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  1. #1
    Falcom is better than SE. Change my mind.
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    Training a dog to be alone

    So I adopted a dog last night. While he's very affectionate, he also doesn't like being alone and is a pretty loud whiner.

    I want to train him to okay being alone while I'm at work and not sleep with me, but not sure how how to get him to being used to it.

  2. #2
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    Wear some ratty old shirt you were gonna get rid of for a few days. That shirt is now his, the only time you'll wear it is right after washing. Not sure if it'd be better to give it to him only when you're gone, or just make it his full-time, but it should help some with separation anxiety either way.

  3. #3
    Cassalot
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    I crate train our dogs and every time as a puppy I had to put a blanket over their crates to help them not cry. It worked for both our pups. The shirt trick I've never done personally but I've hear that works too.

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    Radio or TV?

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cassalot View Post
    I crate train our dogs and every time as a puppy I had to put a blanket over their crates to help them not cry. It worked for both our pups. The shirt trick I've never done personally but I've hear that works too.
    Does crate training work on older dogs? The humane society says he's 2 years old so wondering if that might be too late.

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    Shouldn't be too late to train. I think I trained one of my dogs at 5 years old to go to a spot in the kitchen on a command word. Had to train with treats at first and now no longer needed after a month or two.

    My dogs (now ages 10+) do whine when they are put in an enclosure so they don't get free reign in the house when nieces are over. After 5-10 minutes, they shut up until someone passes by and the dogs begin to beg for attention.

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    You should probably work from home like a responsible pack leader.

  8. #8
    King Bitcher of Bitchington
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    What kind of dog is it? If you can I would try to be home as much as possible during this time so the dog gets comfortable and eases into everything nicely. Put yourself in it's position and how it might feel.

    This will sound mean but bear with me, when you leave for extended periods of time DO NOT acknowledge that you are leaving. Distract the dog and then slip out quietly. Do not make leaving a big deal. Likewise, do not make arriving a big deal. Once you get home, ignore him for 5 minutes or whatever while you settle in. Praise calm, collected behavior and ignore bad behavior.

    I have 3 roommates and 4 dogs one of which is mine. When I get home all 4 of them are calm and barely make a peep as their tails wag in happiness. When everyone else gets home they are barking, crying and flipping their fucking lids because my roommates make it a huge deal. Most dogs are fine alone at home as they'll just sleep a whole bunch. If you want to leave the radio/tv on or something it might give the illusion of company. You can also try looking into what's called a Thunder Jacket which wraps around the dog and simulates cuddling/comfort. Probably shouldn't leave that sucker on for more than 3 hours as it could cause a rash or something.

    as far as not sleeping with you, do you mean not on the bed or not in the same room completely?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Corrderio View Post
    Does crate training work on older dogs? The humane society says he's 2 years old so wondering if that might be too late.
    Yes. The key is to making him feel like the crate is his house. Not someplace that is meant as a punishment. Sporadically throws treats in there while he's watching. Leave a toy inside. Or do the shirt route. We used an old blanket. Encourage him to go in the crate even when you're home. Don't latch the door closed during those times, obviously. Do not use treats to lure him in before you leave. Given enough time he'll be fine with the crate. After he gets used to being at your home and used to your schedule, you may not even need to crate him.

    Big thing to remember is that any time you adopt a dog they says it's about 6 months in a new home before the dog really feels comfortable. That's when his personality will really start to show.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Koul View Post
    What kind of dog is it? If you can I would try to be home as much as possible during this time so the dog gets comfortable and eases into everything nicely. Put yourself in it's position and how it might feel.

    This will sound mean but bear with me, when you leave for extended periods of time DO NOT acknowledge that you are leaving. Distract the dog and then slip out quietly. Do not make leaving a big deal. Likewise, do not make arriving a big deal. Once you get home, ignore him for 5 minutes or whatever while you settle in. Praise calm, collected behavior and ignore bad behavior.

    I have 3 roommates and 4 dogs one of which is mine. When I get home all 4 of them are calm and barely make a peep as their tails wag in happiness. When everyone else gets home they are barking, crying and flipping their fucking lids because my roommates make it a huge deal. Most dogs are fine alone at home as they'll just sleep a whole bunch. If you want to leave the radio/tv on or something it might give the illusion of company. You can also try looking into what's called a Thunder Jacket which wraps around the dog and simulates cuddling/comfort. Probably shouldn't leave that sucker on for more than 3 hours as it could cause a rash or something.

    as far as not sleeping with you, do you mean not on the bed or not in the same room completely?
    Shih-Tzu/Poodle mix. And yeah I guess it's a tad dickish not being home with him right now, but I'm kind of stretched on PTO. As for sleeping, both would be ideal, but staying off the bed for sure.

    He doesn't seem destructive when left alone thankfully. I'm currently living with family and they went out today and said nothing was ruined when they returned. So I guess it's more of a question of if he just whines for a bit or not.

  11. #11
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    Special treats for their crates when we leave the house. Yes, they're dried bull penises. Yes, they smell. But they really like them and it takes them awhile to eat. But they happily go into their crates, wait for the doors to close, and wait for that bully stick because they love them so much. They are really hard, but I have managed to cut them in half for shorter outings by repeatedly (25times or so) hacking at them with a cleaver and then bending them after weakening them. Yes it's crazy, yes they're expensive, but for the babies? Anything.

