Oh that is such good news, you really seem to be getting somewhere with Lana and I am sure that if you keep going out and building on this success you will win through.

I am so pleased for you, because this is such a major problem and to have a day when things have gone well makes one feel so much happier I find.

Jimmi came out in the car again today, in his cage, and absolutely loved it.........was as good as gold and very calm. His Bach remedy still has not arrived, but the minute it does then I will start on leaving him in his cage in the house for a short while. This of course is a completely different matter to the car, where he realises that he is out WITH us, even though we leave him.

I think it will be a case of one step forward 2 steps back

I left her today for 45 mins, she was barking as I opened the door to the flats and somehow sounded as though she had been barking for a while. No noise while I came upstairs and opened the front door, she was more excited to see me than yesterday and I felt she was a little distressed but maybe just overexcited to see me.

She had chewed up a carrier bag holding my paper rubbish, which in itself wasn't a problem but I felt she was calmer yesterday. Will try and talk to my downstairs neighbour tomorrow and see if Lana was barking a lot while I was out.

I'm waiting eagerly to see how the Bachs remedy works on Jimmi. I did buy some for Lana when I first got her but it was from a local shop and I think it was stuff to help calm a dog when having moved house. I didn't think it helped but maybe I didn't use it often enough or wasn't the right stuff.

That's great news about Jimmi being happy in the crate in the car but as you say he's out with you and not being left behind. Hopefully you can leave him in the crate in the house and he'll be happy.

I've given up on the crate, think I'm going to fold it up and put it away as Lana doesn't go in it. Maybe it's too big for her and I should have stuck to the smaller one, also as I said previously I think she would be worse in the crate as she doesn't appear to like being shut in anywhere.

It's not straightforward is it . Still, we can just plod on and hope for gradual improvements.

The Bach delivery has still yet to materialise, but I am hopeful that it might come tomorrow. I ordered something that is specifically for separation anxiety, not just the general rescue remedy and when it arrives I will start straight away by shutting him in his crate and leaving the house; I will of course linger around the corner Don't worry Cintvelt, the minute I have something to report I will be on here like a shot.

It is so maddening about Lana, when she was so much better the previous time that you left her. This does unfortunately seem to be par for the course doesn't it with our anxious dogs. I think that you are right to abandon the cage idea if she doesn't like being inside it, because that presumably would just wind her up even more and would be counter-productive.

oooh, you really are getting to know me Bitkin!!!!

As for the whole crate thing.... I was wondering if you may have enough contact with at least one of your neighbors so that they can help you find a solution? The reason I'm asking is that when we first got Tess, she was fine in the crate (she was only 8 weeks)... but at around 16 weeks our neighbor came around to tell us that when I left the house, she would cry and bark all the time until she heard my car return ( and all that time I thought she was fine in the crate )

To cut a very long story short we agreed that I would experiment with all kinds of settings in which I left her (crate yes/no, music? and which music?, curtains to the back/front closed/open? Kong/marrowbone/other treat/nothing? etc etc),, and they would sms me when she was crying/barking (needless to say I would high-tail it back home straight after an sms ).... this helped me loads in finding out when she was ok, and when she was not...... eventually I came to the mix of no crate, Beethoven on, curtains to the back closed and a long marrowbone.... ... I kept this up for a week, and then started "forgetting" one thing at a time.... and now (she's just turned 9 months, but she's been fine for about 3 months) I can simply leave with a simple "go to sleep".... no more seperation anxiety Maybe this could work for you if you have nice neighbors?????

One thing I would like to add.... please be carefull with demolished carrier bags..... my cousins dog died due to blockages caused by a demolished carrier bag...

good luck, and I hope my story helps

I left Lana again for 30 minutes today. She gave a bark as I came down the lane, I waited outside and she gave another bark so I shouted her name up at the window and told her to be quiet Took me ages to find my window, I was looking on the wrong floor. She seemed fine when I came in. I didn't make a great fuss of her. Just realised I didn't leave music on for her today.

If the bachs remedy works for Jimmi I might get some. What if you put it in his water and he doesn't take a drink, this is what I would worry about and do you only put a little water in the bowl so they get the right dose of the remedy? That's possibly how mine had no effect when I got it because I didn't know how to make sure Lana drunk it.

Cintvelt what a great neighbour to have and what a help she was to you. Mine are all out at work all day except for an elderly woman downstairs. I don't think she has a mobile phone She did say Lana doesn't bark constantly only gives a bark now and again. She's a very loud barker

I might go out some days and stay in the lane to listen. I don't think I would get away with hanging about inside, she would know I hadn't gone right down the stairs and out the building.

Thanks for the tip re the carrier bags. Lana doesn't appear to eat any I think she rips them with her claws but I will make sure there are none lying about where she can get them. She hadn't done anything today although I think she had run at the door because the rug was bunched up behind it.

