[BigDogJaxxy]

Hello all, this is my first post on the site and while I know there is an introdction subforum I'll take the time to introduce myself to you all. I am a college student at Temple University and my girlfriend and I decided to adopt our adorable Pitt mixx Jaxx about a month ago; he is about a year and a half and is housetrained (or so we thought). However, when jax is left alone he acts out in tandem with our tiny one eyed kitty cat chloe to wreck out apartment. I am not by any means a first time dog owner so I am aware that often times this can be as a result of a lack of excersize. For jax this is not the case; recently he even eliminated inside of the house ;( this is alarming because when we are home he is spot on in terms of going outside. We never leave him for more than an hour or two and I'm begining to think it is a separation anxiety issue. Our short term solution has been to crate jax but I hate to do that to the guy; is there anything we can do to help him feel better? I know about keeping our entrances and exits very low key and that leaving for short periods like going to get the mail help but any other suggestions would be amazing.

 

[ames]

My dog used to whine and start trouble alone, I stared leaving a radio on. I know it sounds weird, but it helped. Sorry I don;t know much else besides the crate. I will say if you cat is not separated from him while your gone, that maybe contributing to his behavior. He could be stressing and acting out if he can't catch it.

 

[pitbullmamanatl]

I leave the TV on for Kangol, but if he is making a mess while you are out you need to crate him. These dogs do have severe separation anxiety and sometimes act out. Best bet is to crate.

 

[performanceknls]

Some dogs just get board and will tear up the house despite your best efforts. A lot of it has to do with maturity and for dogs 2 and under I do not even try to leave them alone when gone. I get this problem a lot when teach Obed classes and the answer is very simple and you have been doing it. There is no way to correct or stop the dog from destroying the house when you are not home. Most times this will resolve as the dog matures but sometimes they never grow out of it.

Crate them when you are gone is all you can do, or have them outside in a secure dog run if you can. You can make sure they have things to do in their crate but that is safest place they can be. After 6 months if you want to try them out again then you can do so but only leave them alone for a few hours at first and try to given them another opportunity. If they fail back into the crate for a few more months then try again.

You cannot correct the dog after the fact so if you came home and the house is a wreck you have no one to blame but yourselves for leaving them out. Dogs do not remember what they are getting corrected for unless you catch them in the act. Now I always hear my clients say that the dog acts guilty when they come home. Of course they get nervous! Dogs read us through tone of voice, body language, and most importantly smell. When you come home and see the house a mess you are pissed and immediately your chemical smell changes, body language changes, and so does tone of voice. Now if you got upset and I had no clue I would go hide too! lol

So in short crate training is great and staying in a crate while you are gone is just fine as long as when you get home you exercise the dog and give them house time. Adult dogs can be in a crate for up to 9hrs ideally 7-8 but 9 is the max.

 

[circlemkennels]

Tyson has serious seperation anxiety.... when he is left alone he will not mess anything in the house up but he will be standing in the windows watching the driveway for us to get home.... its pretty funny seeing a 75lb dog standing on the small counter to be able to look out the window

 

[Lex's Guardian]

In time this will all work itself out, being creative & having patience is key.

I recommend crate training asap. Make sure it's a sturdy plastic crate with a sturdy door & not a wire crate. Dogs tend to easily escape from wire crates & sometimes get stuck - can be very hazardous. When you put him in the crate give him special treats so he keeps himself preoccupied, like a frozen kong filled with frozen peanut butter & treats. Make crate time an enjoyable experience & not a punishment. It will be hard at first but in time things will calm itself.

Also make sure you take him out right before going in the crate & right after.

 

[gamer]

Crating is going to be your only option since you have a kitten, please do not let him and the kitten be around each other without you there, I personally dont think people shoudl have small animals around apbt because even with you there if he grabs that cat you cant keep him from killing it in a split second but people do so........