Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

We have a very lovable beagle that we adopted a year ago. She was found by the rescue organization out on her own with brand new puppies (when she was only 1 1/2). We adopted her when the puppies were old enough to go to new homes. She had alot of anxiety when we first got her. She would run behind us when we were walking and someone else was coming in our direction! She had alot of separation anxiety and turned a crate upside down to get out when we tried to leave her in one. She has made major progress in the time we have had her. There are still some problems, however.

1. The biggest problem is that she is not housebroken. We do all the things we are supposed to - she is walked and fed at regular times. We don't have a yard so she is taken on 4 good walks a day. She gets lots of praise when she goes outside. I think this behavior is anxiety rather than neeeding to go to the bathroom. There have been too many "accidents" for our carpeting to be free of odor. We would like to replace our carpeting but we are afraid to. We have closed off rooms to keep her out but she then digs in the carpeting to try to get into the room. She wants to be near a window to see out. There is not a good room to keep her in. Many times this happens when there is a change to the routine. We keep her routine as much as possible - but we need to have a life!
2. She is afraid of my son. He is 20 and has never done anything to hurt her. He has worked with her to help her be less afraid of him, and she has gotten better, but still growls and barks as soon as the door to his room opens. There are a few other people she will growl at - one mailcarrier, and other dogs in particular.
3. She chews/eats clothes. If we give her a chew toy, she practically eats the whole thing, then goes on to the clothes. When she has her own things to chew - things get worse, not better. We see obsessive/compulsive behavour here.
4. She licks the couch, the bed, her sleeping pillow until there is a large wet spot. The worst is the bed when she is sleeping with us and we wake up to a large wet spot! Again seems to be obsessive/compulsive.
5. She has separation anxiety. Many times the accidents will happen not while we are gone but after we come back and we walk her as soon as we are home.
With all of this - believe it or not she is still much better than when we first got her. I have done alot of research on these things and we try very hard to train her. She has gotten better, but still does these things. If I had to live with all except her "accidents", I could do that. That is the worst.

-Congrats on the adoption!!! Rescued dogs can be some of the best

>>1. The biggest problem is that she is not housebroken.
-Beagles are notoriously hard to house train. It's a throwback to them being kennel dogs. Add to it the anxiety and you have a tough job ahead of you. I don't know much more to write to help you. One idea though is just making sure you do not loom over your pup when you praise. That can be considered a "correction" to the dog in spite of you tryignto provide encouragement for good behavior. Instead, get down on the dog's level and praise and treat lavishly for appropriate behaviour.

>>2. She is afraid of my son.
-She probably had a bad experience with someone that looks or smell similar to your son. The book "The Cautious Canine" sold at www.dogwise.com for about $5 can really help you out.

>>3. She chews/eats clothes. If we give her a chew toy, she practically eats the whole thing, then goes on to the clothes.
-This too is an anxiety thing. You might want to consider talking to a vet and/or behaviorist to curb this. Training will get you fairly far in getting her to be more confident, but you might need furthere assistence. Potentially drug therapy along with behavior modificatio nif it gets much worse.

>>4. She licks the couch, the bed, her sleeping pillow until there is a large wet spot.
-Again, the anxiety. Talk to your vet.

>>5. She has separation anxiety. Many times the accidents will happen not while we are gone but after we come back and we walk her as soon as we are home.
-A book called "I'll Be Home Soon" can help also. Yet, a behavior specialist can provide you guidence with all of these issues.

-It sounds like you have done a ton of work already and improvements are beign made. Kudos to you!!! One thing you might want to remember is that it takes a lot of time and patience to "undo" a habit that a dog has developed. If they've been practicing a habit for a year, it might very well take a year to extinguish that habit. Good luck with the continued training and keep up the good work!
-----
Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

>>Hi,
>>
>>We have a very lovable beagle that we adopted a year ago. She was found by the rescue organization out on her own with brand new puppies (when she was only 1 1/2). We adopted her when the puppies were old enough to go to new homes. She had alot of anxiety when we first got her. She would run behind us when we were walking and someone else was coming in our direction! She had alot of separation anxiety and turned a crate upside down to get out when we tried to leave her in one. She has made major progress in the time we have had her. There are still some problems, however.
>>
>>1. The biggest problem is that she is not housebroken. We do all the things we are supposed to - she is walked and fed at regular times. We don't have a yard so she is taken on 4 good walks a day. She gets lots of praise when she goes outside. I think this behavior is anxiety rather than neeeding to go to the bathroom. There have been too many "accidents" for our carpeting to be free of odor. We would like to replace our carpeting but we are afraid to. We have closed off rooms to keep her out but she then digs in the carpeting to try to get into the room. She wants to be near a window to see out. There is not a good room to keep her in. Many times this happens when there is a change to the routine. We keep her routine as much as possible - but we need to have a life!
>>2. She is afraid of my son. He is 20 and has never done anything to hurt her. He has worked with her to help her be less afraid of him, and she has gotten better, but still growls and barks as soon as the door to his room opens. There are a few other people she will growl at - one mailcarrier, and other dogs in particular.
>>3. She chews/eats clothes. If we give her a chew toy, she practically eats the whole thing, then goes on to the clothes. When she has her own things to chew - things get worse, not better. We see obsessive/compulsive behavour here.
>>4. She licks the couch, the bed, her sleeping pillow until there is a large wet spot. The worst is the bed when she is sleeping with us and we wake up to a large wet spot! Again seems to be obsessive/compulsive.
>>5. She has separation anxiety. Many times the accidents will happen not while we are gone but after we come back and we walk her as soon as we are home.
>>With all of this - believe it or not she is still much better than when we first got her. I have done alot of research on these things and we try very hard to train her. She has gotten better, but still does these things. If I had to live with all except her "accidents", I could do that. That is the worst.

>>>>>>>>>>>

Take her out at least once per hour when you're at home and awake. The outings can be brief, in fact that's better for most of them. On all outings, go first to the potty area. Then if she wants a walk, go for a walk as a reward. If she wants to go in, go in as a reward.

Retrieving could help her get used to the young man. Guys like to throw tennis balls (or other soft, indoor-approved toys), and dogs enjoy the game once they learn it.

Toys can help with your chewing problems, and of course dog-proofing the house. I have articles on housetraining, retrieving in play, destructive chewing and separation anxiety at the link below my signature. Free, of course.
-----
Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47