to make them so stressed out they can't even leave the room with out the dog having a heart attack. I have had dogs for years, they love being around me but , if I leave the room they follow (in case I got food or something lol) but not once did they whine, rip up the house or had a hissy fit because I wasn't there.They would greet me when I got home and not a thing was disturbed ( neighbours never heard a peep but often complained about the stressed out dogs down the street) As puppies they were crated until they were trustworthy and fully house trained and often just loved to hang around in their crates (always left the door open.). If we had company that was uncomfortable with dogs they were crated in another room and just slept until we let them out. Many of my friends were dog people and theirs were the same, happy to be around their owners but when they left they were fine. So other than abused dogs, what do people do to get them in such a state?
2012-05-22T12:21:21Z
I groomed for 30 years and got some right screwed up messes who had to be done immediately or it was unbearable for us to have them in the salon due to whining and barking, Most were great but some couldn't stand being away from the owners for a second.
Cheryl2012-05-22T12:41:20Z
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many reasons ... low IQ, no dog training skills or general knowledge about dogs at all, poor (by poor i mean unable to pay for training classes) ... i also do not understand as every dog i have had has been a joy to be around, non-destructive, friendly, well trained ... i always felt like i was "lucky" with the dogs i got, thinking somehow they came as great dogs ... but i don't think that way now as my new puppy who is not even a year old is housebroken, can be left un-crated, no separation anxiety, and super friendly with people, kids, dogs big and small, and even my friends parrot ... some is just his temperament, how he was born, but a lot also has to do with the time i have taken to train him correctly ... i have done research, i have taken dogs to training classes, i have educated myself on how to do it "right" ... and the thing that is the worst is dogs who are so anxious are UNHAPPY dogs ... if a person has an anxiety issue they are medicated but not dogs, dogs just live in that state which is harsh and mean in my opinion ... and these neurotic dogs are neurotic due to their owners ... owners who treat them like babies, coddle them, and use the dog to meet their own selfish needs and not the needs of the dog ... a woman in my building had her perfectly healthy dog put to sleep cuz she could not "train the anxiety out of it" ... seriously ... and this woman is a freaking basket case ... i used to dog sit her dogs and when i had them, they were perfectly normal dogs ... but with her they had separation anxiety, they were destructive, they were NEVER disciplined ... i feel bad for the dogs and those type of owners need a slap in the head ... and the ones with low IQ's, they are the worst ... they might seek information but then develop "opinions" that usually have no basis in reality ... like the people who think crating a pup for a few hours is cruel ... so they go out and buy the biggest crate ever so their "baby" will be comfortable, but the simpletons don't grasp that the crate has to be the correct size for it to be effective ...
Often the first underlying cause is a genetically nervous temperament - sometimes being raised "right" is even worse for these dogs, since they learn to place complete confidence in their person (good) but then don't have the temperament to cope when that person is removed (bad).
Improperly making coming and going a big deal can feed into this problem, as can training where the dog is left loose to cause trouble and then immediately punished for it when the owner gets home (thus making the dog dread the leave/return cycle). Owners may also inadvertently reward barking and whining by returning or reassuring their dogs when they hear it - the dog then learns that barking/whining achieves the desired result of no longer being alone.
My current dog is a rescue with separation anxiety - he was born a "follower" in every way, and if there is another human or dog he knows present, he is a very, very stable dog. But he gets nervous when he can't take his cues from someone else, and has been known to counter-surf, shred tissues, and spread cat food around the basement. Compounding his separation anxiety is a terror of confinement - he has medical problems and ended up in a shelter and almost put down before I got him, so he has a right to fear strangers poking/prodding him and being locked up. Since he wasn't trust-worthy to be left out when left alone, he had to be crated, and so he began to associate being alone (kind of scary) with being trapped (terrifying). He has improved 1000% since we got him, but will still whine and bark intermittently if left crated by himself (if crated next to another dog he is fine). The whining has never been productive for him, it is simply a vocalization he makes when stressed.
So... it is not necessarily a neurotic owner "doing something" that makes a dog have separation anxiety or vocal when confined, but proper training and management can lesson the expression of both and make a dog much easier to live with.
There are many reasons why dogs get so stressed. I have worked with Rescues and many dogs have what we call abandonment issues....they have been left alone for so long that their life was in danger of starvation and/ or thirst....these emotionally damaged dogs never really recover. Then there are dogs that have never had any type of training so they stay insecure and puppy like in their behavior and whining like a baby is the only way they know how to handle any situation without their Mommies. I know a retired lady that rarely leaves her 3 dogs sight....they cry and refuse to eat if she has an errand to run....they are with her all day and all night and don't know how to act when she is not there. They get nervous,they shake, drool, bark and whine until she returns. All 3 of her dogs came from abusive homes and one was a day or two away from death when I took him to her. I never saw a dog as bad as this one and survive! Now he is extremely stressed when he cannot see her.....her other dog was scorched on his back(vet said it was a chemical burn)...imbedded collar and fearful of everyone. He cries when she leaves the house. Her 14 yr. old Husky will not eat when she is out and pants heavily....clearly stressed. I believe dogs have just as many issues to cope with as people do....and they have emotions too. Also any dog that has been locked away in an Animal Shelter might always have flashbacks when put in a kennel. I wonder if the owner's of these crybaby,paniced dogs are just as stressed being away from their dogs...I think so!
One of my dogs - the Lab mix - is kind of funny like that. I can leave her outside and she's perfectly fine, but if I lock her IN somewhere and she's alone, she's immediately looking for a way to get out. Sometimes it leads to destruction, usually around the door area (or she broke a window once). I can typically leave her in cars by herself, although when she was a puppy she opened a window and tried to escape.
I'm not sure what it is. She certainly doesn't bark, whine, or howl - just looks to a way to freedom. She's easily the least spoiled of our dogs, very calm and solid, not neurotic. She's fantastic, she just hates being locked somewhere. And to be honest, most of the time she can find her way in or out of a place anyhow even without causing any trouble.
I do think in most cases it's a situation where the dog is constantly with someone or excessively spoiled, or when disciplined, disciplined in the WRONG way. The dog gets attached, gets dependent, and confused, and throws a fit.
My dog is that way. hes a 9 year old cockapoo. he will bark and whine until he throws up. Its a personality thing just like little kids. some have a tantrum if their parents leave but some are fine. we dont spoil my dog or give him too much attention. we give him treats every now and then and we play with him every day but we dont like taking him to work with us or take him to the store with us or carry him around like a baby like some people to with their small dogs.. I had a yellow lab who just passed away a couple years ago and he was fine. we kept him in the back room at night and he never once barked and my dog now cant handle it. i even tried putting them both back there but my dog still went nuts. theres no abuse or over spoiling. its just their personality and sometimes even the breed. i love it sometimes becuase i can bring him out on the portch with me while im cooking on the grill and he will stay right with me without having to be leashed.