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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Elaine has been training dogs professionally for 14 years. She is a CPDT as well as an endorsed member of NADOI. She is also certified in narcotics detection and is one half of a (twice) certified explosives detection team - the other half being her Dutch Shepherd Spawn, who is also titled in several protection sports. Elaine is the owner of Canine's Best Behavior, a Los Angeles based training company, offering Basic Manners, CGC, K9 Games (soon!) as well as behavior modification for aggression fears phobias etc.
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[Edit]
8/30/2005
I am currently working and I bring my puppy to work. She stays in an office upstairs from me. I have been doing this for about 2 months now. Before, my puppy Abby, would only cry a couple times and then be fine but now she literally cries, barks, howls, all day long. Obviously you can’t have this in a work environment. Even at home, if I leave her in my room and leave for a minute she cries so loud. She has a million toys, water & food, and I play soft music for her. None of this is working so how do I train her? What can I do, any suggestions please! (julesjoiner, Arizona)
I wonder about the age of your puppy? Maybe about 4-5 months or so? Or that it started right around that time? Couple that age with some teething (which makes some dogs extra barky), add in some well intentioned reassurance and you have the beginnings of some not so good old fashioned separation anxiety.
Dogs that spend a lot of time with us are the ones that tend to develop separation problems.
I would start small, but work towards have your dog being OK with you being away for a few minutes every day as well. Do some basic obedience that ends with her being released to go get a treat away from you. Teaching her that it's rewarding (and OK by you) to be away will hopefully get people in your office appreciating her cuteness instead of dreading when you go to the Xerox machine.
Increasing her exercise prior to your office may help her settle and a training session at lunch in your office will redefine what that area means to her and what you/she do in it.
There are some nifty products that may help too:
- Comfort Zone is an odorless to us, but great smelling to dogs plug in that m
ay make her feel a little better in your office. It covers an area of about 600 sq.ft and lasts about a month.
- Treat and Train is a remote controlled treat dispenser that you can operate while out of sight, if she is quiet. www.sharperimage.com . It also works really well to teach dogs a station at the front door.
- Kong Time is another item that will randomly dispense 4 food filled Kongs through out the day.
Things to avoid:
- Corrective devices like citronella or electronic bark collars. She is anxious when you leave, these approaches won't make her any more comfortable-quite the opposite!
- Babying her when you come back. Ultimately you want her to be a confident older dog, standing on all 4 paws, treat her that way now!
- Too much affection when you are there.
- Big "Gone with the Wind" exits. Give her something to do, like a raw marrow bone and go. When returning, try to avoid a big love festival there too.
Some cool books to read:
Simply, if you can make her world a little more interesting when you are not there and a little less fabulous when you are I (cross my fingers) think she will be fine.
Hope that helps.
Elaine Allison CPDT NADOI
Canine Behavior Consultant
Canine's Best Behavior
1.866.K9s.Best
www.caninesbestbehavior.com
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