Anti anxiety aid for dog with separation Anxiety

My nearly 11month old pup has separation anxiety. I rehomed him at 6 months old from a home where he lived with his sister so always had company. We were told he was a staffy x jrt but he looks very dobermanish. Now he is crate trained and goes in his crate when we go out but cries, howls and barks when left. Now i know treating SA is a long process and i have a plan of action (slowly getting him used to being alone, only being fussed when calm etc) but i was wondering if there are any aids such that are recommended for easing the anxiety. When i return home he is always in a state and whiny and frantic (he is ignored so us coming home doesnt seem wonderful making the problem worse)
Im unaware how much he barks while left alone , he is left with a bone or his kong but he has been barking as we leave the last two times and a neighbour said they heard him barking.

Ive looked into zyklene, serene um, valerian and skullcap, thundershirts but i'm really not sure what is any good

They can all have value but first of all you need to identify if he DOES have SA, the severity and the ACTUAL behaviours, frequency and duration of the behaviours mentioned.

agree with SB... also..all dogs have to be taught how to be alone,some take to it better than others but u cant just leave a dog and expect it to be fine without teaching it and labelling it s,a...the other thing is he is a young male,he could be going through a 'fear stage' and be feeling an extra bit insecure atm.

In answer to your questiions

How do you know he has SA?
He never wants to leave my side...whines if i shut him out of the loo, i shut him out to have a bath and he ripped the carpet up. He cries and gets upset when left. Also if one of us leaves he cries and paces even if the other is still home, as i am home he is left uncrated in this instance

How does he behave when he is in the crate when you are there?
He is happy to be in his crate when I am there, i have put him in it upstairs and been downstairs and he will cry after a while

When you let him out of the crate do you allow him to follow you everywhere?
when he is let out he gets no eye contact, or touching or speaking. He does follow me and I'm trying to knock this on the head, i need more stairs gates.

How long is the dog left?
it varies
What do you do prior to leaving him?
he is put in his crate with a bone, we have no real leaving routine other than that , that i have noticed.

Can you put a cam corder on or a tape recorder to identify the start and duration and type of barking that occurs?
I dont have a camcorder sadly, i may have an ancient tape player still somewhere , whether it works i dont know.

Do you leave your dog with anything when you go, ie stuffed kong, buster cube, tug a jug etc.
He is left with a bone to chew , he does chew them while we are out

the GOOD news is that he is using them whilst out, severe SA means he would not touch them.


I will post some links

http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/separationanxiety.pdf

http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/te...yhomealone.pdf

then he really cannot be left at all yet, he needs to learn how to be left whilst you are THERE if that makes sense.

yes that makes sense

So do you let him out when he is silent or whining.

when he is quiet

When he is left it is normally 2 hours max, theres been a couple of times it was slightly longer

Will have a peruse of the links when you post them, thank you

EDIT you have , will look now , thanks again

You can put a dog in a calmer frame of mind, have you spoken to your vet about a DAP diffuser?

Scullcap and valerian can be useful, as can Nupafeed Stressless; the latter has magnesium and is used as a calmer in dogs, horses and people.

regards

Hi,

You may like to try reading this book, it's by Nicole Wilde "Don't Leave me"

Also you may want to consider a reputable behaviourist to help you Often people call them in as a last resort, when the problem has sometimes escalated - yet it can be helped more easily the sooner it is spotted and worked on.

As a very last resort, some vets will put a dog on medication which will give a "window of opportunity" to help the dog be open to learning, but it is really a last resort and only for dogs who are very very seriously distressed. It should also really only be done withthe view to getting the dog off the med. so needs a "behaviour modification programme" too.

Wys
x

We have had Molly for 10 years, she's fine.. She will curl up on the settee or the bottom of the bed until we come home from work,,,,,,,,

Mindy is another question.......... She will annoy Molly (just wants to play), but we do have to separate them. Little Molly just shouldn't have to put up with it!!!

I do separate them... Didn't think I would have have to.. But I do

Deb x