serious seperation anxiety
 my girlfriend kacee, rescued a cute little mutt named Jackson...he is super sweet and docile..the vet thinks that he is between 3-5 yrs old.the problem lies when she leaves him alone. she crates him, but he howls, cries and whines..she has tried to leave for minutes at a time to reinforce that the crate is good...to no avail.... Jackson has learned to get out of his crate...smart little bugger ...and has scratched her front door to hell, pulled off the door stop and somehow managed to get on the kitchen counter breaking a wine glass.... is there ANYTHING that she can do??? she is going to take him to doggie daycare this week but she needs help. serious help..and i dont have any answers.... thanks |
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| A lot of rescue/shelter dogs have varying degrees of seperation anxiety, mine included. Maybe it's the upheaval that causes it - some never feel 100% secure again, others improve over time even without intervention. At one point my vet tried meds, I forget what, but it had no effect on my rescue. There are some anti-anxiety drugs that do work with some dogs, though, so it may be worth exploring. There are behavioral modification approaches and they can work but aren't always practical for those of us who have lives. Mine has bent, but not yet destroyed, two crates, and has broken out in the past. I've simply secured them so she can't actually get out (trial and error may be necessary), not that she ever gives up trying. She broke a kitchen window trying to get to me outside, so I have to be careful even if I'm home. I also had to crate her away from my other dogs - in the same room, but not next to anyone I'm still crating - as she must be so annoying during the day that even my most laid back dogs want to kill her once I let her out. I do think having canine company helps. Maybe even feline company. At least for the SA dogs, if not the other animals who have to endure living with them. It's a tough one, but usually managable. It may take time to get to that level though. Kristine |
| she also has a cat, maddie....maddie wants nothing to do with jackson and jackson doesnt seem very interested in her either.... im trying to teach her how to be alpha....it's just sad because last night, she said she may have to give the dog back to rescue...and as much as i adore kacee, this just made my stomach drop.. perfection doesnt come overnight...panda was years in the making  ...and starting out with a dog that you dont know the first 3 yrs, it's even harder..i just wish she had thought this through BEFORE rescuing him....sigh |
| Recommended reading to prevent or remedy separation anxiety: I'LL BE HOME SOON by Patricia McConnell The idea is to make leaving a good thing and coming back a non-event. 1. Tether the dog. Tie the lead to a door knob, slam it in a door, tie it to a concrete block, whatever you have available will do, but do not have another person hold it. 2. Say “I’ll be back soon” (or whatever you want to say, just be consistent), toss a few treats on the ground for the dog, cue the dog with “find it” or whatever cue you use to allow the dog to eat off the floor and take one step backwards and immediately return. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Always make your return a non-event, do not get the dog excited. A calm greeting and gentle pet are enough. 3. There are 3 criteria: Distance, Duration and Visibility. Slowly increase the first two, taking more steps away and staying away for a longer and longer period of time. Always remember to back down a little bit on the other criteria when you increase one. For example, if you are taking 10 steps away and staying 10 steps away for 10 seconds, then take 15 steps away and stay out there for 5 seconds. You can build up the “decreased” criteria very quickly afterwards. 4. Start slowly, foot by foot, second by second. As you get further away for longer periods of time, you can take bigger steps, but always back up the process if your dog gets nervous. Set your dog up for success. 5. When you think your dog is ready, then go around a corner or behind something. The first few times you do this, return immediately. Slowly build up the time you are staying out of sight. The CGC test requires your dog to be without you for 10 minutes, so that’s a goal you can work towards. 6. After you get up to about 20 feet and one minute, start to vary the distance and time. Be random. You do not want your dog to learn that you go 20’ away for 20 seconds. That includes ‘disappearing’ too – do not always disappear, do it a lot when your dog is ready, but don’t always do it. 7. Throughout the process, keep tossing a wad of treats for the dog. When you have achieved your goal of disappearing for 10 minutes, then toss fewer treats and gradually toss treats 9 out of 10 times (always randomly), then 8 out of 10 times, etc. until you are only tossing treats once in a while. |
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