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Does Crate Training help dogs with Separation Anxiety? Read this article to find out.

With working from home restrictions slowly easing, pets raised during the pandemic may grow to develop separation anxiety once their owner is out of their line of sight.

In order to help pawrents whose dogs may suffer from separation anxiety, Team #TWA has reached out to QiuLi, AKA @taroandtoastie, to learn more about what it entails.

Read on to learn about QiuLi’s experience with crate training, and how Taro’s separation anxiety has since improved.


Experience with Crate Training

Hello! Tell us more about your relationship with Taro.

Hello! Taro is my first dog and I’m mainly the one feeding, training and playing with him that’s why he is very attached to me. 

Credits: QiuLi and Taro

Being a first-time dog owner, I didn’t know much about dog training. At 3 months old, Taro was a little terror. He showcased slight aggression when handling, a tendency for resource guarding and kept chewing on things he’s not allowed to. 

It definitely wasn’t what I thought having a dog would be like. But since working with him on setting structure and boundaries, our relationship definitely grew stronger and he is able to understand what is most expected of him.

What is separation anxiety and how does it affect your daily life with Taro?

I think Separation Anxiety in dogs is characterised by their inability to cope when left alone. 

They would get stressed and start to whine, bark, howl, pace around. They just can’t seem to lie down and settle. If left to roam freely, they might even display destructive behaviours or have indoor accidents despite being potty trained. 

As I work from home most of the time, Taro had always been by my side and follows me wherever I go into the house. He is only able to nap during the day if I am nearby or within his line of sight. Thus it became quite stressful, especially on days that I am heading out because he would whine the moment I accessed my closet.

If he’s allowed to free roam, he will obsessively follow me everywhere and start pacing around because he’s either excited that we’re heading out or panicking that I’m leaving him at home. I used to arrange for someone at home to accompany him but he refused to engage with family members either. He would just wait for me to come back and that’s when I realized I needed to do something to boost his independence and to have a healthier state of mind.

Bring us through a day of training with Taro.

Taro was crate trained since the day we brought him home. He is able to sleep overnight and nap during the day in the crate in the day but once he is awake he whines and barks to be let out. Other than that, he spends most of his time free-roaming throughout the house.

When I started working on his Separation Anxiety, I moved his crate out into the living room so he could learn to sleep overnight alone. The first night, he barked and howled throughout and would not settle down to sleep. After a week or so, he could sleep overnight without any whining. We also stopped engaging with him at home, refrained from giving him too much affection (though I still do sneak in some affection time haha) or playing excessively with him. 

Credits: QiuLi and Taro

Hence, whenever he’s at home, he’s either in the crate or hanging out on the cot. We stopped letting him free roam the house as well. I would bring him down for potty and walks twice a day and I use his meals to do training for some mental stimulation. When we go outside, I would use his toys to engage with him. This taught him to focus better despite having distractions.

On days when my family members are not at home, I will also take the opportunity to leave him alone in the crate while I sit outside the house and observe him through the camera. He usually naps for the first hour but once awake he begins to whine before going back to sleep. After 2-3 hours, I will go back in and he will begin to whine for my attention. Despite this, I will continue to ignore him for at least 1-2 hours depending on how fast he calms down. This helps to teach him that leaving and coming home is not a big deal.

How long has it been since you started crate training and have you noticed any improvements?

Credits: QiuLi and Taro

It has been about 3 months since we started this new routine and his Separation Anxiety has significantly reduced. He used to whine when he saw me gathering clothes, or when he hears me preparing my bag to head out. He even whines when I am just visiting the toilet. After training, I can head to the toilet without getting him anxious. Though he still does whine a little when he sees me preparing to head out, it is a lot lesser compared to last time and he stops when I step out of the house.

Advice for Beginners

Do take note that QiuLi is not a professional trainer. Hence, interested pawrents are advised to consult a professional if they encounter behavioural issues.

How can I introduce crate training to my dogs?

If you have a puppy, that would be the best and easiest time to crate train them. Older dogs that require crate training might need a longer time to adapt. You’d need a lot more patience to endure the transition period where they’ll be whinier. 

The ultimate aim is to let them know that the crate is a safe haven that does not harm them. This would help them fully relax in the crate. I always use food and toys to help them associate the crate with positivity so that they would enter it of their own free will. 

You can start by feeding meals outside, yet near to the crate. Afterwards, slowly progress to placing some food inside the crate so that they would willingly step inside it. For puppies that nap frequently, invite them to nap inside the crate for short periods of time throughout the day. If they’re awake and starts to bark, do not attend to them immediately and only let them out when they’ve quieted down.

