Canine separation anxiety? Breed characteristic? Mental problem?

Our Dachshund turns one year old this week and he has been regressing on his training. He has been going to the bathroom (both kinds) all over the house when we leave him alone. Even if he goes out before we leave, he'll still go again in the house while we're gone. Up until this month, he was allowed to roam the base floor of our house. Now he's back in the kitchen so we can contain the mess. Today I came home to the usual mess and I just ignored him until I regained my cool. As I was in the other room, I could hear him bouncing between the cabinet and refridgerator door. He would go back and forth nonstop for about 15 minutes straight like a maniac. I've never had any neurotic dogs, so I don't know how to handle it. I don't know if he wants to be with us, wants to have a companion, or is just emotionally distressed. I've heard many times that Dachshunds do not do well without other Dachshunds or some kind of companion. I just don't want to get another dog only to find out this one is still distressed. We've left him with toys and he just ignores them the entire time we're away. Can anyone help me narrow down the cause?

I'm not sure about most of the stuff, but my mom has a dachshund that gets lonely, but just mopes around. To combat this, my mom brings the dog with her to work and whatnot(the dog has excellent manners and can stay in the car between meetings). Every time my mom has had the dog with a cat(babysitting, or our other cats that got eaten by coyotes), the dog has formed a bond with the cat(s) and they would play together and cuddle. Cats are also less of a "hassle" than dogs are, being significantly less work, easier to train, and very clean. I don't know if this would fix things, my mom used to have a dachshund/pomeranian mix that was VERY intelligent and hated it when my mom was gone. She knew better, but would poo/pee on the floor when she was pissed off at her, and since she couldn't trust the dog in her car, and didn't have enough time at home, she had to give the dog away.

Be thankful that so far your dog is not destructive or hurting itself.
You need to talk to your vet and perhaps get a referal to a behaviorist.

Right now my dog is on Reconcile (Prozac) and was formerly on chlomipramine.
The drugs make the dog more amenable to behavioral training. They are expensive drugs.

Good luck.

When you say he "goes" do you mean #1 or #2. Perhaps he has a kidney infection or something?

Another possibility is that he is about at the dog's equivalent of "teenage years". I've never had a puppy that didn't regress at least a little bit when they reached that age. It's almost as if they have to learn who's boss all over again.

1. Is your dog fixed. If he is not fixed he may think he is the alpha male of the household and getting back at you by doing his business wherever he pleases.
2. Have you tried crating your dog, dogs are naturally den animals, and don't go to the bathroom in their dens. If you confine them to a small space like a den (crate with a towel over it), they won't go inside the crate as they will have to sit in it all day. Your house may not be the den, in the same way you think of it. This is how most people train puppies, look up welping box on the internet for some ideas and help.
3. Tire the guy out a long 1 hour walk before you go out. I used to have to get my dog very tired by plaing fetch or walking for at least 45 minutes before leaving for the day to get him over his separation anxiety. Eventually he fell into the routine and now only needs 30 minute walks and I can leave any time I want. I am not going to lie, it took a year of getting up an hour early to walk him for an hour, you need to put in the work.

Bernie Brewer said:

When you say he "goes" do you mean #1 or #2. Perhaps he has a kidney infection or something?

Another possibility is that he is about at the dog's equivalent of "teenage years". I've never had a puppy that didn't regress at least a little bit when they reached that age. It's almost as if they have to learn who's boss all over again.

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He goes #1 and 2. He is definitely regressing on his training, but the weird behavior is unrelated I think...

Donasay said:

1. Is your dog fixed. If he is not fixed he may think he is the alpha male of the household and getting back at you by doing his business wherever he pleases.
2. Have you tried crating your dog, dogs are naturally den animals, and don't go to the bathroom in their dens. If you confine them to a small space like a den (crate with a towel over it), they won't go inside the crate as they will have to sit in it all day. Your house may not be the den, in the same way you think of it. This is how most people train puppies, look up welping box on the internet for some ideas and help.
3. Tire the guy out a long 1 hour walk before you go out. I used to have to get my dog very tired by plaing fetch or walking for at least 45 minutes before leaving for the day to get him over his separation anxiety. Eventually he fell into the routine and now only needs 30 minute walks and I can leave any time I want. I am not going to lie, it took a year of getting up an hour early to walk him for an hour, you need to put in the work.

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1. Yes he is fixed
2. Yes we did and he would crap in there too
3. Exercise does seem to help a little. It tires him out and gets rid of some nervous energy, but he still gets neurotic when he's alone...

olllllo said:

Be thankful that so far your dog is not destructive or hurting itself.
You need to talk to your vet and perhaps get a referal to a behaviorist.

