# Seperation Anxiety/Escaping Crate



## smaughunter (Apr 27, 2012)

So I am having a bit of a complex separation anxiety problem with Kiora. I am 36 weeks pregnant and about 6 weeks ago I moved to Arizona with my boyfriend. Before then I was living with my sister and her dog. I knew when I got her that she had had SA issues but since I have had her she has never had to be alone before so it wasn't an issue. When I got her I had Ananda and since Ananda has passed she has still had my sister's dog to keep her company. I knew that I would have some work to do when I moved, and for awhile it was going really well but I have had a few major setbacks.

I had a fairly large plastic crate that I purchased before I moved. When i first got her I used a wire crate for her fore awhile but she quickly learned how to fold the crate in on itself and I got rid of it. Kiora is a 22lb dog and the plastic crate I got was for a 30-40 lb dog so it was pretty spacious for her. I fed her in the crate and would give her treats in the crate. We started going out at shortish intervals of 20-30 minutes and I would leave her with a kong or hollow ball stuffed with frozen meat. At first she was anxious about it and then she started to get better. She would shred any towels or bedding in the crate with her but wasn't screaming, urinating, or hurting herself trying to get out. We were able to increase the time away until we could both be out of the house for up to 4 hours without incident.

Last week however we suffered a major setback. Monday night I woke up in the middle of the night very sick. I started throwing up and it just didn't stop, I couldn't keep anything down including fluids. Tuesday I had an appointment with my O.B so I called them to let them know what was happening and we went down to the appointment. When I got there I couldn't even give a urine sample and I was so dehydrated they sent me to the hospital where I had to get 2 iv's and anti-nausea medicine. Because of this Kiora was alone for 7 hours and when we got home she had chewed a large hole in the side of the crate and was clearly very anxious. 

Since then I haven't been able to leave her alone at all without incident. I purchased a new crate but due to being on an extremely tight budget this time I bought her a smaller plastic crate, one recommended for dogs 20-25 lbs. Problem is that the door on this smaller crate is not as strong and after being in it just a few times she has figured out how to pop the door out of the crate and escape, also her anxiety level has re-escalated and is now worse then ever. Due to the damage she has done to this crate, though it is superficial, I am not going to be able to return it and I can't afford to buy a new crate right now. I am not working right now and I am about to have a baby so my budget for her right now is nowhere near what it normally is. 

I am not sure what I can do. I am trying all the normal stuff, I am taking her on walks early in the morning, which is the only time of day that it isn't too hot to do so. Admittedly I can't take her for as long as I would like to. We can go about 40-60 minutes, longer than that is just too exhausting for me. Other than when we try to leave her alone she is completely calm and restful during the day. I have severely shortened the time going out to 10-15 minutes alone, we both stay very calm and don't make any fuss before leaving. I put her in the crate with a stuffed kong, full of frozen meat or a grain free biscuit and coconut oil frozen and go out. I have just been going to the gas station on the corner and coming back. By the time I get back she has knocked out the door of the crate and destroyed something. She chewed up a cardboard box, which wasn't valuable, a pair of my shoes, a pair of my boyfriends shoes, and today she opened up the fridge and ate 2 chicken thighs and 1/2 lb of ground beef. Of course I can make sure things like shoes are up but I am kind of concerned that then she would start in on more valuable things I can't put up, such as the crib.

Of course I have been trying to remain calm and not show reactivity towards this destructive behavior thereby increasing her anxiety.

I am not sure what else I can do. We are going to get some zip ties to try to secure the crate door. 

Does anyone know of some natural herbal remedies that work well and can help her with her anxiety? I would prefer not to use synthetic tranquilizers but I will if I must. 

Any additional training recommendations?

I will do anything for my dog but I am on a very tight budget right now and I am stressed because I am having a baby in one month and this relapse is very bad and I just don't know what I can do. 

I am at home most of the time but I would like to be able to go out to the grocery store or a doctors appointment without having Kiora freaking out, hurting herself, and destroying things that I can't afford to replace. 

Thanks.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Before I make any recommendations, do you have a room anywhere in the house she can be safely allowed while home alone? Like a bathroom or spare room with nothing in it?


