Leaving a Pyr home alone

by Patti
(Dallas, TX)

We have adopted a 1 yr old male great pyr, and he has bonded completely with our family. He was not crate trained, so we left him home alone in a bathroom with the door closed. When we came back two hours later, he had torn off molding, ripped into the sheet rock, etc. Now we are concerned about ever leaving him home alone again.
Is this just because he was in a small, closed room or should pyr not be left alone?

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Aug 01, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		not the way
by: Anonymous

Yes I think you mistake was an in closed room with no view. A large crate may work better if you have crate trained him since you have him. You can get quite a big one. Mine is 54" long and 4' high. Your pyre needs to see his home and may have gotten a little disoriented. Is this his first time home. A close bathroom seems a little harsh to me. Of course it is possible he is suffering from separation anxiety but I wouldn't label him yet.
Aug 01, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		separation anxiety
by: Anonymous

Well, personally, I would rather not be locked into the bathroom either. But its understandable that that is a fairly safe place to leave him for a short time. They say dogs do not have a concept of "time", and that whether their people are away for 5 min or an hour, its all the same to them.

So lets go on the premise that this is so, then what would make your dog anxious enough to try to rip the door off when you close it between him and you? Interesting that its the door and not, say, the sink. You disappeared behind the wall (door), and he was separated from all the familiar spaces where you normally are all together. You may have traumatized him more than you ever meant to, by choosing to bar him in a small space, that is not occupied by the family like a living room would be.

His own voice would be unnaturally loud in there. So, what to do? Our Pyr refused the crate also, and with a finality that was insurmountable. So we acclimatised him to our absence slowly, and in longer and longer increments. We did not make a fuss when we left or when we returned. We left the TV on also. We've done this with all our dogs over the years, the most important thing being that life in the house feels the same to him whether you are there or not. Start with having one person go out, and one person staying at home with him. Its important that he be ignored by the person staying, and the person who left to return quietly, and not make a fuss over the dog. Practice this as often as you can... go and come, go and come... until he pays no mind whatsoever because it is just part of his routine and he feels secure. Patience is the key in all things with your Pyr. Good luck with this.
Aug 02, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Home Alone
by: Donna

You need to crate train your dog. Your dog will come to like the crate as a safe place to be especially when he wants to get away for quiet time.
You want the crate to be a nice place for him to be.

Please subscribe to this link. You will be able to download 'how to crate train your dog' right away.
http://info.drsophiayin.com/crate-training-handout/

Also fill a Kong full of goodies like cheese bits, peanut butter, raw meat and freeze it. Tie it to the back of the crate and he can wander in and out of the crate but the only way he gets those goodies is if he stays in the crate. Leave the door open so he can come and go as he pleases. Eventually, as you'll see in the handout, close the door for a minute at a time etc.

Once he gets the whole crate thing, start saying 'in your house' so when you do have to leave the house, he'll walk right in because he knows there will be a frozen Kong there for him.

Make sure he doesn't stay in there all day. He needs to get out at least every four hours or so. Once you're home, he can come out. But, leave the door open so he can, again, go in if he feels the need. Make sure your dog gets lots of exercise, to.

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