is incredibly anxious. Another issue, which I think may be separate, is Jacob will only go to my husband now and is afraid of and shows NO respect to me. We love this dog and need help!!!

    0
  • lvossL

    For working on the bonding with you, can you hand feed him one of his meals each day. Does he know any obedience? Practicing commands he knows is a good way to help relationship building. Attending a positive reinforcement based training class is also great.

    As for the Separation Anxiety here is a website with some suggestions and some book suggestions for more in depth ways to work with your dog.

    http://www.wagntrain.com/SeparationAnx.htm

    0
  • tanzaT

    And what was his story before you adopted him? Was he being fostered before? Have you talked to the people/person that had him before? Many times clues to their behavior for a rescue are closely related to prior living conditions.

    Has he had a full medical workup? Especially thyroid panel (this would be a full panel, not just the one a Vet would run with normal blood work)….

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • KanangaK

    Sounds exactly like my B when I first got him. He was quite scared the first couple days. Found the crate to be a nice spot for him to relax. Then after a few days it was no more crate. He was not going to stay in there.

    I don't think it's necessarily separation anxiety. With my B it was an issue with crating. I leave him out in my home now and while im gone he does not do anything bad at all. Mostly sleeps all day or chews on his bone. No accidents either.

    Separation anxiety would mean he has issues no matter where he is at home while you are away. I think Basenjis are commonly against wanting to be crated from what i've read on here. More than other breeds. I would suggest trying another option while you are not at home.

    0
  • tanzaT

    @Kananga:

    Sounds exactly like my B when I first got him. He was quite scared the first couple days. Found the crate to be a nice spot for him to relax. Then after a few days it was no more crate. He was not going to stay in there.

    I don't think it's necessarily separation anxiety. With my B it was an issue with crating. I leave him out in my home now and while im gone he does not do anything bad at all. Mostly sleeps all day or chews on his bone. No accidents either.

    Separation anxiety would mean he has issues no matter where he is at home while you are away. I think Basenjis are commonly against wanting to be crated from what i've read on here. More than other breeds. I would suggest trying another option while you are not at home.

    I don't quite agree with that… mine are very content in their crates... but of course they were crate trained at a very early age.... and they run to their crates for treats or food... and at bed time. The trick to crating is to not over do it.... for me, if you have to crate during the day, then at night they should be loose... and not crated (other then to eat as that gives them a positive).... to crate during the day when you are gone and then overnight... is way too much IMO...

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • gbroxonG

    My boy was crate-trained before he came to me. His issue was not being crated, it was being alone, crated or roaming free. He was/is fine in a crate as long as somebody/somedog is with him (not in the same crate, just around). He exhibits SA issues if he's crated/roaming alone. He is much better now than when I got him four years ago. He still has mild SA issues, which we manage by giving him access to an indoor/outdoor kennel which my husband built which gives him room to run around and release his anxiety. I also give him a filled, frozen kong for distraction purposes.

    What we do now to manage his mild but lingering SA issues is a far cry from what we did at first…we tried everything and anything. We also had a wonderful woman giving us SA advice.

    I suggest you give him some time, and if he doesn't settle down, bit by bit, slowly but surely, you'll need to look into alleviating/managing SA. SA is not an easy issue to deal with, it takes a LOT of time and patience to discover what works best for your pup...there is, unfortunately, no one magic bullet. I wish you the best of luck with Jacob, designcrush72. Don't give up, it CAN get better!

    0
  • wizardW

    I'm having the same problem with my current basenji that gbroxon mentioned - it's not the crate at all. And working on solving SA (different from boredom) is tough, I've found. You just need patience and lots of it.