It is also important to choose the correct crate size. Small crates might be uncomfortable for them. Big crates may result in potty accidents inside. The length of the crate should be just ample for them to walk one round and height should still provide some allowance while they’re standing. 

When it comes to crating overnight, most puppies tend to whine in the middle of the night as it’s a new environment and they’re separated from their family. I took this chance to potty train Taro. When he begins to whine in the middle of the night, I wait for him to quieten down before bringing him out to his designated potty area. I then put him back to the crate straight after.

Credits: QiuLi and Taro

While doing this, you want to make sure there are no fun distractions as we do not want them to think that whining can get them out of the crate for some cuddle/baby (affections) instead. 

Sometimes after he has gone to potty and he still continues to whine in the crate, I would bring him out to potty again so he knows that whining only provides potty visits. There are times we went to and fro from crate to potty at least 3 times (and all 3 times he did go) before he settled. 

Another method that worked incredibly well for us (after you know he definitely cleared his bowels), was to sit in front of the crate door and leave the door open. The moment he attempts to step out, shut the door to prevent him from doing so. I would repeat this until he gives up trying to come out and would eventually settle. After around 1 week, Taro was able to sleep in the crate without waking up in the middle of the night.

What should pet owners take note of when pursuing Crate Training?

When it comes to any aspect of dog training, I think consistency is very important. 

Do the same thing every day, set up a routine, and make it into a habit and they’ll adapt/learn quicker. I know some people cannot bear to ignore their whines when they’re crated and hence give up. Yet, I assure you crate training definitely has more pros than cons. We just need to persevere during the initial stage and be consistent and you’ll be able to reap the results after.

PROS

  1. It provides your pet with a place to relax and sleep, hence reducing their sense of heightened alert whenever a passerby walks outside the house.
  2. It keeps them out of trouble and from practising bad behaviours, your house and items do not get destroyed and there are no potty accidents.
  3. Preventing separation anxiety as they learn to settle on their own. Remember to not only crate them when you are leaving the house as they might then associate the crate as being left alone. Crate them during the day for short periods of time even when you’re home so it becomes a normal routine. 

A big thank you to @taroandtoastie for sharing her experience with crate training! For pet owners whose cats suffer from separation anxiety, we urge you to read Sherlyn and Leo’s experiences.

If there are other styles of training that you think is important for pet owners to know, let us know in the comments below!

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Why I Don’t Think I Can Care for a Pet

Hello everyone, I am hoshi hooaunt.

I hardly appear on Hoshi’s account, if you’re unaware that Hoshi had an aunt, helloo! ?

Hoshi and me (hooaunt) at Wooftopia

Today I’m going to share why after getting Hoshi, I don’t think I can be a hoomum of another fur baby.

I care for Hoshi along with my sister, I mainly help out to feed him and just take care of him in general. Even though I am not the main caretaker for Hoshi, it has been a difficult journey. Caring for a puppy takes a lot of time and commitment, there’s much to take note for him.       

Smol Hoshi taking a nap in his old crate

Sitting on the sidelines, watching my sister sacrifice her personal time and her wallet for Hoshi, I am in awe of her efforts and hard work. Hoshi isn’t a difficult puppy to take care of, he’s very smart and super sweet. He knows where to pee and poo which is usually the most troubling issue for most pawarents. Something really magical ✨ about having dogs is that Hoshi knows when we are happy and when we are sad. I got to experience that myself and it was such a memorable moment, I am sure that it will remain forever in my heart. 

I had just came back from work, and was feeling a little down. I think Hoshi realised that I was a bit upset, he started to cuddle with me. It was unusual because, at that time, he would usually be quite active when someone comes home. However, that little cuddling session with him really healed me and it felt very special?. 

Hoshi being a cuddly boi after sensing that im sad ?

Having said all that, having a dog is wondrous thing however, there are things that i did not expect as well. 

Separation Anxiety 

Whenever we leave the house, Hoshi cries and whines and it’s really heartbreaking to hear and see him like that?. After he gets tired from crying, he would lay his head in between the gate and watch us leave. I guess leaving him alone at home is inevitable and it’s definitely a process that we have to go through. 

Hoshi being a sad boi when we leave for work
Hoshi being a happy boi when we come back

Time and Commitment

Having a pup takes up a lot of time and commitment. Starting from the basic care, his meals, his walkies, and hygiene, these are just some of the important things to take note of. ?

His meal times, Hoshi can be quite picky with his food at times, so we try to add in a bunch of variety for him. However, that would also mean that we would have to be on the constant lookout for new things for him to try. Thankfully, Pawjourr has a sampling program, where we can try out different things before purchasing the full-sized products.

