CuriousG
03-17-2004, 03:47 PM
OK, I got a dog last June. It's a staffordshire bull terrier, (think miniature pit bull since he's full grown at 40 lbs, I'll post a pic if I remember). He was about a year old when I got him. I don't think he was treated very well be his previous owners. He is the sweetest dog in the world and loves people, etc. but he was so excited just to receive attention when we first got him. He was supposedly crate trained when we got him, but if he was he lost it all when we brought him home. He has such bad separation anxiety, its ridiculous. He is so good when you are there, but whenever you leave him alone he goes nuts. He has accidents on the floor, he gets into things and chews on them. I had been letting him out when I was gone for short periods of time, because I didn't want him locked up all day, but he just got too out of hand so I had to put him back in the crate. I have to used mini padlocks and chains on the crate because he will literally ram it and do everything he can to get out. He's gotten a little better but he still occasionally will go to the bathroom in his crate and then eat it which makes him sick. He then throws up this awful brown mess thats just uncleanable. Usually if I can tell that he has eaten his "mess" I have to put him in the bathtub and make him stay there for awhile until he either throws up or I'm sure he's not going to. He gets so scared when he does this, because he knows he's done something wrong. I've tried punishing him, not punishing him, basically everything that his been suggested to help him. I've even tried the radio and tv to help him calm down when I'm gone. Does anyone have any idea on how to deal with this level of separation anxiety? I'm desparate here, I love this dog to death, but sometimes I'm worried that I may have to give him up, because I can't handle the messes he makes as a result of his anxiety. He has basically ruined the carpet and his medical bills are sometimes excessive because of his eliminating in his crate. The urine makes him get a skin rash and has given him urinary tract infections. I was told a bigger crate to avoid having him be in contact with his own waste would only encourage him to use one part of his crate as his own personal toilet area. This makes it hard to be able to leave him with anyone to babysit for a night if needed because of his behavior when I'm away. Any suggestions would be helpful.