Wall Scratching Dilemma

Question
Dear Madeline,

I have read your bio & will read and rate your response fairly within 3 days.

I really need some help  - or else I might be forced to give up my 7 1/2
month old Yorkie-Poo, Pebbles. Pebbles is mostly a darling puppy: she is
sweet-tempered, well behaved, a fast learner and was housebroken quite
quickly.

But she has one big flaw, which makes my live-in boyfriend, with whom I
share her ownership, furious and he has threatened multiple times to give her
up: Since a few weeks ago, when we leave her home alone during work hours,
between 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., she has begun to frantically scratch the walls and
has destroyed our drywall in multiple places.

She is gated into the kitchen of our apartment when we leave so she has
ample space to move; she has a variety of chews and toys and we take her out
every day without exception for 30 minutes in the morning before we leave,
for 30 minutes at night and we pay someone to walk her between noon and
two pm for 30 minutes. When we do take her outside, we make sure to let her
run after the ball, which she loves so she exhausts herself.

This does seem to work so long as we are home, because when we are around
she is not destructive at all and mostly just lounges around. We started tried
bitter apple and then to block off the spots she initially went after but found
our efforts in vain when she would simply seek out different spots.

Because we had amassed some literature on how to raise a puppy, we also
knew not to make a big show of getting home or leaving, and instructed our
dog-walker to do the same.

If this continues, I will be forced to choose between my dog and my
boyfriend, whom I both love.  Please help!!

-Aya


Answer
Hi Aya,

I really loved your question, but admit I had some hesitation about answering it.  I'm taking a leap of faith!  Here goes:

I appreciate that you obviously took the time to read my bio and agree to its Virtual Contract; but, it's a red flag and of concern to me that you started out your question by saying that you are thinking of giving up your dog.  To me, this is not a great place at all from which to start for resolving a serious issue with your current family member - your dog Pebbles.

When I work with people, whether as a volunteer or in person, I like to know that the owners have made a commitment to their dog as a family member.  When a person adopts a dog in to their home, I feel strongly that it's their responsibility to help that dog in any way they can if the dog has an issue or a problem which can be worked on with time and patience, much as they would do if they adopted, or gave birth to, a child.  If there is someone in the mix who is not on board with being patient and doing what it takes to help the dog, then I really feel I'm unable to have much of an effect and feel I'm "racing against the clock," which is a feeling I don't like having because it means I may not have the time I need to help the dog.

I feel I know what the issue might be with Pebbles.  I would suggest you talk things over with your boyfriend and decide whether he would be on board with your hiring a dog behavior expert to work with you and Pebbles, which is what I suggest.  Many veterinarians have a specialization in behavior, and they're called veterinarian behaviorists.  You can find one in your area at AVMA.org

Your regular veterinarian may be able to prescribe medication which might help Pebbles, as may a veterinarian behaviorist as well; but, medication should not be given without behavioral intervention and work with a behavior expert, which could be either a trainer experienced in behavior issues with a minimim of five years working with behavior issues; or, a veterinarian behaviorist.  

What medication does is open a window of opportunity for behavior modification and training to work to change the neural circuitry of a dog - that's if the medication works.  For dogs with separation anxiety, which is what I feel your dog may have, rarely does medication alone resolve the issue without over-medicating the animal to some degree in terms of having to give the dog more medication than s/he might need if both behavior modification AND medication both were used.  And, if you don't apply behavior modification along with medication, chances are when you try to wean the dog off the medication, the problem will return.

There are a couple of good books available for dogs with separation anxiety.  One is called "I'll Be Home Soon," by Dr. Patricia McConnell.  Another is "Dogs Home Alone," by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D.  The second is rather awkwardly written, but in a way that makes the book rather charming as English is not Dr. Abrantes's first language; and, it comes with great tips in spite of the sometimes-awkward sentence structure.  Dr. McConnell always hits it out of the park when it comes to dogs.  Her advice is well thought out, well organized for pet owners, gentle and effective if applied routinely and consistently.

Hope I've helped. I guess I felt that my bluntness about how I felt about your opening line may have resulted in resentment or a poor rating for me.  But...maybe I was wrong about that, and if so, perhaps I'll learn something.  :-)  As well, I think it's an important question to post so that others reading will recognize the importance of the theme that if the dog is a member of the family, the dog needs to come first. :-)

Best regards and best of luck,
Madeline at AllExperts