Separation anxiety

[crystalncody]

I am also having a horrible problem with Cody's separation anxiety. Less than 5 minutes after I leave, he begins to whimper for a few minutes, then it's all-out howling like someone is beating him for half an hour or more. It's absolutely heartbreaking. You can hear him 2 buildings over in our apartment complex. I also have a roommate, and even though he'll whimper for a few minutes when she leaves, even if she is there while I'm gone, he still howls. So I know it's the fact that I'm gone that causes him to do this. I guess since he eventually stops, it's not true SA, but it still wakes my roommate up in the mornings after I leave and annoys the neighbors.

I'm at a loss. At the moment, I am trying to keep him in his kennel a little more than usual. I also put him in there an hour before I leave, and when I get back, I wait about 20 minutes before I let him out. A friend has an ultrasonic bark control device that just annoyed him and made him howl more when we tried it. My roommate has joked about getting him a muzzle, but I'm pretty sure part of her isn't joking. I know it takes time, but there's only so much she and my neighbors can take before my apartment managers evict me or my neighbors call animal control.

Luckily there are only 3 1/2 weeks before we move. There, he will have a canine companion and a few acres to run around out in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully that will compensate for me leaving him while I'm at work.

Any and all suggestions would be MORE than welcome and greatly appreciated!

[sharronhurlbut]

I would not keep him in the kennel "more".
I would make sure you walk him before you leave.
Set up a routine where he gets a long walk before you go, a nice kong filled with treats, and a calm leaving and coming.
When you get home, take him out of the crate, be calm, and take him for another walk…once you get back from the walk, then you great him.
This can be helped, but it takes work from you.
Good luck.

[nobarkus]

I walk mine 30 minutes in the morning right when I get up then feed him and lastly a little play time before I put him in the crate all day. I put him in the crate 10 minutes before leaving and make no big deal out of it or talk to him.

[sharronhurlbut]

Is he distructive when you leave?
Would he repect a baby gate?

[DLafornia]

also try a few 5-10 minutes leaves… leave your house, come back, don't make a fuss over him when you get in, and always return with a treat. This sometimes worked for ziggee, when there was other people there. When I would take him for a walk, is when I fussed over him. We would run, and play, and when we walked in, it was quiet time. He is very smart, he still does this, but really until I got Scarlett, the blood curdling screaming never did actually stop.

[sharronhurlbut]

The class I went to said the dogs gains comfort when there is a routine that the human follows.
Its all mostly the same, and the key is calm leaving and arriving home.
Also, give the basenji something he NEVER gets, but when you leave the house.
A kong full of treats and cheese, something yummy that he can work on and help burn off some of the stress he is feeling.
She showed us videos, and the dogs worst reactions were within the first 30 minutes.
After that, the dog calmed down…totally stressed dogs, stared to "restress" just before the owners arrived home...
It was a very interesting class.

[crystalncody]

Yes, he's very destructive when I leave, ripping up carpets, chewing on the door frame, knocking over lamps, ripping down blinds and curtains, etc, and he'll just jump a baby gate.

I'll try giving him a special treat while he's in there, and another when I get back. And I'll definitely have to make leaving and coming home a calm, quiet time. He always gets at least a 30 minute walk in the morning before I leave, and we go out for about an hour when I get back. We have a routine, it's just not as strict as it should be, so we'll have to work on it.

Thanks, that's all really helpful!

[DLafornia]

my first basenji was a handful. destructive, chewer, crazy than crazy things I would come home to tore up. a few tricks that worked for him, was a spraybottle filled with listerine, they dont like the smell, and spray it where you don't want him to chew. and it makes your house smell fresh…lol and another one was mouse traps. I would line my kitchen counters with them and furniture, and it stings when it snaps but not to hurt him, Till the day that boy died, I had them mousetraps, after a while I didn't have to set them anymore but once they were removed he would go back and tear it up. Just the sight of them kept him away. People would come over see them traps all over my house and ask if I had mice.... nope just a crazy basenji. I know if you can crate train him, that would be the best, my first basenji it was impossible. He would buck until the screws were stripped, I would put a guinea pig bottle in so he would have water while i was at work, he would manuever his jaw and alway put a hole in it. I gave in and he had some of the house to run, the livingroom and kitchen. and with the mousetraps and listerine nothing more got destroyed.

[crystalncody]

I just thought I'd update, but it seems Cody's anxiety is getting better. He still whines, grunts, and grumbles when I leave, but it isn't nearly as loud or for as long. I still keep him in his crate when I'm gone unless my roommate, Megan, is home, but she says that he is better behaved, although he stays near the door or where he can see the door until I get back. He does mope and do his "rounds" around the apartment grumbling (Megan and I swear he was a grumpy old man in a past life :) ), but I think that's a lot better than the constant screaming from before. We still have quite a bit of work left to do, and ideally I'd like to be able to leave him out of his crate when I am not home.

But I wanted to thank you all for your suggestions, they helped us so much.

[tanza]

Glad to hear that he is doing better….