Separationg anxiety....actually getting worse

Beebee was a bit of a nightmare to leave in our old house (her first home) but she eventually got used to it with small breaks and the help of 'serene-um' to calm her a bit. We used to be able to leave her for up to about 2/2 and a half hours and she would just sleep, wake up when we got back, go to the toilet and then sleep again.
We moved house recently and we aren't sure whether it's not 'home' yet or whether she is just the worst behaved dog in the world (not really but it's so frustrating). She has gone completely backwards on the seperation anxiety. She barks and howls non stop and we can't leave her at all, within 10 minutes of me leaving the house today and my housemate coming back she had peed twice and messed in the house. She never used to mess in the house, just the occasional wet in the kitchen. Now it is EVERY time we go out and the carpets have been cleaned about 5 times in the 2 months we've lived here....!

She is only left after her morning walk and being fed so that she is comfortable and tired after playing lots! so we have no idea what else we can do, our neighbours are beginning to complain really badly and I was actually called away from work tonight because she was that bad....even though she was quiet when I get home...typical!

Please help I have no idea what else to do, we have done everything that we did last time to settle her

I guess the place is unfamiliar to her so she'll be less relaxed at being alone just now.

If when you leave the house you always leave (for example) for 2 hours she knows that your not coming back for 2 hours so she will get miffed straight away.

This was some great advice I was given........

1 - Do everything you normally do before you go out - put your shoes on, grab your bag, rattle the car keys - everything she associates with a longer seperation.....but instead of going away for a couple of hours come back after 5 mins. She may have started to show the signs of separation anxiety but all of a sudden you will be home. Do this a few times each day.

2 - Carry on as above but vary the time. This is the key part. Once she has no idea how long you will be out for - she will always think that you 'could' be home at any moment - even if you're not.

3 - Try some longer stints but if it's not working go back to number 1

It worked wonders for us - good luck !

thanks but thats what we've already been doing, 2 hours is the very longest she's left on her own, and we try to avoid doing that, if not only because of the noise

the SA thread above yours has some really good advice

SA is an awful thing. We had it with a dog and it was severe, meaning the dog would urinate and defacate when we were out.

One thing I would suggest is make a couple of Kongs up. Fill them with treats or Peanut Butter. This gives the dog an outlet and something to do.
People often confuse SA with boredom and frustration.
Make sure you exercise the dog before you leave AND give the dog 30 mins downtime at home with you before you leave.
Cool quiete exits. Warm, controlled entrances.

If you still have probs and you are sure it is Seperation Anxiety, call a good positive and up-to-date behaviorist (pref one with a degree). Don't let anyone tell you it's a 'pack' issue or it has anything to do with 'domination'!

Is she crated at all? you may find that being in a confined space relaxes her more. Being loose and darting around will probably only increase her anxiety. You could put a thick duvet cover over the crate to muffle any barking, leave some old clothes with your scent on in with her, leave the TV/radio on for background noise and purchase a D.A.P. collar or diffuser. On top of what you are doing now (walking her before hand, giving her something to chew on, etc.), of course.

Oh god we get that all the time....'well you should have got two beagles really, they are pack dogs'.

We did try with the crate but when she was left she just chewed the plastic bit underneath up and we were worried she was eating it so stopped leaving her in there. She goes into the crate willingly enough but when we close the door she whines and moans so I'm not sure if that's gonna help if we leave her in there again, and leave her there while we are out, does that make sense??

This situation does sound like severe SA.

This is something you need to sort with a proffesional.
Seriously. I've been exactly in your situation and it ended badly. We tried crating and everything. Our dog tore up quilts in the crate and even bent the crate. This was after a softly/gentle introduction to it.

Get a Behaviourist in to help. BUT get one with a degree in animal behaviour as there are a lot of dodgy ones out there (i.e 'listeners' 'whisperers' and 'councellers').

I think that is your only hope at the moment.

This is a common misconception. The dog either has separation anxiety or it doesn't, period.

TRUE separation anxiety is when dogs defacte, urinate, bark, self mutilate all at the same time. Which definitely might be Dani_ella's case. When you leave a dog alone and all it does is whine or howl...then thats just a lack of confidence not true Separation Anxiety.