  12. #12
    King Bitcher of Bitchington
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    I won't rip into you not having him sleep on the bed (it's a shihtzu! come ooonnn ) but it'd be good for the dog to at least sleep in your room or in your vicinity, if/when it wants to. This is good for mental sanity purposes.

    do you have pictures of the little snickerdoodle?! Shoowww meeeeeeeee

  13. #13
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    @Nirokun!: Well you get enough of them for that price. I do need to find him treats he likes for general training purposes soon.

    @Koul: True, but I mostly don't want him to suffer from separation anxiety when I'm gone. I'm taking a trip in April so I want him to be comfortable with me being gone for about 4ish days without going berserk.

    As for a pic:


    I need to get him groomed, but first priority is the vet. If he doesn't have anything serious then I'm going to get him fixed then maybe hold off for a week or two before I get him groomed.

  14. #14
    Cassalot
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brill Weave View Post
    Yes. The key is to making him feel like the crate is his house. Not someplace that is meant as a punishment. Sporadically throws treats in there while he's watching. Leave a toy inside. Or do the shirt route. We used an old blanket. Encourage him to go in the crate even when you're home. Don't latch the door closed during those times, obviously. Do not use treats to lure him in before you leave. Given enough time he'll be fine with the crate. After he gets used to being at your home and used to your schedule, you may not even need to crate him.

    Big thing to remember is that any time you adopt a dog they says it's about 6 months in a new home before the dog really feels comfortable. That's when his personality will really start to show.
    To add on what Brill said I also feed our dogs in their crates. It helped them get use to the crate a lot faster in the long run. Whenever I tell them to "Go to bed" they run right into their crates. It's nice lol

  15. #15
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    Well I tethered him today while I did some yard work before winter hits. Results were a bit mixed.

    When he couldn't get to me sure enough he started to cry which attracted a few nearby dogs. After awhile though he seemed to relax and lie down.

  16. #16
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    Yeah, when he does that type of shit you need to ignore him and not do anything. Don't yell at him to zip it or rush over to coddle him. He needs to learn to contain himself. When he calms down, then go over and praise him.

    The only time I give my dog personal attention when he's barking or being a baby is when we have company over and he's being ridiculous. I hold his chin up, death glare into his eyes while calming and sternly telling him to mellow out. I do this to my roommates dogs too and they relax.

  17. #17
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    So we just got him neutered today and given his tender condition I think getting him used to a kennel is the best solution. So what general tips seem to work with you guys? I looked up a few such as "lock him in and stay by him for a bit and increase the time in intervals" strategy, but wondering if anyone else had some tricks.

    Additionally, I asked the vet about his behavior when we dropped him off. They said that he started to howl, but stopped not too long after. Given what I seen so far this seems to be his general behavior it does seem like he howls any time he can't be near someone (doesn't matter who, dog's a friggin social butterfly towards anyone including other dogs and even cats I think) but quiets down not too long after. So I'm wondering if he's doing it out of protest/attention before calming down, or if he stops but is still feeling distressed.

  18. #18
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    I think the biggest thing you need to realize is the dog won't stop with the separation anxiety overnight; it's going to be a long, whiney while. Just keep doing what you're doing, making a safe space in the kennel, keeping the kennel in the room at night, etc. Your dog will learn, trust me, you just need the patience to deal with his withdrawal in the meantime. It gets a lot worse before it gets better, just stick with the regime.

  19. #19
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    Bumping.

    So I put the crate training on halt a bit since a few weeks ago he went from excited to hyperactive. Probably due to him not getting out as much as normal since the weather here got real cold. In the meantime I've been trying to reinforce basic commands like sit/lay down. While he has been picking it up and responding to treats pretty well, I'm having trouble weening him off of them since he doesn't seem to want to sit unless he sees the treat in my hand or me close to the jar. Did I try weening too soon?

    Additionally, he has had an accident every now and then in the house. Haven't noticed pee spots, but he has pooped in the living room by the TV once or twice in the past 3 weeks. Anything else I can to do reinforce that's bad behavior other than feeding him treats when he goes outside?

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Corrderio View Post
    Bumping.

    So I put the crate training on halt a bit since a few weeks ago he went from excited to hyperactive. Probably due to him not getting out as much as normal since the weather here got real cold. In the meantime I've been trying to reinforce basic commands like sit/lay down. While he has been picking it up and responding to treats pretty well, I'm having trouble weening him off of them since he doesn't seem to want to sit unless he sees the treat in my hand or me close to the jar. Did I try weening too soon?

    Additionally, he has had an accident every now and then in the house. Haven't noticed pee spots, but he has pooped in the living room by the TV once or twice in the past 3 weeks. Anything else I can to do reinforce that's bad behavior other than feeding him treats when he goes outside?
    Don't keep the treats in the same place or hold them in your hand. Every trainer I know says to keep some in a pocket, on a shelf, in a jar, etc. Multiple different places. This way the dog has no idea where the treat is coming from and will make him listen regardless of whether or not he sees the treat. As to the pooping, if it's been around the same time frame try to work around it and stagger when you let him out.

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