Woof! Bark! And also Whiiiiiiiiiine.

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BaronessBL Dec 2014 8:55am, 12 Dec 2014 4,123 posts	0 BaronessBL We got Wanda as a rescue at 8-10 months old... we were very fortunate on the house training side of things she has always been keen to do anything like that right at the bottom of the garden as far away from the house as possible - even on the local playing field she goes right to the far end before 'going'... and in fact she will now 'do a wee' on command for example if we need her to 'go' because there won't be another opportunity for a while. She still gets lots of praise for doing so and a gravy bone last thing at night when she does her wee etc just before bedtime. Leaving her - we built up the time she was left on her own... we didn't automatically crate her because as she was from a rescue centre we didn't know if she had had experience of crates before and whether she would be distressed although we now have a crate and we used to leave it up with her bed in it so she got the idea it was a nice place not a punishment. We have left her alone in it once in a hotel room while we had dinner and would do so again but wouldn't yet make a regular habit of using it. When we go out we leave her in the kitchen with no access to the rest of the house. She has the same kong with treats in it which she only has when we go out and it's taken away (substituted for a bonio or chew) as soon as we come back. We started off leaving her just for very short periods of time initially shutting her in the kitchen and going upstairs and sitting quietly for a few minutes, then going out the front door and walking to the end of the road and back, doing this every day and gradually building up to a 20 minute trip to the local shop. I still prefer not to leave her for longer than between three and four hours but she has on occasion been left for five or six hours without incident although if we were to do that we would try to give her a long walk or run with us first so she was tired and would sleep for much of it. Good luck
Derby Tup Dec 2014 8:55am, 12 Dec 2014 13,825 posts	0 Derby Tup Kong with treats is ace
Derby Tup Dec 2014 8:56am, 12 Dec 2014 13,826 posts	0 Derby Tup Tussock's first proper walk later this morning
BaronessBL Dec 2014 9:04am, 12 Dec 2014 4,124 posts	0 BaronessBL The other thing we have tried - and it may work for Oboe if she is more 'active' when left is a ball that you fill with treats/dog food kibble and then they have to push it around on the floor to get all the food out through a little hole in the top (Pets at Home do them for about a fiver)..... Wanda had one of those too but sadly there is no such thing as an indestructible ball for a staffy and in the end the hole in the top was more like half the ball missing!! Before that happened though it was quite good at keeping her entertained... again she only got that if we went out and it was taken away on our return so it was a 'treat' she only saw occasionally and the novelty didn't wear off. A couple of other things you could try - leave the dog with on old t-shirt you have been wearing so it still smells of you... this is meant to comfort them. A friend of mine has those Adaptil plug ins that give off soothing vibes/smells for dogs to calm them that she uses when they go out. I'm a bit sceptical of that sort of thing... but I guess they may be worth a try at least.
Sharkie Dec 2014 9:12am, 12 Dec 2014 6,312 posts	0 Sharkie Everyone has given such sensible advice - especially The Baroness detailed instructions above. I can't offer much else - but do remember not to make a fuss when you leave and a fuss when you return. ESPECIALLY not the goodbye's (it's very hard to resist a dog's ecstatic greeting - but don't over do those either). The more the dog thinks being left and subsequently being returned to is no big deal the less anxious they will be about it - anxiety being a main cause for the destruction. More than boredom I think has been proved. Lazydaisy's loved, cossetted, safe and secure, all the advantages Flossie continued to worriedly chew at things when left alone far longer than LD would have expected. Correct me if I'm wrong LD!
Derby Tup Dec 2014 12:24pm, 12 Dec 2014 13,827 posts	0 Derby Tup Is the Adatpil plug-in the pheromone thingie?
BaronessBL Dec 2014 12:43pm, 12 Dec 2014 4,125 posts	0 BaronessBL I believe so- I have never seen it or tried it but have seen it advertised on TV and a friend has recently started using it (no idea if they have seen any effect yet!)
D2Heathenforachristmasname Dec 2014 1:08pm, 12 Dec 2014 5,872 posts	0 D2Heathenforachristmasname I take back everything I have ever said. I had to go and speak to the plumber leaving my sandwich on the table, when I got back it was in Eb's tummy and she didn't look guilty. I cant quite believe it, this is the first time with any of my dogs.... I feel guilty now that I'm not feeding her enough.
Helegant Dec 2014 1:19pm, 12 Dec 2014 2,502 posts	0 Helegant "Guilty?" say's Jet. "Me dog. See food, eat food."
Cyclops Dec 2014 1:43pm, 12 Dec 2014 1,617 posts	0 Cyclops We left Leah once with a frozen, peeled egg which kept her entertained as she rolled it around licking it as it slowly defrosted. Had to wash the floor though....