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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

The doghouse

the secret life of dogs. shouldnt ahve watched it

55 replies

waikikamookau · 15/10/2013 10:13

anyway, I didn't catch it all but there was a rotweiler who I believed peed and pood in the house when owners went out.
my pup does that.
what was their solution?
was it a mat and a kob with treats?

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joanofarchitrave · 15/10/2013 10:19

Yes, plus a long slow training to reduce his anxiety as his owner left him, moving one step away from the mat at a time.

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waikikamookau · 15/10/2013 10:21

oh I don't spose my pup is that anxious.

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YoureBeingADick · 15/10/2013 10:23

well in the end her solution was to get rid of him- because that wouldn't cause him any anxiety at all after being abandoned originally .

i could tell from the start she was going to so no surprise when all of a sudden when training was working she came up with a list of other previously unmentioned problems which meant she couldn't keep him. but she cried so that was ok.

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waikikamookau · 15/10/2013 10:28

iknow she blamed the City Life and the Fire works,
crap.

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YoureBeingADick · 15/10/2013 10:30

yup.

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Butterflylovers · 15/10/2013 10:46

Unless you take your dog everywhere you go, it’s impossible not to leave them for a period of time.
I guess the best we can do is to limit the stress of being alone.
Not sure how well the mat and cob trick would be on clingy dogs like pugs, they follow you like a shadow!

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bergedorf · 15/10/2013 11:46

I think she was fostering him?

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YoureBeingADick · 15/10/2013 11:53

yes. they were referred to as his foster family. foster families are normally where the dog stays until a forever home is found are they not? no home had been found for him when she was saying she was giving him up. she said it was to do with the busyness of the city. so back into rescue again for Bruno until a home becomes available.

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idirdog · 15/10/2013 14:11

Bloody hell you lot are jumping to conclusions

She was fostering the dog and was looking for the right home for him she did not abandon him. She worked on his issues and is handing a dog that is now less stressed to a new home! No he did not go back into rescue.

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waikikamookau · 15/10/2013 15:24

but can answer my question how to help my pup who poos and pees when we leave the house? they managed it with the rotweiller, I believe.

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CEvert · 15/10/2013 15:31

How long do you leave the pup alone?

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waikikamookau · 15/10/2013 15:43

oh, not long, an hour or two

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idirdog · 15/10/2013 15:48

Watch the programme properly and it tells you exactly what to do .

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waikikamookau · 15/10/2013 15:49

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YoureBeingADick · 15/10/2013 16:36

Do you know aleesha and bruno iridog? It said she hoped she could find him a loving home in the country- do you know that she has now found one? It didnt update on the show.

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YoureBeingADick · 15/10/2013 16:37

And i didnt say she abandoned him. He was found originally abandoned on brecon beacon.

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idirdog · 15/10/2013 16:38

Why the sigh?
I will explain it if you want to but it is easier to see from the programme

have a new mat
Get a kong filled with yummy treats
Put dog on mat and give the kong
stay close to the dog
Gradually increase the distance from the dog whilst he is on his mat with his kong
If the dogs looks at you when you leave go nearer.
do this regularly until you can leave the room without the dog reacting
Build up to leaving the house whilst he is on the mat with his kong making sure that he is not concerned

9.When he is happy you can then leave him on the mat with the kong for longer periods.

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idirdog · 15/10/2013 16:40

youreBeingaDIck you said back to rescue again........ Yes I know the dog

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YoureBeingADick · 15/10/2013 16:44

Back to rescue isnt abandoning though is it?

