Separation Anxiety

[Linda Downey]

we have had sooty for nearly 1year now and he is so well behaved he never causes any trouble..my boyfriend has been out of work since we got sooty so he has spent every day with him for the last year...
my boyfriend went back to work last week and im also working during the day so sooty is alone.

we had a letter in our post today from our next door neighbour saying that our dog was barking non stop all day and that she was very worried about him! what should we do... we had him left outside all day for the last week but were thinking of leaving him in the house but im sure he will bark all day in the house when were not there?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

If I had to guess I'd say the abrupt change in Sooty's routine has caused considerable stress which is manifesting in the barking. He was so used to being with someone all the time that he has not really learned how to be alone. Now all of a sudden his whole world has changed, and he doesn't understand. I'm not sure if you got Sooty used to being outside alone a little at a time. If not, I think that you'll need to do that if he will be outside while you're at work. I think the same thing could be true of leaving him inside. You'll need to get him used to that as well. Perhaps you could leave him in a contained area of the house with a kong and his bed and leave for just a half day. If someone could come home at that point to take him out and play for a while, he'd start to get the idea that you'll be back and that everything is fine. He needs to learn that being alone is not "the end of the world", but I think that's going to take a little time because it's such a complete change for him. Good luck and please keep us posted on how things go.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I agree with Jane that the barking is a sign of stress in Sooty. Too many changes too fast for him to adjust.

We did something similar to Jane's suggestion when Tara was small. We started by leaving her for just a few minutes inside while we were outside. Then we increased it to our leaving in the car so she could hear it starting and leaving but we would just drive around the block then come back to her. Now we are able to stay away for hours with her home alone without it causing her any stress.

If he is not accustomed to staying outside alone all day he might do better alone inside as it would be familiar to him. But go about it slowly as some dogs with anxiety can do some serious damage to a house when left alone!

[Camilla and Darwin]

Perhaps in addition to the things suggested you could take him to doggy daycare once or twice a week? just so he gets some energy out and has company. Or you could hire somebody to come walk him...

[Kyoko]

What do you think about leaving the radio on? also someone posted the thing about Doggie music CD. What about something like that to calm his nerve?

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Not sure how things work in Ireland but my doods could never be left outside all day. They do fine in a their room in the basement all day but it is still hard for them. How much time did he spend out there before? The abrupt change is hard and you will have to condition him with treats like kongs and long lasting chews. If he is used to being inside, can you find an area to keep him confined for the long days and do daycare a couple of days a week works well for us. Keep us posted!!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Another thing to consider is your weather conditions. I believe it is winter there right now? If he is accustomed to being inside then being left outside in winter weather could also be quite stressful. Some doodles do not have undercoats and are not able to adequately protect themselves from cold weather.

I agree with Suzann that if at all possible keeping him INSIDE would be preferrable.

As Kyoko suggested too, we used to play Mozart for Tara when we left her alone and was very calming for her.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I too would keep him inside. Is he crate trained? maybe keeping him in his crate to start might help.

You can buy several things to help - a pheromone collar http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/product_detail.aspx?item_guid=c61c044... and thunder shirt http://www.thundershirt.com/ seems to work the best from my experience (not from having a dog with anxiety, but i work in a pet store. ialso used the collar on my cat when we moved)

here is a link for an online store in the UK http://www.nutrecare.co.uk/Category-153/DAP-Dog-Appeasing-Pheromone...

It will take him time to get used to being alone, but with the right training he will get through it

[Christine & Camus]

I have found that the SentryHC Good Behavior Calming Pheromone collar really helps Camus. It lasts for 30 days and costs ~ $15 at Petco and/or Petsmart. It lasts for 30 days. I did not replace Camus' collar until 33 days. When he started to be very 'jumpy' reacting to noise and anyone who moved too quickly I remembered that I needed to get him a new collar. Within a few hours a replacing the collar he was much calmer. For Camus the collar really works and the cost is minimal. Another product that I have found that is calming for him is the Music my Pet CD.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Poor Sooty, his entire world has changed. May I ask why he is being kept outside? Surely if he was inside all day previously that would be enough to upset him. Inside would certainly be a better place.

All of these suggestions are great (especially the bringing him inside one)....

I's great that your neighbor let you know, is it possible that very person, who is concerned for him, could perhaps go over and spend sometime with him, or walk him?

Good Luck and please let us know if anything is working.

[Linda Downey]

thank you all for your suggestions for sooty ... ill try leaving him in the house with music playing and see how that goes... as i live in ireland there is no dog day care :( it was very good of our neighbour to let us know but i doubt she will have anything to do with him as she said on her letter that she is very afraid of dogs!!

thanks for that suggestion caitlin about somebody steeling him because it is possible as there are no other doodles in the whole county i live in and every one always admires him when we have him out!!

sooty usually stays outside on his own during the day even when we are home and we let him in about 6pm but it is snowing over here now so maybe that had something to do with it also.. altho as soon as we get home he is dying to go for a walk in the snow..

we have left him alone before in the back yard as we went to england and we had my sister come walk him and feed him but he never barked that time..

i think it has alot to do with being away from my boyfriend as when i get home before him from work and let sooty inside he is crying and looking out the window untill my boyfriend gets home and then he can relax!!
my sister suggested that we leave him inside with something like a t-shirt or item of clothing belonging to my boyfriend??

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

If you have snow, I'd say it's definitely too cold for Sooty to be outside alone all day. I'm guessing he'll do much better inside (but in a contained safe area).

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Oh I really like the idea of leaving him with an article of clothing of your boyfriend. I am sure him being gone now is the biggest issue.

Ireland does not know what they are missing without a doodle population as I am sure you are aware.

By the way, he is absolutely adorable.

Good Luck Linda