Wall Scratching

Question
Dear Shelly,

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,

Thank you for writing to me about your anxious pup.  I apologize for the delay in responding.  We have had massive rains and flooding and the power was out.  Thanks for your understanding.

From your description, your dog has separation anxiety.  There is a protocol for this and it's easily available on the internet.  If you google, separation anxiety, there are hundreds of sites where you can get information, as well as books and tapes.  A great site is www.dogwise.com/

I would recommend that you speak with your vet about trying medication to calm her anxiety.  This can be tried in the form of herbs at first but may need to include anti-anxiety medication if the herbs don't work. Sometimes you have to try several medications before you find the one that works.

If you can block off an area with an x-pen, this would work well.  You can order them from places like J-B Wholesale Pet supply.  Basically it is an indoor fence that you can shape to your liking and can be folded flat when not in use.  This will keep your dog away from the walls while allowing her to still have some freedom.

Give her the toys that are interactive..where she plays with them and bits of treats come out.  I also recommend a raw marrow bone from the butcher.  Just be sure that you clean her snout and paws to avoid cross contamination.

There is a device called DAP that will emit a hormone that is like the mother's smell and is calming to dogs with anxiety.  There is also an anxiety wrap that you can get from www.sitstay.com/  

You will also want to do some bloodwork and make sure that her thyroid is in the center of normal, not high normal, not low normal but center.

If you try the suggestions I have made, especially the x-pen, you will not have to choose between your dog and your boyfriend. My choice is always on the side of the dog.  No boyfriend should make you get rid of your dog for something that she cannot help feeling.  I'm sure that through the use of medication and other tools, and an understanding of what is going on, this problem can be resolved.  You can even bring in a behavorist to make recommendations within the home.  Be sure to work with your vet on medication.

Best of luck.

Shelley Davis