Duncan's first time alone

You are so fortunate. Our Golden (rescue dog that we knew had separation anxiety before we welcomed him into our home) has great difficulty being left alone for more than about 5 to 10 minutes. We've been trying to train him for 2 years by very gentle progression and three times thought we were making progress - but he regressed each time. Very frustrating. But in every other way, he is a perfect dog. What to do???

Are you using a crate?

robsouth wrote:
Are you using a crate?

If you're asking about Duncan, no, no crate while we're gone. He just sleeps on the couch in the rec room. He does sleep in a crate at night though.

We are contemplating letting him sleep on a dog bed. That is tough one...he'll want to sleep in bed with us (he does during camping). That was because Buddy Blue took up the floor space in the TC.

He's 5 and now his whole world is changing. We're going to do things slowly at his pace, little by little.

Alfred, how does your goldie react when you take him in the car and leave him for a time? What does he do when you leave? Do you video him? Might try it and as he starts to bark/whine, walk back in and say "no bark" and give him a treat. You have to do this over and over and lengthen the time. You can also go through the motions of getting ready to leave, but don't leave.

Another tip, take him for a long walk/run before you go out. A tired dog is a good dog.

Hope this helps. It's nice that you're patient. He must have some bad memories he has to overcome. I wish you and him the best.

Our dog has a pet bed at the foot of our bed on the floor. That is his bed and doesn't get on our bed unless invited. When we leave we take out his toys and put them away when we return. Keeps him busy when we're gone. I'm retied LEO so I have a thing about jails. Jails are for bad people and bad dogs. We have never needed to put our dog in a jail. Some people call them crates. We had to un crate train our dog. (That was breeders big sales pitch. All his dogs were jail trained. I mean crate trained) He isn't a pet but part of our family.

Our dog also sleeps on her own bed on the floor next to our bed. The way our bed is, she isn't in the way. The only time she has indicated she wants up with us is if it start storming loudly in the night. We then get up with her, but do not let her in our bed.
Alfred 622:
We previously had a male rescue dog with anxiety /seperation issues we could not correct. When we got an older female a couple of years later - no more problem. He was no longer alone when we left. And, we also NEVER use a crate. Our rescue dogs have spent years and years confined in a crate.

Un crate traing a dog takes lots of patience. Our dog was very hyper about being out of a crate and tried to crawl under carpets, in corners, etc. Our dog had hard to break bad habits outside his crate. Slowly got rid of the crate. Now a great pet with no problems and minds better than most kids we know.

campn4walleye a question.

Why the name Duncan? We were curious as you don't see that used often. We like it.

campn4walleye wrote:
Alfred, how does your goldie react when you take him in the car and leave him for a time? What does he do when you leave? Do you video him? Might try it and as he starts to bark/whine, walk back in and say "no bark" and give him a treat. You have to do this over and over and lengthen the time. You can also go through the motions of getting ready to leave, but don't leave.

Another tip, take him for a long walk/run before you go out. A tired dog is a good dog.

Hope this helps. It's nice that you're patient. He must have some bad memories he has to overcome. I wish you and him the best.

Thanks SO MUCH for your kind note, Campn4walleye. Sam does fine in the car and can wait in the back seat for an hour or two without problems. He was born on a farm and was an outside dog for almost a year. Then the farmer needed to move into town and could not keep Sam - he went to a Vet where he was kept in a kennel for 2 solid weeks after being neutered. We got him shortly after that - he avoided our kennel at home for the longest time. We gradually got him used to that and he is very comfortable in the kennel with the door open or shut - as long as he knows we are around. But, an empty house gets him very worried - he stands, pants and drools. We are slowly training him and making it a happy time (you should see my treat, peanut butter, and cheese grocery bill!!) for him. We have gotten assistance from our vet and from a certified dog psychologist. They say he may never be able to stay home alone in his kennel and be comfortable - but we all do the best we can. I agree with you - slow training, a step at a time, is best. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Magnusfide

We named him Duncan because he's a tri-colored Cavalier King Charles. It's a Scottish breed and a Scottish name. It fits. He's a darling. This is him on his first day home.



This is him with his brother Buddy Blue.