Hoshi enjoying the free samples from Pawjourr!

Moving on to his walkie sessions, we try to walk him everyday however when it is raining, we can’t bring him down. In replacement, we would play fetch with him to waste his energy and spend some time with him.

Hoodad teaching him how to jump

As for his hygiene, we would have to brush his teeth, clip his nails, and care for him like a baby! It is a lot of work, but it is necessary for the lil baby! 

Hoshi’s cupboard –> where we store all of his things!

These are just the very little things that you would need to care for a puppy! It really takes a lot of effort and courage to love a puppy! Hoshi is a great blessing in our lives, and we are so in love with him!

For all those who are considering getting a puppy, please know that there’s a lot of hard work that comes from caring for one, but of course a lot of love as well. For all the pawrents out there, hats off to you guys! Lastly, for all the hooaunts/hoouncles that are just like me, keep loving your furbabies! 

Smol Hoshi taking pictures ?

Follow @hoshisheltie on Instagram to follow us on our journey.?

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When Separation Anxiety Meets Separation Anxiety

Getting a bulldog, as I’ve read in countless articles and magazines, would be hard. I knew that. I knew that I’d have to deal with skin issues and separation anxiety. But what Google didn’t prepare me for was how much I had to sacrifice. 

The tugging and pulling

I’ve had MomoKill for about 7-8 months now. The longest I’ve ever left her alone is 5 hours, when I had to leave the house for other commitments. One of the biggest reasons is this:

Every time I try to leave the house, she’d pull my clothes or my bag, holding me back. Going up against a bulldog isn’t the easiest thing. She has so much strength that I’d leave the house sweating, like I just got into a fight.

The heartbreaking cries

It gets harder when MomoKill gives up. The moment she realises that I will leave whether she pulls me back or not, she’d start crying and whining until I go back in the house. Strength is not a weapon anymore at this point. But she knows her cries are my weakness. I try not to give in, but whose heart wouldn’t melt with a face like this staring at you?

Going out without MomoKill

The only thing I can think about when I leave the house is whether my baby feels like I’ve abandoned her. Not one time have I gone out without worrying about MomoKill.

This got to a point where my friends got annoyed because all I’d talk about is my furkid. All I’d think about is what I could get my furkid while I’m out. My friend even told me off because he thought I was “too dependent on MomoKill”. I was honestly tempted to end the friendship because of that.

Here is a photo my mum sent to me while I was out. MomoKill was waiting and looking out the window, acting anxious and pacing around.

Returning home

When I finally return home after a few hours, the first thing I see is her waiting at the door for me to come home.

My photo gallery has pictures of her and nothing else. When I can bring her, MomoKill comes along with me everywhere I go. It has come to a point where my friends have accepted that if they want to see me, they’d see my dog as well. It may not be very healthy, but I don’t ever want to leave her.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m so thankful for her and for this relationship that we have. However, my internship is starting soon and I’d have to be out more. I don’t know how she would be able to cope without me. More importantly, I don’t know how I’d be able to cope without her. Nevertheless, she’d have to learn, and I guess I’ll have to as well.

Many books and online articles try to help dogs with their separation anxieties. I hope someone writes an article on how pawrents can get over their separation anxieties with their dogs too..

(P.S. If you happen to have tips or can relate, please leave a comment so we can help each other out! ?)

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Our Adopted Cats Have Separation Anxiety..No More

We hear the phrase all too often; ‘Adopt, don’t shop.’ Out of all the posts for adoption I encountered, one of them deeply caught my attention. An owner looking in desperation to re-home her cats or they will be handed over to the shelters. Behind that cute fluffy faces and mighty paws, a touching story began to unfold as we got to know the cats better. Because of the circumstances, we weren’t given ample time to let the cats get used to our “scents”. There were not much time to fully prepare for their arrivals but hey, I remembered how excited and nervous we were!

Separation anxiety commonly occurs when a cat is too attached to its owner or a pet buddy during the course of separation. As first time cat owners, my husband and I read some articles to gain knowledge so we can be responsible pawrents to our adopted furbabies. What we didn’t read on was, if separation anxiety is real for such an independently known animal.

Our Experience

On the first night with our furbabies, they were shivering and barely touch the food served. One of them got scared till he peed on the cat carrier and refused to move away from it. Both of our furbabies began to lay on top of one another, as if hugging each other tightly. Occasionally one of them would lick the other’s head, as a form of comforting. We learnt of their close bonding with their former owners, through updates via text messages. With a wishful of happy thoughts and all the information we had on hand, we saw progress. Miraculously, both of them started to show positive behaviours as the third day gone by.

