My Yorkie is the Incredible Hulk!

[DBB]

Hi! I'm new here. I just got my Yorkie a week ago. She's about 2 yrs old, and she had a name, but she doesn't respond to it at all, so I may rename her. I’ve come to the conclusion that she has a split personality! I’ve never had a more laid back quiet little dog. She’s just wonderful to have around……as long as someone is with her. The first Monday morning when I left for work, I thought since she’s done so well, I’d just leave her loose in my bedroom…big mistake! She scratched the door and dug the carpet so bad that when my daughter got up a few hours later, she could hardly get the door open past all the frayed-out carpet…..the really nice chewed-up Berber carpet. But I thought, ok, I’ll buy her a nice little cage to stay in while I’m gone if she’s gonna freak out. Next morning I leave her in it, in my upstairs bathroom. She ATE the plastic tray in the bottom of the cage, and then proceeded to shred the carpet in that room too! Plan B failed miserably! LOL So I get a heavy METAL tray…..one I got from a school auction from the kitchen….one of those big 2-inch deep oven pans they cook tons of food in….it fit the bottom of the cage perfectly, and I thought OK girl…get past steel! I even put the cage on top of a piece of sheet metal for backup in case she reached through the bars with her paws! Next day she actually pushed her FACE through the bars of the cage, bent up the sheet metal and chewed it up, scratched the carpet till she drug it into the cage with her, and stuck her head out and ate the corner of my sink vanity. (You can see that in the pic too) So, I’m pretty sure that when nobody is here, she grows, turns green and busts out of her fur like the Incredible Hulk! I have no idea how such a small frail dog could bend the bars of that cage like that! Unbelievable! Anybody have any suggestions to help me get her through this separation problem, while I still have some of my house left?

[vegasrush]

Talk about SEPERATION ANXIETY!! You must have the "Incredible Hulkstress" on your hands. Maybe that should be her name! I understand why you got her at 2 years old.

Unfortunatly, I don't have any real advice for you. Except maybe some heavy duty training!!! Maybe a dog behaviorist can help or someone else here with some good know how. I have found it too be very informative here.

I have known people with larger dogs that were very destructive when they were away. But I never heard their solutions!

Sorry I couldn't help, but GOOD LUCK. (It looks like you will need it!)

[Dougal&Little]

definitely sounds like serious separation anxiety. poor wee thing! you might like to talk to your vet about training things to help in the long term and maybe some calming pills for the short term. you can get herbal ones i've got ones for dixie with hop, shullcap, St John's wort, passiflora, valerian, and capsicum extracts. it doesn't put her to sleep or anything but it definitely takes the edge off some of her more nervous behaviours.

[sheshark]

I'm no expert, but i would suggest having her in the crate while you're at home, in the room with her, so you can hear and see when she starts to chew and scratch on the crate and reprimand her. My lab wasn't used to being tied in her yard and chewed through her leash the one time i left her alone on it even though she's fine with being tied outside of stores and other places. So my conclusion was that it was new and confused her to be tethered in her yard where she was used to being free. The issue may be similar with your Hulkstress. She may not have ever been crated before and the experience, along with seperation anxiety, can be causing her to freak out like she is. She may just need to learn what being crated is about. Good luck!

[DBB]

Thanks. Those are helpful ideas. I'll definitely try letting her hang out more in the cage while I'm with her. She doesn't start freaking out in the cage until I leave the house though. I was going to get a puppy, but decided when I met her that it would also be good to get a young adult dog who was "supposed" to be already trained. She was friendly and calm, just like I'd want a puppy to grow up to be, so it seemed right to give her a home. The girl I got her from said she was pretty good in a crate. Hmmmm.......but she also said her husband didn't like the dog. I'm pretty sure I know why!

[autumn star]

Holy crap, I wouldn't want to get her mad!!!!