Right now my dog is on Reconcile (Prozac) and was formerly on chlomipramine.
The drugs make the dog more amenable to behavioral training. They are expensive drugs.

Good luck.

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When we crated him he would hurt himself minimally. Although he makes a mess, he's not destructive. I'm not opposed to drugs, but only after exhausting all the alternatives...

Canine separation anxiety is just a fancy way of saying he's lonely. Retired racing greyhounds frequently have the problem because they are used to having people around all of the time. For some dogs just turning on a radio can do the trick. Talk radio tends to be better than music.

At one year, your doxie is now a teenager and training regression is common at this point, fixed or not.

david_42 said:

Canine separation anxiety is just a fancy way of saying he's lonely. Retired racing greyhounds frequently have the problem because they are used to having people around all of the time. For some dogs just turning on a radio can do the trick. Talk radio tends to be better than music.

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Funny you mention that because sometimes I leave the TV on for him. I usually put the news channel on. I think he's lonely too and would be better with another dog around. Hopefully we can rescue something close to his size...

If he is truly attached to you a second dog may not help at all.

I hear this happening a lot. My dog was trained and then we started letting him loose in the house...he would shred every piece of paper in the house. He has been back in his crate ever since.

I am not an expert but I would try to work out the crate. Might it need to be smaller, essentially small enough so that if he goes, he has to sit in it (not to be mean, dogs would rather hold it). Also, feeding him in there will help to encourage him not to toilet there too.

Soon after our dog's problems alone the house, we got another dog. They are now inseparable and I have left them both loose in the house (once on accident) and they have behaved.

Other thought: have you thought about doggie daycare? Maybe everyday for a week and then every couple days after. We have discussed taking our dogs just for the exercise and mental stimulation but it can get pricey.

olllllo said:

If he is truly attached to you a second dog may not help at all.

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I don't think it is specifically us. My parents watched him for 5 days and he was attached to them too. With that said, he may just like being around people in general and another animal won't suffice. OTOH, he may just not like being alone and would be content with any other living thing. If only he could tell what his issues are!

Beerrific said:

I hear this happening a lot. My dog was trained and then we started letting him loose in the house...he would shred every piece of paper in the house. He has been back in his crate ever since.

I am not an expert but I would try to work out the crate. Might it need to be smaller, essentially small enough so that if he goes, he has to sit in it (not to be mean, dogs would rather hold it). Also, feeding him in there will help to encourage him not to toilet there too.

Soon after our dogs problems alone the house, we got another dog. They are now inseparable and I have left them both loose in the house (once on accident) and they have behaved.

Other thought: have you thought about doggie daycare? Maybe everyday for a week and then every couple days after. We have discussed taking our dogs just for the exercise and mental stimulation but it can get pricey.

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The crate thing was touchy because he would hurt himself (minimally). We did feed him in there but he would still mess in there. Its interesting that your dog behaved better when you got the other dog. Daycare is interesting, but I'm trying to treat him like an animal and not a child. I think part of his issues stem from being coddled early on as if he were a baby. Now we're trying not to baby him anymore...

Soulive said:

The crate thing was touchy because he would hurt himself (minimally). We did feed him in there but he would still mess in there. Its interesting that your dog behaved better when you got the other dog. Daycare is interesting, but I'm trying to treat him like an animal and not a child. I think part of his issues stem from being coddled early on as if he were a baby. Now we're trying not to baby him anymore...

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Yeah, I guess if he is hurting himself that is not a good thing to keep up.

He didn't necessarily get better, but the new dog was in the crate so he went back to the crate. That was about a year ago, so he might have just grown up.

I don't think the daycare would be coddling him. It is just a big room where the dogs run around all day. If anything it should help him be more independent and learn to make it through the day without you.

Beerrific said:

I don't think the daycare would be coddling him. It is just a big room where the dogs run around all day. If anything it should help him be more independent and learn to make it through the day without you.

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Sorry I guess imagining something similar to child daycare. If it is like you say it is, that could be good. He could use the exercise and socializing. Thanks...

We started taking ours to the dog park with 2 greyhounds and after the first day we took him off his leash. When we can't make it to the park, we'll take him for a bike ride or run. He got a little destructive a few weeks ago and ate the doorknob while locking the door himself, and locked himself in the bathroom. Going to try the radio or tv on for a while since he will sit on the bed and watch cartoons with us.

Im not saying crating is the main solution, but do not fear the crate. I have a miniature bull terrier, and they tend to get destructive when left to roam alone. Our boy would go wherever he felt when left alone, but never when we are around. When my dog is bored he goes to his crate, he likes it in there and we had to train him to do so. How much time has he spent in the crate? Meaning how long on a regular basis was the crating done?