We strongly encourage all keen adopters to do a little research before adopting. Understanding the cats you’re bringing home plays an important factor in their emotional stability later on. The more you understand your furbabies, the higher chances of bridging the gap of bonding they once had with their former owner.

The common signs in cats with separation anxiety include excessive Meow-ing, rejecting food, urinate and even poop outside their designated litter. One of the ways we tried to ensure smooth transition for our furbabies was to use some of their former belongings and place it into our home. We ensured both cats receive plenty of quality time. It seemed to work well for them. Take time to get to know their characteristics, their likes and dislikes. We promise, it just gets better each day! Getting vertical scratching posts and tall cat condo also help to provide a sense of security for cats.

We are no experts in handling separation anxiety but hope that sharing our experiences will help cat owners, especially a greenhorn like us! If you have tried all means to treat your furbabies and the signs persist, it is always recommended to see a vet when in doubt. After all, putting yourself at ease allows you to make the right choices for both you and your new furbabies. Good luck!

“Rescuing one cat won’t change the world, but it will change the world for one cat.” – Unknown

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Ups & Downs of Adopting a Rescue – Mayo (part 2)

“How much time is enough time before we decide that this is not going anywhere?”

“I don’t think I can do this. I don’t know how else to help her.”

“Do you think she’ll ever love us?”

“Will she be like this forever? What if this is the real her and she’s going to be permanently this way?”

“What if she likes being a stray more and being at home is not what she wants?”

These are just some of the honest questions that have come up since Mayo came into our lives.

Ever heard of the 3-3-3 rule when it comes to adopting a rescue dog? Do a simple search and google will tell you most rescue dogs follow this 3-3-3 rule.

Credit: rescuedogs101.com

They say the first 3 days the dog would probably be shut down. After 3 weeks the dog more comfortable, and after 3 months the dog is completely comfortable.

We didn’t understand. We watched every Youtube video there was, we even read books, we read 10000001 articles to prepare ourselves but nothing worked. Nothing was relatable and Mayo went against all the rules and training tips we’ve watched/read. Although there was strong support from the Singapore Specials community on Instagram (for which I am so so thankful for), we didn’t come across any account we could really relate with that understood what we went through, or had a dog remotely like Mayo. We felt incredibly lonely in our journey because we had no answers.. There were a ton of doubts and uncertainties, and besides sharing them on Instagram we were pretty helpless and hopeless on most days.

The Lows..

It’s hard to pinpoint an exact lowest because everyday seemed to be an accumulation of the whirlwind of emotions we experienced. The first 2 weeks we barely slept. There were nights Mayo howled and cried (?) for hours straight in the middle of the night. Whenever we got up to walk in her direction in first 1 month, she would literally shiver & cower even though we didn’t give any eye contact or said a word. We..just..walked.. She was probably so stressed out that she had violent seizures in her sleep the first month or so. We were worried it was a neurological problem and that made us sleepless and watched the camera monitor every night but thankfully it went away as she got more comfortable.

We are not proud to say this but in the spirit of sharing, we also actually lost Mayo, TWICE, within the first 2 months. She got spooked by a sudden sound, lodged herself behind one of those things along on the road and the leash flew from my hand. I spent 30 mins looking for her under ditches, construction sites, bushes.. but guess what? I got a text from our neighbourhood chat that Mayo was at our HDB lift lobby. Our regular cleaner uncle took her up and tied her to our gate. When I lost her I heard voices of our volunteers in my head, “If Mayo this kind get lost, confirm cannot find one!” But although she was still frightened of us, she chose to go back home – my guess is she knew it was safe and choose us over living on the streets alone. Still blows me away how she knew the way home especially since there have been so many stories of lost dogs that never find their way home.

Photo sent by neighbour who spotted her downstairs.
Cleaner uncle who recognized her brought her up and tied her to our gate.

She definitely regressed especially on walks after that because her confidence was shaken – mine was too. She was constantly pulling on leash and wanting to go home. I was at my wits end and so highly discouraged because it just seem more and more like she won’t break out of this fear cycle. Then one day… a fellow dog owner told me fearful dogs need a confident leader. They can sense our anxiety and i guess she knew. If I could I would avoid walking her because I was insecure and worried that I would lose her again. That afternoon I picked up the leash, puffed my chest, took a deep breath and said ‘Mayo, come!’. Lo and behold, she came. This time I kept my head up, and when she pulled ahead out of fear, I stopped. I took a step ahead of her, deep breath, and continued walking. Like magic, she calmed down and we had a good walk. Positive reinforcement, pack leader, whatever 100001 other training theories bla bla bla – you do you. Mayo was so scared of me she wouldn’t take treats from me – we barely have a relationship yet, so how to reinforce? How to reduce the threshold when she goes from 0-100 in an instant. I can’t predict what & who we meet on our walks. I could only assure her that you know what, I got this. I know where we are going, and I dont need her to worry about bicycles, traffic, runners incoming. Just follow me, you will be fine. #letthemsniff they say.. I would love to let Mayo sniff. When she is confident to sniff, I let her sniff. But i noticed that when she walks ahead of me, she is more easily triggered and reacts in fear perhaps because she feels like she is defenseless and has no clue how to respond to all these new triggers. Now, even though she is so much more confident on walks and typically walks ahead of me, when she sees something that makes her worry, she still comes back to me and allows me to take over in a particularly unsure situation.

