Pet Separation Anxiety

[anniesplace]

We just took in a new little girl who is 3 years old, and to my thinking, not treated the way she should have been, hence the reason she is with us. When we leave for the day, she is crated, but when we get home, the crying and whinning goes on for about 30 min. I have cleaned everything that came with her, and have given her new bedding, and a pair of my pjs that i have worn, so she doesn't feel too alone, any idea how long it might take for her to start to settle down? She also cries when anyone leaves the house, and it takes some time to get her to relax. Medicating her is a last resort, any ideas of what else might help her to adjust a little easier for her?

[BeagleMum]

Have you tried filling a kong the night before and freezing it? You can use soft food, kibble, biscuits, peanut butter, cheese whiz, whatever you can think of that she likes.

You can also leave a TV or radio on for her so that she doesn't feel so alone.

You should be working on shorter departures, coming and going, getting her used to being in the crate and not knowing if you are going to leave or not.

I have heard that you can do the 10 minute rule where you ignore them for 10 minutes before you leave and 10 minutes after you get home.

Never make a big deal of coming or going, no squeaky voices or anything that gets the dog excited. When I come home, I do not say a word to the dogs. They get let out of their kennels and I go to let them out back so they can do their business. I don't talk to them until they have completely calmed down.

It is always a good idea to walk or run your dog for 30-60 minutes before you leave. A tired dog is a calm dog.

I have a dog with Severe separation anxiety and I have had to turn to medication. I have done everything I can think of for the past 3 years and it is now at the point where he is hurting himself while we are gone. I video taped my dog and he was upset for 3 hours and 20 minutes after we left.

I say that if you can avoid the medication, then that's great. There are many things that you can try. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I am sure I have probably dealt with it if not at least read about it.

Thanks

BeagleMum

[Daveyo]

I am assuming you have to leave for work, hence you crating the dog. May I suggest you take the dog to someone who can watch your dog for the day and when you come home you pick her up. You might need to budget some money for dog sitting. She needs companionship and lots of it being a puppy. Hmmm, to crate the dog, you need to train it little by little. Not do the whole day all in one shot. To the dog it is a nightmare, like being in jail.

I have 12 dogs, with me, yea, and none of them like to be in a crate. They go nuts. Even when trained. They think I am punishing them. The only time I will put them in a crate is for traveling long distances and in that case I medicate them to get them sleepy in happy land.

Try other methods to comfort the dog. The crying for 30 minutes when it sees you tells you how much your pet misses you. Very obvious.