Dog howling when left alone - advice please

[ItsNotMyName]

We have recently taken on a dog - my MIL's dog to be precise. They have had him for 7 years, but are soon moving house so he was no longer convenient . They were going to rehome him, and we had little faith in how they would do this - probably by text to contacts, or Facebook. We have always wanted a dog, but both work full time, so it never seemed do-able (we have both had dogs previously and so know what it involved).

Taking on this dog seemed like the perfect opportunity. He is a labrador/greyhound cross. He seems to have inherited the looks and temperament of a labrador but the stamina of a greyhound! So after a walk he is exhausted and will sleep for the rest of the day. Hence we didn't have the same concerns about having him that we might have had with another dog.

Him moving in with us meant a lot of change for him. He had never previously had structured exercise (just let out in a field to roam about), never been toilet trained (wouldn't go in the house but would go anywhere outside), never been socialised with other dogs and allowed to eat any old crap. He has adjusted to all of these changes without a blink. He now gets a walk in the morning and evening from my partner and I, and a dog-walker takes him out during the day for a couple of hours with 3 or 4 other dogs. He is loving it!

However, he is left alone in the morning and afternoon for about 3-4 hours at a time. He is used to this, and was regularly left for longer in his old house. Apart from a bit of a whine when you put him in the utility room, he would settle and just slept. We have built a run for him outside, with a kennel and platform to see into the woods at the back. There is also a 'den' type area underneath the platform. So plenty of space, stimulation, food, water and comfy bed.

As soon as we put him in there and walk away he starts going mad - barking and howling. I have tried driving away and sitting outside the house where he can't see me. 30 minutes later he is still going - not as badly but probably a howl/whine combo every minute or so. Bizarrely he doesn't actually seem distressed; I can spy on him (!) and he is making this noise whilst stretched out on his platform and in reasonably relaxed body posture.

I have tried sitting in there with him to get him used to it. As long as I am in there he is completely chilled. As soon as I leave it is back to the same. I have tried ignoring when he is making noise and only going back when he is quiet, but once he knows you are there he will not shut up at all.

I am sorry this is so long; I wanted to give the background to the situation. I would be really very grateful for any advise or guidance that people could offer which might discourage this behaviour. It's going to start to be a problem with the neighbours and I just want him to be as happy as possible.

I'm not an expert (we got a pup recently, he's 5 months now) but the books I've read suggested stuffed Kongs etc to keep the dog busy while you are away. I put a bit of peanut butter in ours, then freeze it. When I have to go out, pup goes in his crate and I give him the Kong, he's occupied and perfectly happy. Another thought - maybe he'd be happier in a smaller space with less stimulation, so he'll just settle down to sleep? I'm sure some more knowledgeable MNers will be along soon

Thanks - some good points there. He has chewy toys, a kong (although not stuffed), a fresh marrow bone - all that a dog could wish for! Your point about less stimulation rather than more may be a good one. He sleeps in a crate at night now, but I wouldn't really want to leave him in it during the day as it isn't big enough.

The reason we had him outside was twofold - firstly because we didn't want him to get bored, and secondly because the whole of our downstairs is open-plan. He was allowed to scratch in his old house and we really don't want him doing damage when we are not there.

Any other thoughts? We've had a repeat performance this afternoon

He's never been in an outdoor pen by himself before and he doesn't like it. It's that simple. Try and make it a positive place for him. Always feed him in there, then let him out as soon as he has finished, and build up the time he is in there gradually. Perhaps after a walk, put him in with a stuffed kong for 20 mins (while you are at home), then let him out. I doubt this will be a quick process. Good luck.

How long have you had him?

It sounds as though he has coped with a massive amount of change in that time.

It's clear he doesn't like being left outside - could it be linked with his previous unstructured exercise routine? Had he been left outside in a field to 'exercise' himself for longer than necessary?

It could also be anxiety at being left. He may feel more secure in the house when you go out and much less so if left outside - especially if he's not used to it, or if he associates it with a punishment of some sort. He will be trying to make sense of his sudden change of circumstances and perhaps this is one bit too far, too soon.