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

smaughunter said:


> So I am having a bit of a complex separation anxiety problem with Kiora. I am 36 weeks pregnant and about 6 weeks ago I moved to Arizona with my boyfriend. Before then I was living with my sister and her dog. I knew when I got her that she had had SA issues but since I have had her she has never had to be alone before so it wasn't an issue. When I got her I had Ananda and since Ananda has passed she has still had my sister's dog to keep her company. I knew that I would have some work to do when I moved, and for awhile it was going really well but I have had a few major setbacks.
> 
> I had a fairly large plastic crate that I purchased before I moved. When i first got her I used a wire crate for her fore awhile but she quickly learned how to fold the crate in on itself and I got rid of it. Kiora is a 22lb dog and the plastic crate I got was for a 30-40 lb dog so it was pretty spacious for her. I fed her in the crate and would give her treats in the crate. We started going out at shortish intervals of 20-30 minutes and I would leave her with a kong or hollow ball stuffed with frozen meat. At first she was anxious about it and then she started to get better. She would shred any towels or bedding in the crate with her but wasn't screaming, urinating, or hurting herself trying to get out. We were able to increase the time away until we could both be out of the house for up to 4 hours without incident.
> 
> ...


So sorry to hear of these stresses on everyone right now.

While I understand you are on a tight budget, you should look into a metal crate as opposed to anything plastic that can be chewed through (or have the door pushed open). You may be able to find something lightly used through a local training club or in the classifieds. 

Then its a matter of time & patience working up to getting her more accustomed to staying in her crate by herself for longer periods of time. Sometimes "background noise" like music playing or the tv being on is helpful.

Bonne chance,


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## smaughunter (Apr 27, 2012)

I could possibly put her in the bathroom but I am worried she will try and chew through the door. The bathroom is already a pretty stressful place for her already since she only gets closed up in there for baths. 

I have an appointment tomorrow at 10:30. My plan so far is to get up early and walk her then enclose her in the crate with a meat stuffed kong and zip ties on the crate door. I may enclose the crate in the bathroom to hopefully mitigate damage should she esape the crate. I have a carboard box and I was going to put it in the bathroom so that if she escapes the crate hopefully she will destroy that and not the door.

So she just threw up the chicken thighs she binged on last night. Seems that she swallowed them without chewing. There was no trace of ground beef in her vomit so it seems that passed through her system quickly like it should have whereas the whole chicken thighs were left to languish in her stomach. Let me tell you that chicken that has been sitting about 18 hours in a dogs stomach is the most disgusting thing I have ever smelled. Not sure what she was thinking swallowing them like that she has been raw for over a year and knows exactly how to eat bone in meat. 

I am going to give her some broth and pedialyte tonight only.

I am keeping my eye on craigslist for a metal crate I can afford. So if I see one I will get it, otherwise I won't be able to get one until mid-August or so. Another concern I had with the metal crate however is that it might be easier for her to hurt herself trying to get out of it.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

I only asked because I think you should start from scratch with crate training. If you are familiar with clicker training use that, if not you can just use a marker word. Literally pretend she is a puppy that has never seen a crate in her life, it might even be a good idea to do this with the new crate (when you get it) so she doesn't have the negative associations with it.

This is what I would do, look at the crate click(yes) treat. Walk toward crate click (yes) treat. Go into crate click (yes) treat. Once she is going in the crate regularly, try putting one of her favorite treats in the back of the crate and closing the door (without her in it)...if the treat is high enough in value you may find her fighting her way to get back in. 

Then when you have her running into her crate; you start with the door training. Many ppl skip this step. You want to have a cue like "door" move the door closed like an inch or less and click (yes) treat. Do this over and over, only move the door a bit click (yes) treat then open it again. Work your way very slowly to a closed door. On the day you are ready to have the door closed all the way have a treat she can work on for a bit (frozen kong, bully stick)..close the door allow her to work on it, but stay close by so you can watch her. When she is done let her out, don't wait for her to realize she's in her crate, you don't want her to have any of those panicky feelings. 

If you do start from scratch you do not want to have to put her in there for any extended period of time until you've worked up to that point.


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## smaughunter (Apr 27, 2012)

Thanks. I agree that needs to be done. I don't think Ill be able to start it though until after my son is born. I have to go to weekly appointments.


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## SuperPug (Mar 5, 2013)

Until you can start working on re-crate training, I would find someone who is willing to give your dog company while you're both away from her.


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## smaughunter (Apr 27, 2012)

Unfortunately that is also not an option. We simply don't know anyone out here. We moved out here because my boyfriend got a job here. We have no friends or family here and I can't afford a petsitter. 

