Thread: Anxiety seperation - dog related

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has had a dog where they have suffered anxiety seperation (the dog not the owner ) when they leave the house?

My 18 month old terrier barks his little head of when we go out...and continues to do so for a good 10 mins after we leave the house (I know this as I have stood on the drive and listened to him)

We have tried lots of different things with no sucess... can anyone help?

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Aw sympathies, Yup been there, my old dog had a particular attachment to my mother. Everytime she left the house he would sit staring at the front door and cry/whine and refuse to move or be placated. I will ask her this evening what we did to break this habbit and let you know.

Lady Lena X

We've got two wee girls (a Cocker Spaniel [Jura] and a Miniture Schnauser [Scourie]), and Jura is terrible. It stems from when she was a puppy, before we got her, and when she wandered out of her mum's kennel and into the one next door, which had a Caviler Spaniel with pups. The breeder (nasty piece of work) thought, "Well if that's where she wants to be, then fine!" and locked her in, so she could see her mum, but couldn't get to her!

We decided we couldn't leave her with such a distastful woman, and took her home, but she's always been really nervous of us leaving. We've crate trained her, which helps a bit, but she'll still bark the house down for 10-20 mins after we leave, and tramples poor Scourie in the process. :worried:

You could try DAP, but if doesn't work for every dog (including ours!).

Other things to try are a behaviourist (your vet might be able to suggest one), or making sure the pup's had a MASSIVE walk before you go out, so that they sleep.

Hope some of that is some help? :winkgrin:

Originally Posted by TipTop Photography

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has had a dog where they have suffered anxiety seperation (the dog not the owner ) when they leave the house?

My 18 month old terrier barks his little head of when we go out...and continues to do so for a good 10 mins after we leave the house (I know this as I have stood on the drive and listened to him)

We have tried lots of different things with no sucess... can anyone help?

If Iolair doesn't mind an addendum to the tale of our Cocker Spaniel - one other thing that seems to help her is if we don't make a big fuss about leaving her in the house. If we just give her a quick treat to chew and then go she settles far more quickly than if we give her loads of cuddles and hugs before going - I think it helps her if she realises that, as far as we're concerned, this leaving the house thing really isn't a big deal.

Best of luck Tip Top, let us know how you get on!

My mum's an animal behaviourist & here's her tips:

* Like Lilly said, don't make you leaving the house into a big deal

* Your instinct is to fuss over them when you return, but this suggests to them that you missed them, making it worse. Instead, you must ignore them & don't say a word for about 5 mins (this is so hard when they're excited & jumping all over you, but stick at it)

* Give them something to do when they're alone so they're not just waiting for you. Leave the radio on, give them a filled Kong to chew on.

* Take them for a walk sometime before you leave

* Practice leaving the house for short periods so they get used to you coming & going

Remember animals pick up on your anxiety & react to it. Try to stay relaxed when you leave the house & be patient. It will take a while, but it will be worth it.
Good luck!
x

Originally Posted by mydelilah

My mum's an animal behaviourist & here's her tips:

* Give them something to do when they're alone so they're not just waiting for you. Leave the radio on, give them a filled Kong to chew on.

we do leave the radio on and leave a filled kong etc..which he enjoys eventually but not whilst we are going out...

x

He goes out for 3 walks a day and has my other dog to keep him company but he just gets so upset when we leave.

Thanks for all the other tips including the DAP - i'll keep being patient with him.

I'm a trained animal behaviourist Deb, I'll have a chat with you when I next see you and I'll suggest a few things!
Suzie xx

We tried using DAP when our young male dogs were first getting a bit..er..randy... It definitely calmed them down a bit but the fact that they're in a big group (4 other dogs) meant that they could still be difficult...but I would say that it's definitely worth a try for one dog by itself.
You probably already know that the pheromone released is one produced by mother dogs to calm pups, and it was really funny when we first used DAP...within about five minutes of plugging the diffuser in the dogs all got loved up and curled up together

Originally Posted by Suzie Sequin

I'm a trained animal behaviourist Deb, I'll have a chat with you when I next see you and I'll suggest a few things!
Suzie xx

Thanks Suzie - maybe you can come stay and have a therapy session with Charlie :help: :genius:

Originally Posted by Rose Arcana

We tried using DAP when our young male dogs were first getting a bit..er..randy... It definitely calmed them down a bit but the fact that they're in a big group (4 other dogs) meant that they could still be difficult...but I would say that it's definitely worth a try for one dog by itself.
You probably already know that the pheromone released is one produced by mother dogs to calm pups, and it was really funny when we first used DAP...within about five minutes of plugging the diffuser in the dogs all got loved up and curled up together

Thanks, it may be worth a try x