separation anxiety

[High Impact]

Hey everybody! My wife and I are new to the German Shepherd world and love our 7 month old german shepherd immensely. The kids recently went back to school and our beloved zoot gets crated from 8:30 am until the kids get home at 3:00pm.

I walk her 1 mile in the morning and play frisbee with her before I leave for the office. She eliminates and eats with no issues. After running the house for a little while and saying goodbye (seeing the kids onto the bus) she goes into the crate with a milk bone. The last few days she is reluctant to enter the crate and when we come home she has peed in her crate. She is well house broken and can hold it that long so I don't really see how it could be her "forced" to unload her bladder cuz she's been crated too long. The last two days she is having some loose stools (correct me if I am wrong please) which could be because she is getting stressed?

I'm certain someone here can help with some experienced advice. Am I missing something here?

Thanks in advance.

[crisp]

It could definitely be do to stress. Is the dog very agitated before you leave? Panting, Pacing? Have you noticed any scratch marks on the crate or the floor? Those are usually clear signs of a seperation anxiety. Even if the dog isn't displaying those issues, he could still be heading in to it. If he is still a mild case, you can work with him by conditioning him to stay in the crate for short periods of time. Very short. The point is for him to understand you will come back. Definitely no hellos or goodbyes. If, however, this is a severe case, the dog can potentially injure himself. In those cases it is not recommended that you leave the dog alone and seek help from a professional trainer/behaviorist.

[Stosh]

I practiced leaving as well- like crisp said, no goodbyes, just pop her in the crate then let her out the same way- no big deal. When the kids say goodbye, she's getting cranked up for being alone for hours. So I would let them have their morning time with her prior to them leaving. Still let her have her treat but I'd have it in the crate before putting her in it. Practice the in and out at different times and for different lengths of time so that she's not geared up for being home alone. Try leaving a tv or talk radio on so she'll have some voices in the house.

[crisp]

Be careful with the Radio. While I've heard that it does help some dogs, it could also develop a signal the same as a goodbye does. When the dog hears you turn on the radio, its a signal that he will be alone for hours, usually setting off anxiety in the dog. I'm with Stosh though on the unset practice with the crate. Best to start with short intervals, a minute, two. Once he is ok with those, you can gradually increase the time. And definitely practice at un-regular times of the day.

[Stosh]

I didn't think about the radio/tv thing while away- just as much a signal of leaving as saying goodbye

[paulag1955]

The radio would be fine if you turned it on first thing in the morning.

[crisp]

Originally Posted by paulag1955

The radio would be fine if you turned it on first thing in the morning.

Thats probably a better way to go. I'm still not sold on the idea of radios/tvs settling anxious dogs. They rely on all their senses and know their still alone. But to be fair, I haven't done enough research to say definitively. Can't really hurt either.

[High Impact]

Zoot isn't usually irritated but she has been panting a lot lately and doesn't settle down as soon as she used to. One time she peed in her crate when we all left the room. We never say goodbye when we leave or hello when we return. I will double check with the kids to see if they are creating fanfare when we are not present. I thought it would be perfectly ok for her to see the kids getting on the bus. In hindsight that may not be a good idea and may be creating an imprint like a routine goodbye?

[crisp]

Realistically, its hard to eliminate all things that could be causing an imprint. The dog will see you getting ready and leaving. Our mornings are usually pretty routine. Its more important that no one does anything specific with the dog because you are leaving, like an emphatic good bye or fixing his doggy bed, etc. You can try to not letting him see the kids leaving for the time being in a sense that it will remove one extra stimulous. Most important would be the conditioning. Definitely work throughout the day on crating him for short times as mentioned above. Its still very hard to tell the level of anxiety he is experiancing. It might to good to have a professional evaluate the situation. I say that because if it is a sever case he should not be left alone and the conditioning should be conducted with the help of professional. Leaving a dog alone with sever seperation anxiety could cause serious additional problems.

[BowWowMeow]

Take a urine sample first thing in the AM and have your vet check it for a UTI.

If she doesn't have a UTI I would block her into a smaller area in her crate to make it harder for her to pee.

Are you cleaning it with white vinegar and water to eliminate the scent?