Is my dog having separation anxiety?
I have a five year old male Dachshund and whenever I leave the house, he whimpers and cries and barks. He only does this with me, not the other members of my family. Is he having separation anxiety and is this normal. I have been at home with him for two of the five years we have had him and I am getting ready to go back to work. Will his behavior change for the worse because he is being left alone? Thanks.
Yes it's separation anxiety. He does it only with you cause to him your mom. It will get worse when you go to work, but it isn't too late to fix it. He could start regressing with potty training and getting destructive with the house. You should start out with the basket of toys idea and also get those little rubber kong toys and you can put little treats or smear peanut butter inside it. This gives them something to work on that they enjoy and it takes time to get to the goodys. Also practice leaving for short intervals, just a few minutes to start with, leaving the goodies and treats, rattle the keys gathaer your purse so he knows your going and then leave quietly and quickly return without making a lot of noise or a big fuss and then after about a minute acknowledge the dog. If you don't make a big deal he will learn it is not such a big deal too. Gradually increase the time out until he becomes more comfortable, he should look forward to his alone time with his treats and things. If he is not going for this then you may have to think about beginning crate training with him and crate him while you are gone, again leaving him with his goodies so he's not bored. The crate will make him feel safe even though his safety net, you, is gone. If the anxiety doesn't leave then you can speak to your vet about anxiety meds like clomicalm and prozac, which help relax and not panic when it's time for you to leave. Another possible solution is to get him a playmate to bond with since his bond with you is kind of being severed during the day now. Good luck, I've been in your situation before, I had 4 large dogs once and 2 had separation anxiety bad, luckily I worked nights at an animal hospital so I just took them to work with me and kenneled them there till I got off, but lots aren't that lucky so they have to get creative. I hope I helped.
Separation Anxiety in Dogs Part 1
