Dante's Issues

Separation Anxiety

The one issue we ran into with Dante was the issue of separation anxiety, the one issue that Tex-Anna didn't have. The first time we left him alone he ate a couple books, and a boxed dvd set....dang!!!

Our normal dog schedule is:

• Before work we exercise our dogs - walk and short play time
• Cool down dogs - after exercise large breeds should wait at least 30 min before feeding. If you don't then your poor pup can have digest issues, bloat, or potentially have a painful tummy twist.

This was a little frustrating for us because he should be tired when we leave him  and our first thought was that maybe he was bored and needed a better chew toy.  

Out came the Kong!

That didn't work..his next major anxiety breakdown was to eat the trim that went around our front door...this made us realize that we had a major problem.

Time to learn about crate training! Having never crate trained a dog but knowing it would help, we immediately began to research proper techniques and find a suitable crate.

Calm dog in his crate

In picking out a crate, it needs to be just big enough that the dog can stand and turn around in but not pace. Dogs typically like their crates if you introduce them to it properly. We call our crates the doggy zen zone. Crates are also great for puppies and can help you to potty train.

For How to Crate Train your Dog, click HERE.

Dante did really well with his crate, his anxiety issues went away entirely thanks to our daily regimen of exercise, training, and play. After a few months we began leaving his crate door open, and now we no longer lock him in! Our ultimate goal was to give him free reign of the house while we are gone - we succeeded!

He sleeps in the house or in his crate at his choosing, and if we have people over when he gets tired of socializing he'll go to his crate on his own.

I sent him to his bed - this was his response