But above all, I found it most challenging to see Mayo not being a dog. Don’t get me wrong, she was a good dog! She didn’t whine, she doesn’t bark (well now she does!!), she doesn’t pee & poo at home, she sleeps, she eats. But, she wasn’t a dog. We were told to give her time. But as the days went by and we saw minimal to no progress, we wondered how much time is enough? How much time does she need? What can we do? What if she is simply just like this?

So what made us press on? What lessons have we learnt?

I mean there were days that our anxiety skyrocketed through the roof and it seemed like every tiny thing sends her into a frenzy and we have to walk on egg shells around her for fear of making her regress and more fearful. Some days maybe we took things too far and she was stressed. Some days maybe she was triggered by an aggressive dog. And as humans we become so consumed by our own human worries. But like everybody says, dogs live in the moment. I used to think ‘oh no, Mayo got scared. she hates me. she’s going to hate me.’ NO SHE’S NOT. The next morning, she’s ok already. Give your dogs some credit, and cut yourself some slack! Don’t be too hard on yourself – it’s something I remind myself everyday. She proves to us day after day how resilient she is.

The Highs!

With every low, we have to remember there will also be highs 🙂

Definitely one of the highs was the first time Mayo left her bed to come to the dining table to sniff. We were having curry chicken. Curry seemed to have a magical effect on Mayo – curry makes mayo brave haha. Came to find out later on that actually her rescuer/feeder fed her packets of curry chicken rice occasionally for 6 months! Now Mayo has an upgrade and has doggy-safe curry made with love filled with greek yogurt, capsicum, turmeric & chicken.

During circuit breaker I (mama) had a lot more time to work with Mayo. Started off by tossing yummy treats around the house to encourage her to move around the house. Little by little, I think maybe 3 months into her adoption in May, she started becoming a little more ‘kaypoh’ and confident to come sniff when there’s food on the table. Little signs of her becoming more like a dog.

mayo with her paws on the table demanding for curry

One of my biggest highs, was the day mayo learnt to sit. It took us a grand total of 6 months and because she was so fearful of me, I couldnt use any treats to lure her into a sit like most people do. Neither could I touch her butt to push her down because she was fearful and usually out of reach anyway haha – this dog observes safe distancing very well. I shared on my Instagram that the ‘Sit’ command is literally one of the first things that people teach their dogs. It seems like a no-brainer thing and ya, we were a bit ‘FOMO’ that mayo doesn’t know a single ‘trick’. But hey!!!!!! we took 5 months, but we still got there eventually. Yea we might take longer, but not about the destination but the journey correct? Hehe as at September 10th 2020, she already knows ‘down’, ‘sit’, ‘paw’, ‘chin’, ‘touch’ and ‘bow’. Again, none of these were learnt through luring with treats, or through simply grabbing their paw/chin etc. We ‘captured’ the behavior! Like a camera! Don’t underestimate your fearful dog! Whenever she did the behavior on her own e.g sit, or lie down – we will use a verbal cue e.g SIT and mark it with a marker. Anyway…. ahahaha ok I won’t go into too much detail about the training – next post ok?

Mayo in a ‘down.’

TLDR;

Hahahaha, in summary…… Don’t sweat it if your dog doesn’t follow the ‘rules’. Even after 7 months, Mayo has yet to fully trust us. She still hides from us when we come home but everyday we are seeing new sides of her. But 7 months ago it seemed like an impossible feat for her to me lying beside us. Yet today we can play with her, and she will occassionally willingly lie next to us. If you have a dog like Mayo, I just want to say you are not alone. You might not feel like your dog loves you yet, but remember that it ends with .. YET. Someday I believe they will. I am still telling myself all these everyday while I encourage others. We are all still work in progress and I look forward to the day I can upload a video of Mayo excitedly wagging her tail when she sees us.

Till the next time, I hope you take comfort and pride in your own adoption journey.

xoxo,
Mayo’s Pawrents