teganandjessmom23 Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 My 2 year old Tegan all the sudden in the past month has been acting strange. When I get home she will have something of mine on the couch or floor. Never my husbands. She will actually seperate my clothes and shoes from my husbands. She lays on them a lot of times. Also 2 times now I have came home and she looks and acts fine. I have been to busy to pet her right away so she starts to limp so I get down and talk to her and baby her to see if she is ok. As soon as I stand up she will put her foot down and be ok. This dog is MY dog she is weird if I am not home, around people she loves she has ran from them but if they are here when I am she kisses them and loves on them. Does anyone else have a dog like this? I heard borders are a 1 owner dog but I did't think it was this extreme. I love her so much and dont't know what to do to make her happy when I am not here. Also she will not driank water if I am not home. She is so thirsty when I get home. She is usually only left for 8 hours a couple times a week. So please help to let me know how to keep her comfortable and happy when I am not home. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foo dog49 Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 Sonny started doing things like that. Pulling the only throw pillow I put my head on to the floor and licking it till it was soggy and somehow removing the insoles from my shoes without damaging the shoes themselves and putting them by the pillow. I've always left a radio on for my dogs when I leave the house but tried leaving the TV on instead and so far it seems to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4ever Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 Thankfully, Scooter's never had that problem, but just for fun I started hiding treats around the house before I head out. Now when he knows I'm leaving he runs upstairs, waits till I'm done hiding the goodies, then races downstairs searching for treats, barely noticing I'm leaving. I just love his enthusiasm for any kind of game. He's so much fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.DaisyDuke Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 You could always see if a DAP diffuser (or collar) works on her. It might help her feel less anxious when you're not around. http://www.healthypets.com/dapdogappher.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I can't really say if your dog is exhibiting signs of separation anxiety or not; a lot of it seems to be the dog looking for something to amuse herself for 8 hours as well as demanding your attention. I guess I can't compare that to my dog's diagnosed separation anxiety where he severely chewed the frame of my front and back doors, the windowsill, two sets of blinds with 2" slats, and the grids in the windows. I had to start crating him again and he subsequently chewed the inside of his crate, snapping off one tooth almost completely and breaking the tips off of the others. Our vet referred us to a veterinary behaviorist and my dog has been on medication for his separation anxiety ever since. We have been able to reduce the medicine to only in the morning, but when we board him he has to go back on his big dose while we are gone. The behaviorist also "treated" our family with specific instructions on how we leave him and how we present ourselves when we return home. I don't know that I think border collies are "1 owner dogs" as you said, but I will make a generalization and say that my personal experience has been that dogs who are so firmly attached to one person can often be biters or nippers. Their owners love being #1 in the dogs' life and do nothing to stop the possessive behavior. My aunt comes to mind first---she has always had a slew of Chihuahuas and other tiny dogs who will lunge and snap at you if you get too close to her. It is a source of pride with her that they love her so much that they want to "guard" her. Even a toddler great-granddaughter getting nipped on the arm wasn't the dog's fault, rather the child should have remembered not to get too close to Maggie the dog when she is sitting on Me-Maw's lap. As I said, JMHO based solely on my personal experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teganandjessmom23 Posted February 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Thanks everyone for your stories and advice I need to consider some of these. She is only 2 so she has many years ahead of her and I just want whats best for her. My vet didn't say much when I told her of the behavior. So I guess I will just have to see what works best for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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