QuestionQUESTION: I have a 3 year old felmale Yorkie. Mandy is well socialized and loves everyone. She is potty trained and goes to the door to go outside. She never messes in the house. She sleeps with me and has never messed in bed. She will walk into her crate and sleep while I am home. When I leave the house I put her in her crate and I hear her cry as I leave. When I return she is all wet on her face and paws sometimes I can see foam by her mouth. 9 out of 10 times she has either peed or pooped in the crate. I can be gone only 15 minutes and she has done it. Its hard to have someone take her when I leave town and expect them to have to clean the crate. Any suggestions would be most helpful.
ANSWER: Joan,
As you have found out separation anxiety can be very traumatic for a Yorkie. Some Yorkies have nervous personalities and so things that would normally upset a dog without a nervous personality are amplified. I had one that would literally foam at the mouth when she was upset about anything. She would look like a rabid dog and it was very messy. I suspect that your Yorkie is one of the nervous personalities. If that is the case there is little that can be done because a personality is something that cannot be changed.
If it is separation anxiety then there are a couple of things you could try. The first would be to make a tape recording of you talking to your female. You do not have to talk constantly but instead try recording yourself cleaning the kitchen and occasionally saying something like, its ok (dogs name) mommies right here. Between the sounds of you in another room and occasionally your voice she will think that you are actually there when you are not. It will be time consuming at first to set it up but it is worth a try. You could also put something in the crate with her like an article of clothing that has your smell on it. She will be comforted by your smell and hopefully that will relieve some of her anxiety.
You used the terminology "crate" when you described where she stays when you are gone. If you mean a crate which is small and enclosed with a door and small window then I suggest you get a cage instead. A cage would be bigger and she would be able to see everything around her. It would be large enough to place a bed in and have newspaper in the other half so that if she gets freaked out and has to go to the bathroom she will be able to do that and not have to lay in it. I had a female that was such a nervous dog that when I had to take her to the vet she would inevitably poop on the examination table. Every time I took her as soon as the doctor put her on the exam table a poop would come out onto the table.
If after you try my suggestions the problem is still not resolved you may have to face the fact that you have a nervous female and there is nothing you can do to change that.
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QUESTION: Melinda,
Thanks for the quick response. Just a follow up to your answer. I meant cage. It has her blanket and I recently put a nightgown I had worn the night before in there and she pooped all over. Sometimes she poops out of the cage or pees and poops under her bed, and then sometimes its all over. Is it spite or anxiety?I just don't get it she is so perfect in every other way. She is my 3rd Yorkie and I have never dealt with this. She seems to be doing it more often where she would go days without an accident and then I would think it was over and now she seems to be doing it almost ever time I leave her. I have been dealing with this since she was a puppy. I will try the paper,radio and if you think of anything else let me knhow.
thanks,
joan
AnswerJoan,
One other thing you could try is teaching her that she has nothing to be afraid of in the cage. Try putting her in the cage for five minutes and then coming to check on her. If she did not pee or poop then tell her good dog and let her out. Extend it to ten minutes the next time and so on. The purpose of this is two fold. Too see how long it is before she messes and to teach her that you are still there even if she cannot see you. That way when you do go away she will still think you are there.
Also, if she has a favorite treat like a rawhide chew that would take her a while to eat you could only give it to her when she is going to be in the cage. That would give her something to do that would occupy her time and it would hopefully make her less hesitant about going in her cage.