    0

Suggested Topics

  • BethB

    Separation Anxiety

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    elbrantE
    @beth Try behavior training before you add another dog. This is going to take a bit of repitition over the better half of a morning, and a few days of follow up training -- but it works. Do whatever preperation you normally do to leave. Tell your dog that you will be "right back" (insert whatever command word/phrase you want to use). Then exit and lock your door. Walk around the corner of the building, then return. Praise your dog as you greet them. Wash, rinse, repeat, gradually increasing the amount of time you are gone. Start at a few moments, then trips to the store, etc. This reassures them that you will come back,. but you are actually teaching your pup the routine ques. It alerts the dog that you are preparing to leave (without them). Slightly different for when they get to go with you. Your dog will learn the difference ("Hey, if she picks up the leash, I get to go, too!"). I (personally) use bribes as a tell-tale. I give my pup a kong filled treat, or a frozen neck bone (her favorite) to chew on if she's staying at home. If I call her and pick up the leash, she's coming with. But she's ok, even on the rare occasion that I'm gone for 6 hours!
  • J

    Anxiety & Behavior

    Behavioral Issues
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    5k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Acepromazine is a drug I will never ever give to a dog again. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=570 I agree with Shirley, it seems very fearful. Sadly, that's often a trait you can work to help control, but it is something your dog simply may be born with. You can work on desensitizing to vet... by doing by, let them toss a treat, go home. Do it for quite a while. Ditto on muzzle.. do it at home for a few mins, take off and treat. Work on making both as unstressful as possible. But better to muzzle than have a bite incident.
  • A

    PLEASE HELP! Anxiety Issues!!!

    Behavioral Issues
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    4k Views
    D
    He should adjust in time to losing his companion. However long that takes is questionable though and he will continue to be angry and feel neglected and reflect that anger with destruction just out of loneliness. It may improve with time and may not. You have to ask yourself is this fair for your dog? I would spend nearly all my time with him when I was home taking walks, etc. and if you can't do more than 2 hrs. it may be best to find a better home for him where he has a better environment. If his new home is a better place where there is a yard to run, and owners that can spend more time with him he will gradually accept the new home and owners. I know that is hard but may be the best. When your living situation improves you may think about owning another dog. Other than that, working 2 jobs leaves the dog alone too much to be fair so you need to get someone…the same person all the time... over to your apartment to spend time with him if you don't want to give him up. He can bond to that person and that will help the loneliness somewhat. If you decided to give him up, the new owners could come over frequently for walks and visits before you gave the dog to them so that the dog would consider them friends before adoption, that would help the dog transition. I would not give that dog to an inexperienced owner though. That could end in disaster. It will do the same things with the new owner although it should get over the transition quicker because it will be in a better environment. Also, was your husband the dog's leader? You now have to be a positive leader for him because it sounds like he lacks leadership.
  • KipawaK

    Kipawa and anxiety

    Behavioral Issues
    27
    0 Votes
    27 Posts
    14k Views
    Buddys PalB
    Uzie will do the same thing as Kipawa-dead sleep, I move, he follows. I ignore him when he does this. I luckily have two other dogs in the house for distraction/companionship, but if I leave for a long period of time, he does better when not crated. Otherwise he baroos like, like, like the loneliest Basenji in the whole world! I usually throw some kibble all over the floor of one room and leave the house. Like I said, he only baroos when crated. But for you, maybe you can try the Kibble Throw. As for the car, maybe you can start the engine, turn it off, wait, then give praise and/or kibble and start it up again until you can leave it on for a minute or so. The calming spray may help too.
  • N

    Separation Anxiety?

    Behavioral Issues
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    5k Views
    Shaye's MomS
    Your situation sounds like mine was, when we had only Shaye. She had a serious case of separation anxiety and the minute we tried leaving, she would pee, wherever she was, along with screaming. Everyone told us to get her another b, and when we got Gemma, it was magic. So long as Gemma is with her, she is fine. Maybe Aries just feels more secure with Katie than with Petey. Is Petey less calm than Katie?
  • KanangaK

    Neutering to reduce anxiety?

    Behavioral Issues
    47
    0 Votes
    47 Posts
    14k Views
    KanangaK
    Well, it's been about a week now. Not a single piece of furniture has been chewed on. And I still have that small tear in my couch near the top that is easy access for him to pull out the stuffing (until I get it repaired and sealed). He has not attempted to unstuff that part. It seems the DAP diffuser is working. Can't think of any other reason why his behavior would discontinue.