Bark Busters saves the day for claustrophobic Charlie

Ever heard the one about the claustrophobic dog?

Although it may sound like a joke, in reality when Cath Smith of Nanty-Cwm, Llanhilleth was faced with just this problem, it was anything but a joke. Thirteen pairs of curtains, several pairs of blinds, a wrecked bathroom, trashed bedroom and left fearing for her dog’s safety, claustrophobia proved to be anything but a joke.

When Golden Labrador, Charlie, started to destroy the house when left home alone, owner Cath thought it must be due to ‘separation anxiety’.

‘For the first few months of Charlie’s life my mother had been living with us, so Charlie was never left alone, but as he got older I would leave him in the house on his own for a couple of hours some afternoons while I went to work. It was literally only a couple of hours before my daughter, Victoria, 16, came in from school, but plenty long enough for Charlie to have wreaked havoc. No pair of curtains or blinds would stay up if I went out’.

To solve the problem, Cath tried putting Charlie in a dog crate, even covering it with a blanket, but Charlie chewed his way through the metal bars and escaped.

‘I was desperately concerned about the damage he might have done to his teeth and also to his body squeezing through a tiny hole to escape’ says Cath.

She also tried shutting him in the bathroom, being that it was the smallest room in the house, and if dogs are nervous it is often a good idea to keep them in a confined space when left alone. Not so in Charlie’s case.

‘When I came home Charlie had literally wrecked the bathroom, the shower curtain was down and trashed, but he had also tried to get to the window and managed to set a tap running, flooding the bathroom which then caused the kitchen ceiling to collapse’.

Cath tried taking Charlie to work with her. ‘I am in the car a lot and only left Charlie for a few minutes, but he went mad, barking and whining and also chewed his way through one of the seat belts. So I gave up on that idea’.

After months of despair, Cath decided that Charlie would have to be re-homed.

‘I didn’t mind about the damage to the house, things can be replaced, but I was really worried about Charlie’s safety’.

On three occasions he had escaped from the rooms he was shut in, opening doors and even catches comes easily to Charlie. He then jumped out of an upstairs bedroom window.

‘I thought that one day he would break his back and then that would be the end of him’ says Cath.

On one of the occasions that Charlie escaped he was picked up by a local dog warden who was amazed to find that Charlie chewed his way out of the cage in the back of his van.

Cath had actually got as far as finding a new home for Charlie and he was due to be collected when she saw an advert for Bark Busters.

‘I rang Jinny Hatton, the Bark Buster Trainer in my area and she assured me that she could help, so I decided to give it a go’.

Jinny openly admits that Charlie was one of the most unusual cases that she has come across.

‘In all my years in dog training I have never come across a claustrophobic dog. Initially I tried a host of techniques to cure separation anxiety, but as time went on and nothing had an effect I was forced to re-think and it was only then that I began to suspect Charlie was claustrophobic’ says Jinny.

Allowing Charlie to have the run of the house and making sure that the curtains are pulled well back so that Charlie can see out has solved the problem.

‘I did as Jinny suggested and low and behold Charlie was fine. As long as he is left with access to the whole house he is fine. The joke is from the minute I go out until the minute I come home he never leaves Victoria’s bedroom . He stays there looking out of the window until I come back’.

Knowing this was the case Cath decide to shut the bedroom door – Big Mistake!

‘When I came home, having left Charlie shut in Victoria’s room I found her walk in wardrobe trashed. Knickers and socks chewed, clothes shredded, a real demolition job’ laughs Cath.

So the solution is to leave Charlie home alone with all doors open, even thought he never leaves his bedroom.

‘I can’t thank Jinny enough, she is quite amazing and there is no way that I would still have Charlie if it wasn’t for Jinny’ says a delighted Cath.

Bark Busters, the world’s largest, most trusted dog training company, started in Australia in 1989 and came to the United Kingdom in 1999. Since inception, over 400,000 dogs have been trained worldwide. With more than 230 offices in eight countries, Bark Busters is continuing its mission to build a global network of dog behavioural therapists to enhance responsible dog ownership and reduce the possibility of maltreatment, abandonment, and euthanasia of companion dogs. Bark Busters is the only international dog training company that offers a lifetime guarantee. Therapists will provide future sessions free of charge if problem behaviours recur, or if any new problems develop. For more information, call 0808 100 4071 or visit www.barkbusters.co.uk, where dog owners can complete a Dog Behavioural Quiz to rate their dogs’ behaviour.