Separation anxiety at night.

[D0oinMeCleanin]

I know you should ignore the nightly 4am howling sessions otherwise you will teach them that howling is a great way to achieve what they want i.e attention. But DH thinks something needs to be done

Since going on holiday to the rescue co-ordinators house whippy has decided that sleeping in her lovely, warm crate is no longer satisfactory, no she needs either a pile of greyhounds to sleep on or our bed alternatively she needs to howl for long periods of time at hourly intervals throughout the night to express her discontentment with her sleeping arrangements.

Is there a something that can be done to get her back to her normal, peaceful self any quicker, bar adopting a pile or greyhounds for her to sleep on?

Maybe some kind of calming music for dogs or something? A heat pad, maybe? Any solution other than my bed?

Ignore, ignore ignore.

...and buy some earplugs.

'tis the only way

What's wrong with adopting a pile of greyhounds?!

We did the ignoring in the night thing. It drove us especially barmy on the nights when the husky screamed as if something was killing him. This was solved by the arrival of Dog2.

After he bonded with Dog2, he started howling the place down if they were separated for a few minutes in the daytime. For the past six months, I have been training him to be on his own without Dog2. He can manage half an hour now, so would probably be okay for longer.

I've told DH we need a third dog to keep the husky company just in case something happens to Dog2 . I suppose that's what's wrong with acquiring a pile of greyhounds - instead of solving the problem, the dog might just develop separation anxiety from the greys as well.

I'm sure other people will have better ideas than me. Good luck, Dooin. I think the ignoring will work. Remember that sometimes things get worse before they get better (an extinction burst).

Actually, now I think about it, a pile of greyhounds does sound rather fun.

I went to a Husky kennel in Sweden once - their sleeping area was a big pile of fur with the odd paw/tail/nose poking out. Very sweet.

Well DH gave in last night and I woke up to find a tiny whippet on my pillow

If it's not bad enough that I often get woke up to find a terrier laying in my underwear drawer (he knows not to get on the bed because if he wakes me up he'll be booted out again) now I have to share my pillow with a dog.

At least when my dog breaks in he knows he is not allowed to share my pillow.

I really need to sort out the door handles and humans in this house .

Although on one hand DH did admit that maybe his dog is more nuerotic and anxious than mine because he has treat her like a baby-wayby and not a dog. He has finally admitted that this might not be a good thing.

A pile of greyhounds is looking more appealng by the second.

Haha that's funny. I bet the whippet thought it was heavenly.

Awww. she misses her pals. The crate is lonely. It might well be warm, but it is not in the same room as her pals.

Move the crate into your room? Pillow = yours.... same room as peeps = happy dog.

She just wants to not be alone. (Is she Mae West?)

MotherJack is right, take the crate upstairs, next to your bed - tell OH it is only temporary!!!

When she crys, just use a word like 'settle down' 'go sleep' 'bugger off', whatever suits - but use a calming voice!!

You can, put your hand on the cage and let her sniff, but only do this for a night or two.

Then, move her across the room a little, do the same (except without the hand, unless you are Mr Tickle!), then onto the landing, down the stairs, to where you want her. Use the 'settle' command if she starts up, but try not to go to her.

It will take a week or two at the most, possibly sooner - unless of course you love your little darling being curled up next to you? Nothing like a warm dog in the bed with snuffly breath in your ear........

Little whippets do like to be covered over you know, I hope you have a nest for her and not just a crummy pillow and blanket!!!

A nest is an understatement. She is a shared dog with DH and dd1. She is worshipped and adored and if dd1 does not stop stealing microfibre pillows off of my bed and decent fleece blankets used for camping from out of my wardrobe for the dog's crate I am going to start billing her for them. I often 'loose' the dog inside all the blankets and start rushing around the house calling her name convinced she has gotten out when the postie called

I have just got a sewing machine, though, so I am going to make a little doggy sleeping bag type thing for her and I've got some wood saved to build her a sprung base bed/sofa type thing to fit inside her crate not that I join in with the spoiling and adoration of course

Ahhh. And you wonder why your dog had separation anxiety! Overbonded methinks!

Aw!!! What a pampered dog. But surely she will expect the sleeping bag to go on your bed and not in her crate?

Ooh, post a pic of the sleeping bag once made!

I just sleep under a dog overbonded too. It leads to weird crickiness in various body parts but is lovely and warm in January!