Separation anxiety

My research on aggression with Roo states for you to put your shoes on / crate her 15 min prior to ever leaving the house and then when you come home, ignore her for 15 min. This makes your coming / going non-eventful. Don't make a huge event out of leaving - just go quietly and calmly. Leaving the radio or TV on might help too for noises. There are also prescriptions if your Vet agrees with you... Dr. Cindy Baker in Bargersville works with herbal & accupuncture techniques.

I can't crate Sammy any longer. That is how she herniated her neck disk. So we leave her out in the house. She does usually poop in the house (seems to be a stress reaction with her, she does it at the vet too). I try to not make a big deal out of leaving, but she makes that difficult. Thanks for your thoughts.

Have you thought about going the alternative therapy route like Ojo suggested? If Bargersville is too far away, I know BRAC just opened up a "wellness center" at kessler blvd and college. Alternatively, could you put up a baby gate in a smaller space (say the kitchen or bathroom) and then try Ojo's techniques with her 'crated' in the smaller room?

We gated up the kitchen and tried that first. She somehow was able to get through that gate and then got our gate down on the stairs and went up/down the stairs. This is when we decided to leave her out in the house because she's a little houdini!

I know it's costly but we have quite a few clients that suffer from severe sa and come to daycare. It helps out a lot with all of them. Three of the dogs have used to have bad freak outs and trash the place and hurt themselves. Things like breaking teeth by throwing themselves against doors. But with daycare as part of their routine they are a lot less stressed. Two of those dogs have actually stopped stressing and having panic attacks.

Our vet told me not to make a deal out of leaving. I know it is difficult because I used to hug and kiss all 3 dogs before I left. Now I just walk out the door. It feels weird not to say bye but it seems to be for their good.

I think I'd be ok with daycare if I worked Mon-Fri. My husband and I work opposite schedules, so when she's left alone, it's never more than 4 hours or so. Usually when we run to the store or go do something as a family. It's nothing routine.

How about trying a really long walk before you go somewhere? Or playing in the yard? Something to wear her out so she's not so anxious. I have had great luck using Pet Eeze(from Petsmart) with dogs that were anxious about storms, fireworks, etc. It's all natural, about $8, and just takes the edge off. Doesn't knock them out or anything but I think it's like they've smoked a little weed if you know what I mean. It's all good with those pills. I would try tiring her out first since a tired dog is a good dog. I agree about not making a big deal when you leave-just have a routine. When I say "go to bed", ours head into the bedroom to their crates because they know they will get treats. I wouldn't go into a cage for a few biscuits but they do it willingly. Have you tried leaving her with a Buster cube, a Kong filled with frozen peanut butter or something like that to keep her occupied? If she's trying to lick peanut butter, she can't be stressing herself out.

Monica, I bought the Pet Eze, but the first time I gave it to her, she shook so bad afterwards (like something hurt) that I was afraid it upset her tummy so I haven't tried it again. I do leave her with a toy that has a treat in it that she can lick/chew on. She doesn't touch it, until we come home.

I will try tiring her out before we leave (not always easy with a toddler). She was always awesome about going in the crate when we left home. All I'd have to say is want a treat? She'd run to her cage and wait. But now that she's alone, she just panics. Thanks for all the thoughts everyone!

Wow, I don't envy your situation. All of these are good ideas and if they are not working for your dog, maybe you need to hire a professional to come to your house. I may have to do that for Abby because she has weird anxiety problems when we go on walks. She starts howling and yapping like I am beating her when she sees another dog on a leash. It's some kind of insecure dominance. Everything I try never seems to work. I am going to work with her a little longer and if I can't get any where I am going to have to call in a pro because our walks are stressful and never fun.