I'll start taking notes of what if any music, toys to play with and things and see if I too can discover a way to leave her so she's calm and happy.

Only popped in here to see how things are going with Jimmi and Lana, and just pleased to see you're still doing your best, and what more can you do quite honestly? I always leave the tv on for my dogs, whether they're alone or together, coz of course, it's talking, not music, and I kind of think that could be a better way to go, so if you have a tv in the same room as the crate, or if they're not in their crates, in a room where they would probably settle and wait for your much longed for return by the sounds of them!

We had to leave our youngster in a completely new home last Saturday, a caravan toboot, and I was soooo worried, even though she had Georgie, it just went through my head that she'd think we had abandoned her. I have never minded leaving her at home, because of course, she knows home, and she already knows we're coming back, but a strange place which they'd only been in for an hour was quite traumatic for me, so I know how you're both feeling now!

Anyhoo, as soon as I locked the doors, I heard her careering from one end of the caravan to the other, but no barking or crying, I'd even go so far as to say I saw the van "rock"!!!! We just walked away and drove off, and she would have seen us drive off coz I'm sure she would have been watching out of the front window where the car was parked in front of the van. I felt really awful, but when we returned, all was well, she went ballistic of course, so we took them straight out for a lovely long walk, and that was reward enough in itself I think. Maybe you could do that perhaps? The very next day, after they had both slept in the tiny doorway to our bedroom instead of in their beds (well, they weren't gonna let us escape and leave them again were they!!! ), we had an appointment, and I knew they would be left for well over an hour That hour turned out to be 2 1/2 hours (Oh I'm soooooo cruel!) but again, all was fine, except for the hyperactivity that went on as we left and locked the doors, and again we took them both straight out for a nice long walk. I'd call that biting the bullet, but unlike you two, I know mine is fine being left at home, and although I didn't particularly like doing what I did, we did it anyway. If anything HAD happened of course, then I would never have forgiven myself and I think sometimes, you just have to get on and "do" what you intend to do and think nothing of it....... if you're brave of course, very brave, and not overmotherly like we seem to be with our babies!

The Bach Flower Remedy, can't they sniff it? I used to do that with my horse, I held the bottle up to one of his nostrels and he had no choice! I don't think you HAVE to put it in the water do you, I think having a good sniff of it will do the same trick, so good luck to both of you with the Bach's. I wasn't aware they did special ones, I always thought one was for all, the Rescue Remedy one? Good luck then, I'll keep popping back in to see how it's all going and I'm hoping to hear some really good news very soon!

Oh there is so much wonderful advice to store from this thread.

Cintvelt, unfortunately our next neighbour is too far away and when I apologised to her for Jimmi barking when we were out she said that she couldn't hear a thing - not much help from that quarter then That was a brilliant strategy though, and it clearly worked really well for you, and perhaps I can modify it by just lurking up the road and doing all the research personally As for the plastic bags, I never leave anything within reach of Jimmi - because I am a little paranoid about swallowed nasties.

lcutedog, as soon as these wretched drops arrive I will hopefully also have instructions on how best to administer them.
At least you are able to go out for 30 minutes, and can hopefully build on that with no regression, but it will be a long time before you can trust Lana I suppose, and it is always such a stressful thing opening that door on return!!

Helena, I have a wonderful image of that caravan rocking forwards backwards and sideways Still, yours were not destructive and deserve huge stars. Actually, on previous times when we have left Jimmi it turned out that it was normal walk time on our return so he did almost immediately go out for a lovely hour or so - after clearing up the wreckage of course!! He sleeps in the cage nearly every night now, and in cooler moments he goes for a ride inside it in the car, which he absolutely loves and I hope that it is all going to stand in good stead in the future.

The Bach drops are advertised as being specifically for separation anxiety........but now you have put a small doubt in my mind Were they merely putting lots of different links to the general Rescue Remedy?? Oh whatever, I do wish they would come and then I can put them to the test!! If it is just the normal rescue remedy then I can get hold of that a great deal more quickly than sending away for it, by pointing husband in the direction of the nearest big town and telling him to go seek. Mind you, perhaps I had better go myself on second thoughts - there is no telling what he would come back with!

Right - I will metaphorically roll up my sleeves; tomorrow, drops or no drops, he is going to be left in his cage whilst I go out round the corner for three minutes.

Well, the drops arrived this morning and are labelled "Separation Anxiety", so whether that is just the Rescue Remedy under a different name I don't know.

So - I plopped four drops in Jimmi's water, and then some time later gave him four drops on a fish treat ten minutes prior to shutting him in his cage and going outside, shutting the door behind me.

