# Dog Freaks Out



## JOHN WINTERS (Mar 5, 2010)

I would welcome some thoughts on this issue that I have with my 2 yr old GSD and how to correct it. I don't know if I call it seperation anxiety but it is something. I have a job that let's me work from home 1/2 day every day, as a result my dog has always had me around. Also I keep the door to the yard open when I'm home so I get fresh air and he can come and go as he likes. When I leave for work in the morning, the dog is fine, he doesn't freak out, tear up the house, run around or anything, he goes to the front window, watches me pull out and then sleeps on the couch or by the door until I get back home in about 3-4 hours.(checked this with a house cam) When I come in he greets me but isn't overly excited or crazy. The problem I started having recently though is if I put him outside and shut the door, he freaks out. He know's I'm home and just will not quit barking, jumping on the door, howling, etc.. This behaviour is also exhibited if I'm in the garage and don't let him follow me out, he will once again just freak. The strange thing is that if I'm home, and working in my office or watching TV, he just leaves the room and is fine being alone somewhere else. He just doesn't like it when a door is shut and I'm on the other side.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

If you gave him a stuffed Kong toy or a bone to work on outside, would he settle and work on that or would he still be anxious?


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## Gena Ratcliff (Mar 10, 2012)

My GSD, Ice, is the same way, except no barking - she whines... Has been for the most part since I got her. She was abandoned as a 7 mos old pup for an unknown length of time and has separation anxiety.

Like your dog, she's seemingly fine when I leave in a car. But if I go out to the yard without her, she races from window to window crying and whining. She follows me everywhere in the house... We are discussing changing her name to Velcro.

Gena


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## Alison Grubb (Nov 18, 2009)

I'd try the stuffed/frozen Kong or marrow bone or an interactive feed toy to get the dog's mind off of things.

In the past, when I have had dogs that acted this way I just made them deal with it. Typically I put them in a kennel run or on a tie out and leave them until they are quiet. It's only a matter of time before most of them get over it and just relax.


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## JOHN WINTERS (Mar 5, 2010)

Toy's or even raw meaty bones won't do the trick, I've tried those and they are just ignored since all he can do is worry about the fact that he isn't with me. I agree with the Velcro comment and since he was a "V" litter dog it would have been appropriate. I've thought about putting him outside when I leave for work and maybe he would eventually get calm down. Unfortunately I don't have a run.


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## Chris McDonald (May 29, 2008)

I think the reason some dogs fall apart like this is because of the way the owner treats the dog. In my opinion you’re not going to fix this dog with a kong. You need to change the way you interact with this dog on a daily bases. There is likely a reason the dog wines at the door after you tell him to shut up maybe he gets his way every place else like getting to sleep on the couch and stuff. This is what happens when you treat a dog like a baby, you get a baby. I bet you don’t talk to your dog in a normal voice I bet you use a cute little dog voice? Just one of the things I noticed with people who have problems like this. JMO I really don’t know what I am talking about, I might not be right


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

JOHN WINTERS said:


> Toy's or even raw meaty bones won't do the trick, I've tried those and they are just ignored since all he can do is worry about the fact that he isn't with me. I agree with the Velcro comment and since he was a "V" litter dog it would have been appropriate. *I've thought about putting him outside when I leave for work and maybe he would eventually get calm down*. Unfortunately I don't have a run.


I would not do this, if he is not accustomed to it (I wouldnt do it anyhow most likely anymore)...

he might just try to follow you to work, or otherwise do something unexpected. like escape and get hit by a truck.

1. So this is happening when you are home when you shut the door with him outside? 

2. Is this a new reaction that is coming out of the blue, after shutting the door with him out there all the time in the past, or going out and spending time in the garage alot in the past ? or is this a new thing YOU are doing, shutting him outside, or going outside without him?

sorry, for the questions, but that might have some bearing on the subject.


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## JOHN WINTERS (Mar 5, 2010)

Chris, thanks for your thoughts. in this case you are wrong. I love my dog, but he is a dog and while I don't care that he sleeps on the couch I don't tolerate any BS from him either. I don't think I can be accused of talking to my dog in a baby voice, 20 years in the military pretty much took that voice away, in fact my trainer says that I should be less "authoritarian" in my tone. But I understand what you are saying, I do know that somewhere the fault lies with me. Like I said, he and I have lived together since he was 8 weeks old and there isn't day that goes by he isn't around me for at least 18 hours a day and since it's just us, I think that is part of the problem.