Thing is True SA is mostly medical and very little behavioral. Get your dog fully checked by a vet and see if there are no imbalances, if there are (such as with the thyriod) then they could be corrected by medication and a bit of behavioral modification.

Go to a vet first, and a behaviorist next. Not the other way around, or else your trainer wont be able to do anything.

I agree with Tango that you shouldn't believe the whole "dominance" thing, bullying your dog will only make it worse.

Just in case there is nothing medically wrong with your dog try the following:

"Exercise One: Teaching your dog that being alone is perfectly fine will help in cases where you are forced to leave your pooch alone for some period of time. Start by placing your dog in an empty room, give him a Kong (or a toy if your dog isn’t food motivated) and close the door. The Kong (or other reinforcer) helps reward the pooch for being alone without requiring your intervention. Leave the pooch alone for a few seconds at first. If all is quiet open the door and discretely praise him/her. Making too much fuss will cause the dog to get excited, lose their focus, and possibly cause him/her to whine the next time they are left alone. In the case that your pooch whines and barks continually after you’ve closed the door, wait for a period where the whining/barking is at its lowest, open the door, ignore the pooch and try again later. However, if you are doing well and your dog isn’t whining, gradually increase the amount of time he/she is left alone. After some time a dog should have no problem with being left alone.

Exercise Two: If your pooch loves going on walks then this might be a good method for you. This exercise not only teaches a less confident dog that it can do things without you but it also teaches the dog that he/she can safely be around strangers, it is gear to help those dogs that have an extreme attachment to one person in specific. That being said, the best way to go about this is to invite a person your dog doesn’t know. All three of your go on a walk, and after a couple minutes release the lead to the other person. Slowly distance yourself from the two and if your dog doesn’t react negatively keep increasing the distance. If for any reason your dog becomes uneasy, get a little closer up until your pooch no longer seem stressed and continue on. When your dog is focused with something else increase the distance a little more so that your dog doesn’t even notice. Slowly and steadily you will be able to increase this gap without distressing your pooch. During this time occasionally allow the stranger to give the pooch a tidbit. All this should be done at the pace and comfort level of your individual dog. Having other family members of the family might be beneficially as well. It allows the dog to be comfortable with everyone in the family and not just one.

A good way to boost your dog’s confidence is to play tug o war and allow him/her to win a couple times provided that in the end you take charge of the situation. Mental stimulation can come a long way in these cases and play time such as this can alleviate the problem to an extent. Activities such as agility are a good way to accomplish this mental stimulation, not only this but it also allows your dog to experience new situations and meet new people and dogs.

To avoid the problems associated with these panic attacks try a couple different solutions, being that every dog is different one may work well and others may be ineffective:

Crate Training: A dog is a den animal and will tend to feel safer when it has a place of his/her own that they can retreat to for safety. There is the benefit of having your dog feel safe and also the advantage of keeping them contained so that there isn’t any accidents (destructions or potty) around the house.

Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP): There are certain plug-ins that will release pheromones into the air that calm some dogs down when they are panicking. These imitate pheromones released by whelping dogs to help soothe the pups down. Giving it a try is worth it to see if they have a calming effect on your particular pooch.

Large Meal & Walk: If at all possible, try taking your dog our for a quick run to tire them out before you leave. Then, about an hour later, give them a large portion of their daily meal (Avoid feeding immediately after running, especially in deep chested breeds, as this may result in bloat). The combination of feeling full as well as being tired from the walk will usually induce sleep, this way your pooch is sleeping for the majority of the period while you are gone.

Radio & TV: Some say that leaving the radio or tv gone while you are gone may help some dogs cope with the stress of being left alone. This may or may not work depending on the dog."

Here is a good link to desensitizing your dog to your departure and arrival, its hard to follow the advice but it is for your dog's wellbeing: Ryan, Kelly. The Serene Homecoming.< http://www.4pawsu.com/Serene.htm >

Some good tips.

I made the distinction between Separation Anxiety and Severe Separation Anxiety as I have had dogs with both. One was howling, and barking all day when alone. That was curable with the tips like you have posted.

The dog that was urinating. defecating and destructive was not curable by the above. Or medication. And in hindsight I wish i had approached a qualified Behaviorist.

And yes, eliminate any medical issues fist. Always a must! Good point.

Tc