[whiterose]

Does anyone have a problem with there lab when being left alone i seem to everytime i nip to the shops which is five mins away am am only gone under an hour he barks like mad til i come back i usually make sure he has done all his business before i go out but when left he has accidents am sure it is cause i have left him thats the only time i leave him if i am going out for a good couple of hours or more i leave him with my daughter cause i cant take him with me or leave him unattended have bought him some kong toys but has not occupied him enough have tryed putting him in his crate and sitting with him and coming downstairs for a about 5mins then going back up and coming back down and leaving it longer it doesnt bother him to much cause he hears me and knows i am still in the house anyone have some tips that i could use please

thank you chelle and scooby x
i also tryed putting a signature with pic but i think it did not work or i messed up

 

[CharlieBrewer]

Hi Chelle

How old is Scooby now? The accidents that he is having is probably either spite or nervousness that you have left him - we used to have this problem with Charlie our lab when he was a pup, it was trial and error as to how we combated it though.

We never used a crate with Charlie, so unfortunately I cant advise on crate training although plenty of people on here can!

But what worked for us was this - we turned the radio on so that the house isnt silent, then about 2 mins before we were actually going to leave we would give him his filled kong, or treat ball or bone - whatever we were leaving him, then whilst he was getting into the treat and enjoying it we left - no big goodbyes, no telling him we wouldnt be long - we started off leaving him for 5 mins, then slowly built that up to an hour which is normally the longest he is left - any longer my Mum comes round and lets the dogs out.

When we come home we tended not to rush in and be all over him making a fuss of the fact we have returned, we just walk in as if we have been there all the time, take him straight into the garden and then say hello....... Charlie is a year old now and when Izzie our rescue dog came along we had to go back to square one as when we 1st left them alone they were a nightmare, but after re-training them to be left and leaving them plenty to do we are confident that they are fine when we are gone - they are only ever left for 1-2 hours max a couple of times a week when I am at work, any longer than that and my Mum comes to let them out for us....

Its perseverence I am afraid, he is probably just concerned that you are not coming back, or bored and messing the house and barking is his way of telling you that!

Hope my reply helps a little!

Sarah

 

[whiterose]

thank you sarah scooby is nearly five months old bless him he has only started barking since we got the crate a few months back had to get it cause he just ripped my kitchen to bits and paper training him was not working so bought the crate as the last resort and he his now clean at nights where he will not mess in it. just during the day if i leave him we still have a few accidents where he will wee in kitchen when you are not looking but mostly now will do it outside i have had him since he was 7 weeks old and he has never been away from me for the first 2 months i never went out apart from taking him for a walk otherwise he was left with my daughter or took hi with me apart from shopping but it is been a couple of months where i have started to nip to the shops most of the time i dare not leave him cause he does not like being on his own am hoping things will get better which i am sure they will but would not part with him for anything though
chelle and scooby x

 

[Rebel1]

hi chelle
i agree with all that sarah has said. try not to make a fuss when going out or coming in. i always leave the radio on for max. as for the accidents try not to scold him for it as it is another way of getting the attention he wants. once hes in the garden and done his bizz then BIG praise for being a good boy.

 

[mommy]

Hi Chelle,

It might be that the barking always brings a result ! If he is still barking when you return he will connect the two ! I bark she comes home, thereby he continues barking next time, as ' it works '.

If there was a window, even just a few seconds, that he stopped barking that is the point you go in and praise, teaching him being quiet gets you home too.

I tend to do the same as Sarah about going out and coming back, don't make a big issue of it. But when I have left I never go back to check as giving false hope to the dog.

Mind your little 'en is still a young boy.

Maybe go back to basics again and literally just walk out of the door for 5 mins, wait outside, and come back ( ideally when he is not barking ) Do that 5/6 times a day for a few days you may see an improvment already, then extend time. Part of this exercise to to let scooby know that, you are Alpha and you will go out if you want.......

When I bought Tilly home from the breeder the crate was waiting for her ! Fortunatly, the breeder had introduced the whole litter to a crate, through play and communal sleeping, with the door always open.

After a settling in period of say a week, during which time she slept in there at night and was being toilet trained from it, I put her in and left, only for a minute or so. Twas a slow process and built up minutes out of the house slowly.

I felt horrid as she was such a young pup , but despite knowing she would be with me most the time I knew there would be occasions where I would have to go out alone and didn't want to drop it on her out of the blue and get her distressed. And me worry and feel guilty. So, decided to get it sorted when she was young and continuation from the breeders work with her.

Tilly whinned only four times in total.............I know this because, just before I left I rang my landline from my mobile, left the line open, placed it in same room as her and left with mobile so I could listen to how she was doing !

Never looked back, her crate is her den even now, with door open and if I need to go out alone I just say ' bed ' she runs in lays down and rests.
I have never left treats / food or anything in with her for safety reasons. By doing this she always rested.

I know it's hard but perserverence with get you there, some just take longer than others.