Joby, this behaviour just started a couple of months ago when I had to leave him outside when I had contractors working in the house, prior to that he could be shut out for at least a couple of hours before he scratched at the door vs. going nuts. I spend alot of time with him outside, training, playing and hanging out but it isn't new that I put him out or work outside without him around.


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## Tanith Wheeler (Jun 5, 2009)

Best bet is to give him short periods without him having to be with you. Encourage him to spend some time on his own, in a crate or behind a gate where he can still see you - that's where a bone or kong comes into its own.

Play in the yard, go in grab a soda and come back out - that kind of thing just build it up. He needs to learn that he can get by without ya. It isn't a big deal - have that in mind and he'll gradually get the idea.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

yeah that is weird if he used to be able to handle it.

thinking...

what do you think changed?


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## Chris McDonald (May 29, 2008)

Just a though im wrong a lot. But ya I agree with your thought that it is you. it doesn’t have to be the “voice” but you know what I am trying to get at. Not busting or anything but it us and not the dogs fault most of the time. You might be over thinking this did you try going out and giving him a good talking to when he barks. It might stop after a few talking’s


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

JOHN WINTERS said:


> Joby, this behaviour just started a couple of months ago when I had to leave him outside when I had contractors working in the house, prior to that he could be shut out for at least a couple of hours before he scratched at the door vs. going nuts. I spend alot of time with him outside, training, playing and hanging out but it isn't new that I put him out or work outside without him around.


I had a behavior case once where the normally fairly placid dog suddenly starting having severe separation anxiety issues when the owner would leave. She could not figure out why there was such a sudden change in this dog's behavior as she had previously left for work and the dog never had a problem. What we did was rig up a camera to play while she was at work and some young teenage boys were bouncing a basketball against the side of her apartment building nearly every day while she was at work, which was driving the dog crazy. It may have been something different in your dog's case, but doing some counter conditioning/desensitization helped with this dog, as well as making sure the boys stopped, helped a lot.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

Chris McDonald said:


> Just a though im wrong a lot. But ya I agree with your thought that it is you. it doesn’t have to be the “voice” but you know what I am trying to get at. Not busting or anything but it us and not the dogs fault most of the time. You might be over thinking this did you try going out and giving him a good talking to when he barks. It might stop after a few talking’s


I can also agree with this in my presence...while I am home..put dog in a down or whatever..or just try a plain old NO!..

I might also place the dog in a down or on top of something, like a bench and expect it to adhere for a long period..to settle down..on command..say 10. 20 30 minutes..but that takes OB.. like a Tom Rose..."climb" on a bench for a while...worth a try if the OB is good...then release the dog..


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## Kelly Cook (Feb 18, 2012)

It started when he was shut out with contractors in the house with you? Hmmm wonder if he got a bad read on one of them and has now become overly worried for you when he can't be there and wants to protect you.
This is my thought especially if he was okay with doors shut prior to the contractors.
No idea on how to solve it but may be an idea to the cause?
K


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

John
what do you mean by this : "I agree with the Velcro comment and since he was a "V" litter dog it would have been appropriate." ????

separation anxiety is a term people made up to try and classify different types of behavior under one title. i don't believe in making a canine "diagnosis" this way and therefore i don't believe SA exists; for dogs for sure and maybe for people too, but i'm no dog psychologist and DEF not a people shrink 

Chris is essentially correct and if you understood what OC means you could fix this problem yourself. so far, you have probably lacked the knowledge and for sure have not used enough patience ... which goes back to the knowledge factor (since you think it "just" popped up, etc... which makes it a vicious circle 
... Chris's mistake was probably to throw in some "maybe you did this or that", which only makes some people get overly defensive and than they dig in deeper and say they didn't cause the problem that way  
...at least you admit you have probably caused a lot of the problem

fwiw, i have purposely SEPARATED all my dogs from me on a rather frequent basis ... you might want to call it building separation confidence .. some need it more than others ...some have done it on their own
get the picture ?

in your mind the dog is "only" two and this has come on "suddenly"
- that hasn't been the case in the dog's mind ... you are forgetting they age faster than we humans do 
- problems get conditioned that way; same way as OB is taught/reinforced

anyway, don't worry, this thread will probably get around to "genetics", sooner or later, and you'll be absolved 

good luck w/ the dog


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

JOHN WINTERS said:


> Joby, this behaviour just started a couple of months ago when I had to leave him outside when I had contractors working in the house, prior to that he could be shut out for at least a couple of hours before he scratched at the door vs. going nuts. I spend alot of time with him outside, training, playing and hanging out but it isn't new that I put him out or work outside without him around.


