The way of the dachshund
They are a temperamental breed to be sure. They are born with plenty of personality despite their small stature and with that can come a lot of anxiousness. Over the past weeks Phin has had some trouble with separation anxiety. He doesn’t destroy anything in the house; he just barks a lot when I leave. It is something that he wrestles with on and off, and though he’s mostly settled in now to our home (I’ve had him for almost 8 months) on occasion he still has some tough days. Most of my neighbors are dog owners and are very supportive. One is not, and is quite vocal about it. Though I’ve apologized profusely in the past for any disturbance Phin causes from time to time, she never lets up. He sneezes and I get a text message about it – so much so that I finally blocked her from being able to text or call me. Thankfully she’s moving in a few short months.
A tough week leads to further action
I knew Phin was safe in the apartment. I just didn’t know how to get him through his latest spell of separation anxiety, which is the hardest behavior to help a dog get past. At the last Dachshund Festival we met Gregg Karl, who is a professional dog trainer who specializes in dachshunds. (He has 2 of his own). He’s become a friend and invaluable resource over the last few months. On Tuesday I gave him a call because I was really worried about Phin’s latest bout of anxiety. To be fair, we’ve had painters in our hallways all week and we went out of town over the weekend, two things that certainly set off Phin’s anxiety. Still, he seemed more anxious than he would normally be even under these stressful circumstances.
Gregg Karl, our dog trainer, comes to the rescue
Gregg was full of tips including:
– A toy called a Buster Cube and Zuke’s treats to keep him busy.
– He also had me start teaching Phin the “Stay” command and practicing coming and going out of the house many, many times. “Stay” he mastered beautifully. The coming and going exercise is not so easy. I noticed Phin’s anxiety has increased over the week after we began the training and panicked a little. Gregg assured me that this is also extremely normal. Once they begin formal training, almost all dogs will be confused and anxious until they learn that the training is no big deal. Phin is only at the very early stages.
Friends Trish and Janet lend a hand, too
My friend, Trish, an animal behaviorist, recommended that I try lavender spray to calm him down and give the apartment a relaxed feel. That seemed to help some, too. My friend, Janet, another one of my dog whisperers, recommended mixing up Phin’s walking routing to stimulate his mind and taking him for short trips around the city (like the one to the dachshund festival!) to help ease any anxiety he has after a trip. That also seemed to help him this week. I’m so grateful for their advice!
Up the exercise
I gave up running a few years ago as my yoga practice deepened. I need to have these knees of mine as long as possible and running seemed to be wearing on them. This was a big change for me as I used to run regularly and in 2001 ran the Chicago marathon. Now that the weather is getting nicer (finally!), I’ve noticed Phin has much more energy and a walk does not tire him out. One of the best remedies to separation anxiety is to exercise a dog so that he is very tired every time you leave. With all of his anxious energy gone, you’ll walk out the door and he’ll go to sleep. So, it’s back to running with Phin as my running buddy. So far this fix has worked beautifully. He loves the run and is thoroughly exhausted by the time we get home. It’s good for my health to get some more cardio and it’s good for Phin, too. Win-win.
More company
I was previously scheduling my dog walker to just take him in the middle of the day when I couldn’t get home right after work. Now, I’ve asked her to come by every day I go to work no matter what time I’ll be home. This gets him used to being with someone else who cares for him more often and he gets to see his canine pals more often which always has a very pacifying affect on him.
A new vet helps us, too
I’ve been rather unhappy with our vet. He doesn’t have much of a bedside manner and Phin is a special dog with special issues and we need a vet who understands that. In the park I met several people who recommended Westside Veterinary Clinic and we went to see them last weekend. Dr. Lewis was very happy to hear about Gregg’s tips, and she suggested that while he’s getting through this latest bout it may be a good idea to put him on a very, very low dose medicine to help ease the anxiety. I was worried about taking this step though I have to say that Phin is much calmer with the medicine and his quality of life is much higher. Plus, the dose is so low that he hasn’t lost any of his personality. The medicine cuts the anxiety without inducing any other side effects.
It takes a village to raise a dachshund
Gregg, Janet, Trish, my dog walker, and my vet continue to assure me that getting a dog through separation anxiety requires confidence and patience in boatloads. They promised me that Phin would come around, and eventually would become a well-adjusted, relaxed pup no matter what circumstances he’s in. Trauma reveals itself in stages, whether we’re talking about trauma in people or in animals.
It feels more like I’m raising a dog than training a dog, and I’ve learned so much along this road. Thank goodness for my village of advisors. No matter how much I want to speed through the process, I remind myself that in every phase of this journey Phin and I have much to learn, and we’ll both be better off for it.
Christa Avampato 
Hi Christa – kudos to not only your “village”, but to you and Phin. You are so dedicated, and he just loves you so much. Patience is the key, dogs who love you always come around once the idea that you will be there for them truly takes root in them.
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