Is there any reason you can't teach him not to scratch in the house? It sounds as though he is getting enough exercise and stimulation not to - it's often a boredom or stress issue.

And he's no more likely to be bored outside than in. Outside is not a cure all to prevent boredom in dogs - it's just as boring being outside on his own as it is being inside. He has three walks a day, and should be content to have 2 sleeps in between them. Could you try leaving him in the house instead? What happens if he's not crated at night? Have you tried it?

Thank you for your thoughts - they mirror the conclusion that I was coming to myself. Daisy - very good point re being left outside to 'exercise' for longer than necessary. He has actually wandered off from MIL's before and I suspect that this was because he was just left outside. He could be making associations.

When we planned this we genuinely thought that he would be happier outside - able to see what was going on in the world, rather than in a room with no windows which is where he was before. I don't want to perservere if it makes him unhappy .

He has had a tremendous amount of change in a short amount of time (just over a week so far) and he has coped with it brilliantly. He really is the best dog and it feels like we have always had him.

As a trial I left him alone for 20 minutes in the house whilst I went out. He followed me to the front door but I couldn't hear any howling. When I came back I crept down the side of the house and he was asleep on his rug in the sitting room. I wonder if he only scratched because he was bored as you suggest, rather than having an inherently 'scratchy' nature. In that case I would be inclined to just leave him in the house.

GoMow - we did try to get him used to it, building up over three days. However as we both work we reached a point where we did just have to leave him. It just seems like a switch - if you leave him, or even if you are stood outside the run he is still howling, and then as soon as you go in with him he is calm.

I have an adaptil collar for my (rescue ) dog. Has made an amazing difference to her & I really noticed after it wore off - lasts 4 weeks.

You can also buy diffusers, but I think these are better. Have you tried leaving the radio on as well ?

Agree with other suggestions about making it a nice place etc.

Oh bless him. He is doing so well - and has landed on his feet too!

A week is such a short time for all of you. I would be inclined to abandon outside for the time being; for whatever reason, it's one step too far for him at the moment.

He needs a chance to bond with you properly, and to learn how life is at your house.

I have a routine for mine every time we are going out. They are asked to hop into their beds and are given a treat of some sort. Not really for them, but so they know they're going to be on their own for a while. It has taught them what to expect. Same routine at night. It's the only time we do it.

Work out what you want your routines to be and stick to them. It will help him feel settled and as though he knows what is going to happen next.

It does sound as though he'll be fine in the house - there may be one or two incidents, but somehow I doubt it. Keep him settled, don't pursue outside for the time being, and teach him what you expect from him calmly and consistently.

He's worth it.

I also agree on abandoning the idea on leaving him outside.

I recall Victoria stillwell working with a couple who had 3 big dogs. The owners never left them in case they were stressed, si they put in a camera & they ended up just sleeping. Well, apart from 1 day when the pup was bored & ate the sofa . But she was a pup & a great Dane/horse cross !

I think if he sleeps most of the day & is relaxed, he'll be fine. Any chance of stair gates ?

Kongs with cream cheese are good to relax them when you go. Also chewy sticks are good stress busters.

Thank you all.

Willow Great minds must think alike. DP set up the webcam on his laptop earlier and went into the garage leaving DDog alone in the house (I was still at work). He paced around a bit and after about 10 mins settled down and fell asleep. So we have had a discussion (me, dp and DDog!) and he is going to stay in the house tomorrow. I don't like our sofa very much anyway...

He is sleeping loads when he is relaxed. He definitely isn't used to this amount of exercise, and I am also doing a few short (5 mins) training sessions as well. He is loving it all - lots of tail wagging - but I think he is exhausted, so I hope he will just settle down and sleep when alone tomorrow.

If that works out then I suspect that he will just stay in the house and we will have a very expensive and large ornamental dog run in the garden .

Hi, just a little update. We have stopped leaving the dog in the outside run and just leave him in the house when we go out.

We have been spying on him using the webcam and can report that he is completely settled when left - sleeps the whole time, with an occasional gnaw on his bone! We may try the run again in future, but at the moment this seems to be working.

Thanks for all the advice given.

That's really good news OP

Brilliant. He's happy then!

Thanks for updating.