I've experienced similar in the past. My current dog will try it on from time to time and that is because he is a bit of a brat and spoilt, always liking access to me whether or not he chooses to stay in the same room as I. I correct him for it if/when he tries it on and I have no real issue with it.

With your dog, I would gradually shut doors behind you in the house as a matter of routine as opposed to excluding the dog, not allowing the dog to follow you at willl and start getting him used to that, short periods at a time.


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## Brian Anderson (Dec 2, 2010)

maggie fraser said:


> I've experienced similar in the past. My current dog will try it on from time to time and that is because he is a bit of a brat and spoilt, always liking access to me whether or not he chooses to stay in the same room as I. I correct him for it if/when he tries it on and I have no real issue with it.
> 
> With your dog, I would gradually shut doors behind you in the house as a matter of routine as opposed to excluding the dog, not allowing the dog to follow you at willl and start getting him used to that, short periods at a time.


I agree with this...its not hard to fix. But the problem lies with your interaction with the dog. We do really quick in and outs with ALL of our dogs to prevent this kind of behavior. 
Remember you have a dog who is genetically engineered to watch and protect a herd or property or you ... if there is something blocking his ability to do that its a problem. 
Put the dog in the doorway with the door open ..have him stay and mark with food, toy petting whatever your using. Do this in short bursts then move on. Eventually put him in a stay with door open and close halfway mark the correct behavior..break...Do this incrementally until your at a point that he doesnt care if the door is closed or not. I have correctedt this in a number of dogs using the method outlined above. Good luck!!


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

agree w/ maggie and brian ... millions of ways to do it once you recognize what taught it and start DE conditioning it ...if that doesn't work u can always try meds //lol//

and i really don't think it is the OB that does it in case you link the OB to the problem solving .. it is totally how you relate to your dog on a continual basis, not something you address when it shows up, because that's when you need to IGNORE the behavior not react to it and reinforce it (whining/barking/pitching a fit, etc)
- you may have told the dog to STFU when it barked ... that would be wrong imo

- believe me, when they crash thru windows when you leave ... THEN you gotta real problem that needs serious assistance


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## Brian Anderson (Dec 2, 2010)

rick smith said:


> agree w/ maggie and brian ... millions of ways to do it once you recognize what taught it and start DE conditioning it ...if that doesn't work u can always try meds //lol//
> 
> and i really don't think it is the OB that does it in case you link the OB to the problem solving .. it is totally how you relate to your dog on a continual basis, not something you address when it shows up, because that's when you need to IGNORE the behavior not react to it and reinforce it (whining/barking/pitching a fit, etc)
> - you may have told the dog to STFU when it barked ... that would be wrong imo
> ...


Rick I have seen this quite a bit. Its typically one of those things owners reinforce over and over. The dog is shut out..he whines cries, barks whateever...owner charges in assuring him everything is okay (reinforcing the unwanted behavior). Not saying that is the case here but thats usually how it goes. Of course the owner doesnt put two and two together by humanizing the dog and continues to reinforce it over time.


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## Brian Anderson (Dec 2, 2010)

Rick by the way ...the one who will crash through the window?? I want him


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## Ariel Peldunas (Oct 18, 2008)

Chris McDonald said:


> Just a though im wrong a lot. But ya I agree with your thought that it is you. it doesn’t have to be the “voice” but you know what I am trying to get at. Not busting or anything but it us and not the dogs fault most of the time. You might be over thinking this did you try going out and giving him a good talking to when he barks. It might stop after a few talking’s


I disagree with the "it's always the owner's fault" thinking. Of course, if we were all psychic and able to predict exact what behavioral quirks the dog was going to develop but failed to do anything preemptive to address those quirks, then yes, it would always be the human's fault. You can learn from this experience and avoid having similar issues in the future, but I don't think it's helpful nor accurate to just say, "It's your fault so go yell at the dog and show him who's boss." Accept that the dog has developed some bad behaviors and you may have unintentionally reinforced those behaviors, then focus on the best way to address those behaviors in your specific dog.

It doesn't sound like there have been any major issues with the dog until there was a bit of a change in pattern. Rick mentioned that genetics would eventually be brought up, so I'll be the guilty party. You can't ignore the fact that you have a breed that does better with consistency and predictability that also enjoys being with its person. Obviously, the change of routine did not go over well and he protested. I'm assuming you probably had some reaction to the carrying on and this inadvertently reinforced the behavior. From here, I would go with a multi-pronged approach.