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coldwinter · 15/10/2013 16:45

This programme didn't surprise me at all. It is cruel to leave a dog alone for long periods of time most days IMO

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idirdog · 15/10/2013 17:02

YoureBeingADick not sure what your problem is but the tone of your posts was critical of a fosterer who has spent hours and hours training a dog and then finding the best home possible for it. I am only telling your the truth of the situation.

quote from your post

"well in the end her solution was to get rid of him- because that wouldn't cause him any anxiety at all after being abandoned originally"I could tell from the start she was going to so no surprise when all of a sudden when training was working she came up with a list of other previously unmentioned problems which meant she couldn't keep him. but she cried so that was ok"

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hellymelly · 15/10/2013 17:05

It was a really interesting programme. I am getting a dog again in the new year so I was keen to get tips to avoid separation anxiety as I have had dogs with it in the past.

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YoureBeingADick · 15/10/2013 17:12

I havent argued with your truth of the situation have i? I corrected you when you claimed i said she was abandoning the dog.

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moosemama · 15/10/2013 20:32

I felt they programme could have gone into a little more detail, as it did make Separation Anxiety programmes sound very simplistic.

A friend of mine (likes dogs but doesn't have one of his own) knowing I have just been through an SA programme with my elder dog, rang just after it finished and asked me if all you need to do is buy a rug/mat and get them used to emptying a kong on it, then gradually move the rug - and if that's all there is to it, how come it took me so long and seemed to take over my life.

I felt they didn't do enough to cover desensitisation to leaving cues, calm entrance and exits and realistically how long it takes to get a dog over severe SA. They mentioned it's a long process, but didn't really cover how all encompassing it is or that it can take a very long time to sort out.

I think the problem was though, that in order to cover it all properly, it really needed to be a series of programmes instead of a one-off.

I also thought they could have given out clearer info on how to find a suitably qualified behaviourist. They did refer people to their website at the end and I haven't looked, but assume the info is on there, but it would have been nice if they'd directed people to the APBC etc during the programme as well.

I also know of a few people who have been left worried sick that their dog is desperately unhappy if they have to leave them, despite them being quiet and not showing any outwards signs of stress. These are good owners who do everything possible to make sure their dogs have all their needs met and leave them as little as possible, but are now worried that their dogs fall into the category of no obvious outward signs, yet still high cortisol levels - indicating high stress.

The study was interesting, but didn't go far enough. They didn't say how many were rescue dogs, how many had owners that worked, what breeds they were, working vs show vs pet bred, whether they'd had early socialisation etc. I suspect the small category of dogs that were genuinely relaxed when alone were from homes that did early socialisation and training and made sure the dogs were gradually acclimatised to periods of being left alone from a young age and as the people I know who were worried also fall into that category, their dogs - in all probability - are also genuinely relaxed when left.

Maybe I just feel like that because I currently have a rescue pup, who came to me at 10 weeks, had already had a much less than ideal start and was then very ill and I am regularly conversing with lots of other pup owners who have had their dogs from 8 weeks from breeders who gave them an excellent start and who have done everything right in terms of socialisation and training. My pup was never left on his own for a second from when he was found at 24 hours old to when we picked him up at 10 weeks old and had had little or no socialisation outside of his 'foster' home. It has taken from 10 to 19 weeks of consistent hard work to reach a point where he can be left for an hour with a kong and be quiet and settled and I still haven't been able to leave him at home for longer than half an hour, whereas the other puppies I know are all much more relaxed about being left and can be left for a couple of hours with no obvious problems. The difference between my rescue and the other pups I know got me wondering what the differences were likely to have been between the dogs in the study.

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bergedorf · 15/10/2013 20:49

Now actually had a chance to finish watching the programme. Really interesting. We had the same team from Bristol Uni helping us with Jess and her anxiety (snapping and barking). It's true -- it does take a Very Very long time. We are still working on the training 10 months later.

Aleesha works in a pet shop I go to and the impression I got from her is that they are looking for a permanent home that Will Be in the country, because Bruno finds the noise and stress of an urban home too much. I haven't been to the pet shop for a few weeks so don't know exactly what's happened. I know she was hoping the programme may actually help him find a permanent home, obviously after the proper background checks from the rescue centre.

Waiki I think I still have the sheets from the behaviourist about separation training. I can email it to you if you PM me your email address.