I have tried everything under the sun to help my female dog with separation anxiety. We moved over 4 months ago to a new house. She was marking her territory everywhere. She has it confined to the master bedroom. We tried calm tablets, thundershirt, talking to her, paying more attention to her. Walking her umpteen times a day. Nothing. When we are getting ready to go to bed. X marks the spot. Literally, marks the spot. Today was the worst. My husband is really her owner. She ADORES him. She follows him everywhere when he is home. Lays at his feet when he is watching TV, etc. He had the weekend and yesterday off from work. She had a number 2 accident and the x mark spot.I do not work because of a work related injury. So she is with me during the day until I go out. The only alternative I have is to crate her. I have had her examined by her vet. Talked to a dog trainer and all say it's separation anxiety. She is very healthy. She is a rescue dog. I know that she was severely abused before we got her according to the shelter. She was found inside a dumpster as a puppy. She was very thin and frail. She's quite the opposite now. She is at a healthy weight and loved intensely.What other methods can I try? I'm at a loss what to do. Dog behaviorists are expensive. Thanks.
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I also have a rescue with separation anxiety. It is pretty common. Your dog has almost over-bonded to your husband (mine, too) and that is difficult to deal with. If you can crate her, then do that in order to keep your home from getting trashed. Make sure you feed her at regular intervals.We use the black kong toy, stuffed with peanut butter to help keep our dog busy. There are other toys that dispense treats, and he has a couple of those, as well. We don't make a big deal over leaving the house nor coming home. We ignore him before leaving. We also ignore him when we first get home. He knows he will get his treats (frozen kongs) when we leave, and he has developed his own routine.Dr. Sohpia Yin is a behaviorist/vet with a website and blog. She also is on facebook. I have used lots of her ideas, and they work. She has a booklet about teaching your dog to be patient and wait for everything. You start by making the dog "sit" before he gets anything, including petting. She has a machine that dispenses treats. You'll see it on her site. If it weren't $150 I'd have already had one. But if a dog is being destructive, it could save money in the long run.Look up www.drsophiayin.comConsider using medication to help with this. Her site recommends two. Our vets use amitriptyline and Prozac, and our dog is currently on Prozac. It helps, but would be better with behavior modification. Never punish your dog for anything he does when he's anxious. That makes it worse.Other Answers:
- The best you can do is reassure her, remain calm. It's difficult to reassure a dog without feeding into it's fears. My GSD is terrified of thunder. She's almost 9 and that has never changed.She feels the master bedroom is safe so when a storm is approaching I turn on the bedroom AC (and the central AC) and she goes in there and feels safer.You sound like a concerned, smart pet owner - lucky dog!