When you do shut him out, you need to make sure you do not reinforce the bad behavior. If he is a sensitive dog and will cease his protests if you reprimand him, I wouldn't necessarily rule that out. You need to make sure, however, that he's not taking your reprimand as reinforcement. Some dogs will shut up as soon as the owner opens the door to yell, but they are clearly happy to see their person and learn they can control the human by barking. I'll admit, I have done my fair share of reprimanding dogs that were protesting and carrying on. I usually don't use this method with puppies, but I've trained some adult dogs that were terribly persistent and even my own dogs can carry on now and again if something is going on that they feel they need to be a part of. I gauge my reaction on the dog. Usually, I find the surprise tactic works well. If I can surprise them and clang some feed pans together or do something else that startles them and interrupts the behavior (provided the dog is stable and doesn't have noise sensitivity), I find I often have success with that method. Sometimes, if the dog is sensitive and compliant enough, a simple "no" will work ...usually not. I won't keep using this method repeatedly without positive results. If it didn't work after the first or second time, I assume it's not effective and may potentially be reinforcing bad behavior. If it does work, I will let the dog in (or out if it's crated) after a few moments of calm silence. If the dog is anxious and alert, I will wait until I see it relax and then reward that behavior.

If that method is out, I try to reinforce good behavior. I will let the dog out (or confine them - depending on the dog and the issue) and position myself so I can open the door after just a couple seconds of quiet. As I just mentioned, I wait until I can tell the dog has relaxed ...if it's behind an opaque door, I suppose you will just have to use your best judgement.

I would try those approaches for times when you have to shut the dog out. It's going to take time and patience, but you have to stop doing anything that reinforces bad behavior.

I like Joby and Brian's suggestions as ways to use obedience and OC to make the dog comfortable in the same context that is causing him anxiety. It's not practical to make it a training session every time you have to close a door between you and the dog, but if you can do regular training sessions that will address the behavior from a different angle, it will decrease the time it takes to see improvement.


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## JOHN WINTERS (Mar 5, 2010)

rick smith said:


> John
> what do you mean by this : "I agree with the Velcro comment and since he was a "V" litter dog it would have been appropriate." ????


Rick, I just meant that he was the "V" liter name batch of pups, hence his name Vajra. Velcro would have followed the naming convention, that's all. :lol:

I appreciate all the feedback and will work at what Rick so elequently stated as "Seperation Confidence", I will now incorporate that into my daily training work and see if that can eliminate the behaviour. As for reinforcing the behavior by reacting to the dog's behavior, I try to be aware of that and not react although like all of us I have on occasion yelled "STFU" at him. As far as the "recent" comment, I agree, I don't think he just woke up one day with this issue but like anything else, one day you notice that your gutters have a few leaves in them but it does'nt bother you enough to clean them up but the next rainstorm that floods your patio because your gutters were not cleaned get's your attention. #-o


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## Brian Anderson (Dec 2, 2010)

Ariel Peldunas said:


> I disagree with the "it's always the owner's fault" thinking. Of course, if we were all psychic and able to predict exact what behavioral quirks the dog was going to develop but failed to do anything preemptive to address those quirks, then yes, it would always be the human's fault. You can learn from this experience and avoid having similar issues in the future, but I don't think it's helpful nor accurate to just say, "It's your fault so go yell at the dog and show him who's boss." Accept that the dog has developed some bad behaviors and you may have unintentionally reinforced those behaviors, then focus on the best way to address those behaviors in your specific dog.
> 
> It doesn't sound like there have been any major issues with the dog until there was a bit of a change in pattern. Rick mentioned that genetics would eventually be brought up, so I'll be the guilty party. You can't ignore the fact that you have a breed that does better with consistency and predictability that also enjoys being with its person. Obviously, the change of routine did not go over well and he protested. I'm assuming you probably had some reaction to the carrying on and this inadvertently reinforced the behavior. From here, I would go with a multi-pronged approach.
> 
> ...


I agree Ariel ... this is one of those things its really easy to reinforce the WRONG behavior very easily. 
John you might be surprised at how easily you can make this go away with clear communication between you and the dog. Like all other training and teaching just do it in little bits at a time. You probably already know this but STFU and the like CAN be seen as a reinforcer to the dog rather than the opposite.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

John .. dammit, stop flying over my house :twisted: .. i'll GET to that eventually 
wth, it only took me two years to paint and i saved a bunch in the process .. my house is not old and falling apart ... it's like a fine wine ....


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

rick smith said:


> John .. dammit, stop flying over my house :twisted: .. i'll GET to that eventually
> wth, it only took me two years to paint and i saved a bunch in the process .. my house is not old and falling apart ... it's like a fine wine ....


Turning to vineger? :-o :-#
Sorry rick. Just couldn't pass on that one! :grin: :wink:


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