Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there...I'm now the proud mom of a new Boxer who unfortunately has acquired sep anx I take her to work ( i work from my car) with me everyday and now i'm afraid I may have 'created' the anxiety. We even brought her with us last night and left her in the car while we went out. She doesn't seem to have the anxiety when left in the car b/c she goes with me everyday in the car. We've tried leaving her alone when we want 'our' time out but come back to a destroyed room. We decided on a crate but she doesn't like the crate and hesitates at going in. Needless to say she doesn't think of it as a 'safe haven'. We recently had complaints from the apt management that our neighbors complain about her barking. She ONLY barks when left alone and that's not very often. We've only had her 2 1/2 mos now. We just bought a spray collar which we used last night to no effect. She would still bark. I really don't want to resort to the shock collar. She is an awesome dog but not so much with the neighbors. My question is how do you train a dog to not bark and not tear up things if the crate is a place they absolutely don't like. We also can't correct the no bark b/c again she only barks when we're not there. She really rarely barks otherwise???? Should we still put her in the crate and try behavior mod there or forget the crate and leave her in a room and hope that she doesn't tear it up?? pllllz someone helllp so we don't get kicked out of our apt

>>Hi there...I'm now the proud mom of a new Boxer who unfortunately has acquired sep anx I take her to work ( i work from my car) with me everyday and now i'm afraid I may have 'created' the anxiety. We even brought her with us last night and left her in the car while we went out. She doesn't seem to have the anxiety when left in the car b/c she goes with me everyday in the car. We've tried leaving her alone when we want 'our' time out but come back to a destroyed room. We decided on a crate but she doesn't like the crate and hesitates at going in. Needless to say she doesn't think of it as a 'safe haven'. We recently had complaints from the apt management that our neighbors complain about her barking. She ONLY barks when left alone and that's not very often. We've only had her 2 1/2 mos now. We just bought a spray collar which we used last night to no effect. She would still bark. I really don't want to resort to the shock collar. She is an awesome dog but not so much with the neighbors. My question is how do you train a dog to not bark and not tear up things if the crate is a place they absolutely don't like. We also can't correct the no bark b/c again she only barks when we're not there. She really rarely barks otherwise???? Should we still put her in the crate and try behavior mod there or forget the crate and leave her in a room and hope that she doesn't tear it up?? pllllz someone helllp so we don't get kicked out of our apt

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These problems can be difficult to impossible to work through when you live in housing that can't tolerate any noise such as an apartment. There is medication from your veterinarian that might help. It usually only really works when combined with appropriate behavior modification. The expert on that is a veterinary behavior specialist, a specialist your veterinarian can help you find.

One of the better short-term solutions for you while you help the dog work through her fears would be a dog sitter. This can be doggy day care, boarding with your vet, a friend or relative to keep the dog at their house when you go out, a bonded individual who provides the service for a fee, or whatever else you can arrange.
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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