I waited for a few minutes and all was quiet, but when I stealthily tried to peep through the window to see what he was doing, there were two beady eyes staring back at me The game was up, so I went back in and he was ecstatic when I let him out. Leaping around in high excitement as if I had been gone for hours not minutes; I ignored him for a while and he calmed down. Later in the day I did the same thing again, just for a few minutes, and this time he was not quite so excited on being let out.

Now, I don't know whether it was because it was so muggy and hot today, or as a result of the drops, but Jimmi slept for most of the day!!

The instructions say that they can be put in water; on food, or on the tongue - and can be repeated as often as necessary throughout the day (although how you are supposed to repeat them once you have gone out I don't know!).

I have kept thinking about what Helena said about being very brave and just getting on with going out.....I asked myself what was the worst that could happen if we went out and left Jimmi in his crate without further acclimatisation to being shut in. Whilst the kitchen would be safe from destruction, would he hurt himself? That is perhaps my biggest fear, and if he weed and pooped in there through stress (as he has been doing when left in the kitchen) it would be awful for him and he may never go in the crate again. I will stick to slow and sure and hope for the best.

Helena that must have been awful having to leave your youngster in a strange place. So glad everything was fine with her.

Bitkin glad your drops finally arrived The rescue remedy I have is Walnut, woman in the shop told me it was good for dogs who have gone to a new home. Mine just says to put them in water which isn't much good if the dog doesn't then drink the water I might just treat Lana to the seperation anxiety one.

Don't ya know you can't do anything stealthily with a dog, they know you are there. I'm laughing at his beady eyes staring back at you.

I think you're right to take to slowly, you don't want to rush and put Jimmi off his crate.

I left Lana for 30 minutes yesterday. She seemed fine when I came back, highly delighted to see me but nothing torn or damaged. The mistake I made was shutting in her in the livingroom instead of giving her access to the whole place that one time which is why I've taken the crate away as I don't think it would work with her.

I went out to the bin today and also brought in my washing and left her in the house and she didn't bark. She saw me with the bin bag plus I went out in my slippers and didn't put outdoor shoes or jacket on which I think makes a difference to her. As I live on my own I'll keep going out 30-45 minutes each day Mon -Frid while everyone is out at work, try and go at the same time each day so hopefully it will become routine for her and can then maybe build on that.

She doesn't bark constantly just usually one bark and then quiet for a while and then gives another, according to my downstairs neighbour. It's a pity Lana has such a loud bark

Lol at you two, especially those beady eyes!!! I know all about that one, and that is exactly WHY I never looked back when I walked away from that van, even when hearing all that careering around (the 2nd time was worse than the first!) I just got in the car and we went (I have to admit I was trembling a bit though but Dave didn't notice, he kept quiet ).

Hi Bitkin, I really don't know about that Rescue Remedy and whether there are various forms of it, all I know is, you can get it in most good chemists, or the homeopathy dept at Boots of course, but they only do the one, same bottle, which says "Rescue Remedy" on it, so whether some companies have honed in on flogging it off for different situations you just don't know do you, but I'm amazed at the results you're getting from it, but it did work for my horse too, although never used it on dogs, never had any reason, but now I might!

Yes Bitkin, when you say about what's the worst that can happen, unless you've got a real chewer on your hands, who could be interested in any wiring, then not a lot really, they can't die from being left home alone can they! Lol! That reminds me of my overmothering with my horse, when I used to just "pop" up there every other hour, to either put his rug on, take it off, bring him in, put him out and they used to say to me "Helen, he's not going to die if he gets a bit wet and cold"!!! I was a lot worse with him than the dogs quite honestly

Another little tip, is put something of yours, maybe a slipper if they favour slippers (Zena always has to take one of my slippers to greet me, it's just the way it is here, and when she's finished mauling me and kissing me, she hands it back!). That way, it's got your smell on it, and they somehow know that you will be coming back I'm sure of it!

Talking about slippers 1cutedog, when you say she seems a lot better when you're nipping in and out in your slippers, then can't you leave a pair of going out shoes on the outside of the house, so that you actually leave the house for a, dare I say it, shopping trip IN your slippers, and put your going out shoes on away from that front door, and definitely NO peeping in the windows, coz that just sets them off again, especially barking, coz even Zena will do that if I dare peer through the window just to check she's not choking on the fish stick I gave her before my departure! That's another thing, always give them a nice little treat just before you leave and always, always, use the same sentence when you GO out! Mine is "mummy's going out now, go and settle" and from almost day one, I found that constantly using that very same statement each time I left the house for 10 mins. 2 hours, I found she knew what I meant, and would instantly go and lie down under the kitchen table. I'm lucky of course, I have a 2nd dog which helps tremendously, so there's no taking it away from you what a hard job you really do have. I'm probably going to have something similar when old Georgieboy has left us but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, and after all the fantastic help in this thread, it should be a piece of cake!

Keep up the good work, good luck, and please keep us informed