Anxiety

Hello peoples. Sorry for the long 1st post. Max (our English Staffy) is having anxiety problems. He is 6yo. When we leave the house he tries to get inside. He has trashed a few screen doors (pet mesh) and caused himself quiet a bit of harm in the process. He is currently on valium when no one is home.
He is an outside dog who is aloud inside for a few hours at night. We don't no what has happened recently but he is getting worse. Most of the time he is a very calm and nice dog.
We have decided to not let him inside at all. Is this a good idea? Thanks for your time.

Damian

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firstly you dont say where your from so how cold it gets etc. I personally don't believe that a pet should be left outside but thats your choice. Is there any particular reason why the dog is left outside. They do need human interaction and he may feel like he is being ignored etc. Also he may be suffering from separation anxiety.

I think it sounds like separation anxiety, you don't say how much you excercise him? Or play with him? Perhaps you could give a bit more info.

Why don't you come and introduce your self.
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

Sorry for the luck of info. We are situated in Sydney, so not overly hot or cold. Max is walked once a day for about 20 minutes. We have a 13yo and 17yo kids that love him and treat him like he is there baby.
I have only came on the scene in the last 8 months in the shape as the Mothers partner. I stay over at their house a couple nights a week. The dog seems to like me.
Max always seems so calm when people are around and you would not believe what he gets up to when no one is home. We have just finished cleaning up the blood from his last episode. Some of his nails are completely gone!

Well ok on the outside bit for where you live , but personally because of the human interaction they crave I still couldn't do it.

However ....... the big one is the exercise . 20 minutes a day for a 6 year old dog is nowhere near enough. We would recommend AT LEAST 2 45 minute walks a day to include some off lead time as welll and if you can''t let him off then increase the walking time .

Perhaps you could look at a good walk after having him in the house , then when you retuirn settle hoim outside so he's not associating that step outside as his place for the night

As Dave says, 20 minutes of exercise isn't enough. Increasing the amount of exercise to two or three 45 minute walks might get rid of the problem (if the problem is excess energy), or will calm him down a bit so the problem isn't quite as bad. How much human interaction does he get? Mental stimulation, training, play time, etc.?

Thanks, the walking will be tricky but we will work on it. Is it a good idea to let the dog come inside at night, just for an hour or so each night? He just sits on a big pillow and is not aloud to move around much. Would this confuse him?

Why isn't he allowed to move around much? I don't think it'll confuse him if you're consistent in when he can come in and when he can't.

sorry but i think your not fit to own a dog. Its left outside has nowhere near enough exercise and now you say he is not allowed to move much in the house. Poor thing sounds like a prisoner in his own home. I would consider letting him get rehomed as obviously your lifestyle is too busy to include him in it.

If you increase the exercise that will be a great start as long as he has plenty of chew toys or bones to keep him occupied. As a breed they crave human compainionship so interacting with him as frequently as possible will also help.

Max is only aloud on the tiled area and most of the time he is contained to the pillow. He seems very happy with this set up. So, good idea to let him come in or not? Thanks BTW.

Does he get any human interaction? Playing, affection, training, etc.?

I think it would be best to let him in whenever possible. They love attention and to be around people. Most of the bad or destructive behaviour is most likely from boredom and the need for affection. Increase the exercise and spend as much time with him as possible be it letting him in or going out to see him and the behaviour should improve.

It could very well be he needs more mental and physical stimulation.

A lot Staffords typically don't do too well as outside dogs, however if it has to be the case you could try investing in some time consuming treats/toys like StagBars and frozen Kongs. That would hopefully keep him occupied while you are away.

It would also be a lot easier if you were able to give him a bit of a walk or a run around an open area before he is left alone. Once they are tired they are a lot happier to just chill out.

The poor dog is lonely & underexercised. Add to that a new addition to the family (yourself) and you have a recipe for anxiety.

If you can't provide stimulation in the form of exercise and human interraction (play, training, petting etc), then to be honest you should consider rehoming him.

Staffords are a 'people' breed & crave human interraction. He's getting nothing from you, and although I know that sounds harsh and even rude, it's true. Something will have to change before he becomes a mental basket case!

The way I see it... Would I want to be left outside on my own all the time? No.. Would I want to be made to sit on a pillow and not move? No... Would I only want 20 mins of exercise a day for someone that needs more? No... Would I get lonely on my own? Yes.. Would I get bored and find my own entertainment? Yes.. The thing is, I know dogs aren't humans. But you've gotta look at it that way at times. The dog needs lots of exercise to expend that built up energy it has and to also mentally stimulate it. You need to interect with it more. I personally couldnt keep my dog outside. she is part of the family. as is my 6 year old daughter... Would i make her live outside and sit on a pillow indoors? If ur lifestyle isn't capable of offering everything suggested by others i would consider re homing.

I will be house sitting next week, which means I will be looking after Max. I was thinking of taking Max for a drive to a off the leash park. Anything I should look out for. I don't want him back at the vets. He has a habit of trying to hump other male dogs.

Is his recall good? Don't let him run up to strange dogs, since not all dogs are friendly or like a dog running up to them (neither do the owners). And if he humps a dog, move him away from the dog until he calms down.

Any chance you could get a long training line?

I'm guessing he's not spent much if any time off the lead considering how much exercise he gets?, so it would be safer.

Damian44 wrote:I will be house sitting next week, which means I will be looking after Max. I was thinking of taking Max for a drive to a off the leash park. Anything I should look out for. I don't want him back at the vets. He has a habit of trying to hump other male dogs.

Then don't let him off lead!

If you have a long line, then use that.