[kristen b]

hello everyone! my family and i recently took in a 2 year old basset named Flash. and yes it's like the dukes of hazzard show, real original i know, but he knows his name so we just kept it. i don't know too much about him except that i was told that he was a stud from an apparently HORRID back yard breeder who told the guy we got him from that he had sired his limit of 6 litters and was no longer useful to him so if he didn't want to take him he was going to be shot in the head with a 12 gage shotgun!!!!! so one of my husband's employees took him so he would not meet the horrible cruelty of being shot, and had the intention of making him a hunting dog for his son. well this also turned out to be bad for flash because he was left in a kennel out back and the kid only fed him once or twice a month and wouldn't clean the kennel, or give him water much less the attention he is starved for. so flash went to his third home where he wasn't really wanted again. Finally he met my husband and he fell in love with flash when he ran across the shop and his ears went flopping and he did happy circles.

Flash now lives comfortably with us (inside of course) and now has friends: domino a great dane, callie and chloe his feline friends. he gets along with everyone very well. unfortunately we are having a house breaking and barking problem. we got him neutered last week and that nipped the humping the great dane problem but hasn't done much for the marking. and he does not like the crate at all. my neighbors told me he barks for the entire 8 hours we are at work. i don't like shock collars so i would only consider one as a very last resort and still i doubt i would be able to do that to him since he has had such a hard 2 years so far!

i do know that he's probably scared being in a new home with new smells and sounds and scary things like the vaccum and telephone and it will take some time for his personality to come out, but i need help with the barking and marking!

any advice would be greatly apprecitated and sorry this is so long winded, but i knew you all would probably understand. thanks in advance for any advice you could give.

 

[murraysmom]

Welcome- Flash is lucky to find someone willing to work with him.

I can't give you any answers to your questions about marking and barking, but will say I have a a co-worker who adopted a 3 year old Jack Russell with similar problems and ended up consulting a behaviorist. He's doing much better; the behaviorist wasn't really expensive, and she felt it was well worth it.

 

[Mikey T]

he does not like the crate at all. my neighbors told me he barks for the entire 8 hours we are at work[/b]

It is likely you are dealing with a behavior called "seperation anxiety" which will require a lot of work to fix and perhaps the use of pharmacuetical. It is best to seek out the help of a certified behaviors when dealing with such issue



seperation anxiety

It seems intuitively obvious that boredom and anxiety are opposite mental states but when one considers that dogs cannot talk, it becomes easier to see how one might misinterpret a dog’s behavior. One may come home to find the front door scratched up beyond recognition or the sofa reduced to a pile of stuffing. Was he reacting to his fear of being alone? Was he bored and looking for fun? Was he frustrated because he did not know when to expect his owner to be home?

Separation anxiety is about two things: Separation and Anxiety (or Fear). Here are some clues that the problem is separation anxiety and not something else:

The behavior occurs only when the pet is left alone or anticipates being left alone. (The dog who is destructive for fun may well be destructive when he is not left alone.)


The pet is “hyperattached� to the owner. The hyperattached pet follows the owner from room to room and/or constantly wants to be held. Many people enjoy being loved by a dog to this extent but it is important to realize when some independence must be learned.

Destruction is oriented against barriers such as doors (especially the door where the owner was last seen by the pet).

Vocalization during the episode tends to be high pitched and in repeated yips. (This is a regression to a young puppy’s distress call in the time of separation from its mother.)


The episode begins in the first 30 minutes from the time the owner leaves.
Not everyone of these signs must be fullfilled for the diagnosis of separation anxiety to be made but the point is that an effort should be made to determine if the dog is actually showing separation anxiety or if there is some other motivation at work[/b]

Seperation Anxiety

Eli Lilly and Company Introduces Reconcile™ for Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Find a diplomate American College of Veterinary Behaviorist.
[/url] They can perscribe medication and have form training in behavior modification as well


Directory of Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists

find a consultant International Association of Animal Behaviorist[/url]

he does not like the crate at all.[/b]

He is going to need a freiendlier reinterduction to it. That is by shaping the behavior as in the following article
crate training

or luring crate training

but hasn't done much for the marking.[/b]

Nueter effects not cures marking in only `60% of cases. Also keep in mind it take 1 -2 months for the testosterone level to drop completely. That said if this problem only occurs when you are gone is is most likely another manifestation of seperation anxiety as well. If not then it is simply a house training issue. Keep in mind for his entire life up until this point he has not had to control his bodily functions it is going to take some time.

Some techniques that have helped others beside crate training which will not work until the dog is comfortable in a crate. Is confiment to a small room instead of a crate, teather, tying the do to you so he can't sneek off. A consistent schedual of feeding, drinking, play and rest, making the dogs bodily functions needs on a schedual and predictable.

Another often over looked aspect that is critical is a signal for the dog to use to tell you he need to go. It is often assumed the dog will figure it out but often this is not the case. By being proactive and teach a signal you can avoid the problem altogether. One of the easier cues than a dog can be taught and is effective even if you are in a different room or distracted by another activity is teaching the dog to ring a bell see: Ring My Bell

 

[RaeChill]

Welcome, sounds like Flash finally found an awesome home. I love it!