So we executed my plan for my appointment I had today. We zip tied the crate and shut in in the bathroom. She had a kong filled with frozen meat. We were gone for only a little over an hour. She escaped the crate cutting her gums in the process, and tore up the cardboard box I left in the bathroom for her and also ripped out the door jam. 

I understand that this kind of time intensive re conditioning is needed. I simply can't do it right now. I can't avoid her having to be alone at some times right now. I have another appointment on Tuesday and another on next Friday. I also promised my boyfriend thath I would go out with him sometime next week but now I don't know if I can even do that. 

If someone can tell me what herbal calming supplements are out there and are actually effective I would really appreciate it. I need something for right now to get her anxiety down. She is hurting herself,damaging things that are really going to cost me later (like the door jam..this is an apartment), putting strain on my relationship, and making it impossible for me to enjoy simple things like listening to my babies heartbeat because all I can do is worry about Kiora when I am out of the house.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I've heard of rescue remedy which is supposed to help in stessful situations., GNC Pets Ultra Mega Calming Formula Mini Bones got good reviews on another forum, as well as the thundershirt, that were used on pups with seperation anxiety.


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## tdkeesh (May 4, 2012)

Hi -- I had used to have a dog who suffered separation anxiety. I found that crating her was not the answer. In fact when I put her in a metal crate she cut her nose all up pushing the bars and breaking the welds. Later my vet told me that SA dogs do not do well in crates. I tried a prescription medicine for SA but it caused her some serious liver issues. The only thing I found helped was to get another dog. Don't know if you're in a situation where that's an option, but maybe even a cat might help.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Is there any way your sister would take care of her till you have the baby?


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## StdPooDad (Mar 16, 2012)

I would second the thundershirt recommendation. It's not terribly expensive, and it may very well work!


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## BeagleCountry (Jan 20, 2012)

It is summer. Kids are out of school. Get outside. Look around. Talk to neighbors to ask if there is a high school student, housewife, someone unemployed who can occupy the dog while you are gone.

Hand out Help Wanted flyers to anyone you see. Minimum wage for a few hours is not expensive. Cover the area with flyers in the same manner as you would if she were lost.

Face to face contacts are more likely to bring a positive response than by telephone.

If you have a relationship with a vet they may be willing to board her for a few hours at little to no cost. No harm in asking. The worst that can happen is you will be told "No".

Check with local rescues to ask if the dog could be brought to their home for a few hours while you are gone.

Call the local shelter, vet offices, groomers and training facilities to see if they have any ideas or resources. 

Ask the rescue or shelter if they would allow you to foster short term to see if another dog would help.

Get your bf to talk with people at work to see if they know of anyone who can help.

Although difficult in your situation try to get the dog as tired as possible before leaving. Try throwing a ball or Frisbee over and over for 2-3 hours if necessary.

Melatonin or Valerian root given an hour before leaving home. Available at health food stores. Thundershirt has a 100% guarantee. Try a child size t-shirt fitted snug but not tight. Clomicalm, a vet prescription. Recommended to be used with training.

As a last resort talk to the vet about Acepromazine. Ace is an oral medication that is often used for dogs that are impossible when it is time to trim their nails, change a bandage or remove stitches. Give 1 hour to 90 minutes before leaving. Keep things low keyed and quiet. It will cause the dog to sleep. Effect may last 4 hours or longer. The dog must be in a safe, secure place Without access to a sofa or bed where it may fall off. No petting, talking or anything that may stimulate the dog. Ace can be scary to the person the first time it is used. It will cause the dog to be wobbly legged, appear drunk or anesthetized. You may need to lower the dose. If things are kept quiet the dog should sleep until it wears off. 

Test each oral medication before it is needed. Do not give the med, then just leave as every dog reacts differently. Empty vs. a full stomach will make a difference in the amount that is absorbed. 

Give SAMe and silybin to support the liver after using the meds. Denamarin is a brand name containing both ingredients.

Not something you can correct now but can be done over time. She should not be frightened while in the bathroom. Do not go into the bathroom just for a bath. Make it a happy place. Talk in a silly, lilting voice. Lots of praise, chin scratches, treats and gooooood dog for the slightest positive response. Be very careful not to accidentally reward an undesired behavior. Over time get her used to the tub with no water. Again, fun and positive reinforcement. Ever so slowly add a few drops of water to the tub, then allow it to touch the dog. Flavor it with chicken broth if necessary. Make sure nothing negative happens in or near the tub. It can take a year to get the dog where you want it to be but if you and everyone in the household is consistent it will happen.

Wishing you and Kiora all the best.


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