Will she outgrow seperation anxiety?

[Jodi and Stella]

At 6 months old Stella is a great little girl. Well behaved, well adjusted and a joy to be with. Her only real issue is that she suffers from seperation anxiety. When we leave her, be it at home or in the car, she barks like crazy. No distruction (we don't even crate her anymore she's been so good) just barking. I have been trying to desentize her by leaving for very short periods (like drive around the block) over and over and need to do that more often. We don't make a big deal when we leave or return. I am hoping she will grow out of this. It is distressing for me as well as her. Has anyone had this problem? Do puppies outgrow this disorder?

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

I wonder if this is a stage also.  Rooney at 5 months will not bark but he does cry when I leave him at day care or with my husband.  I say try to make leaving her something special by giving her a treat that will take her mind off of the fact that you have gone.  Tonight we are going out to dinner and when I leave I will put Rooney in is ex-pen with a boiled shin bone.  He just loves them and will chew on one for hours.  When we return we will find him asleep or chewing his bone or other toys.

[Heather & Brinkley]

We had this problem until around 7-8 months.  Same problem-- no destruction but the barking and the whimpering were terrible.  He also would get so wild and crazy b/c he was distressed when I left him with my parents.  It really wore my parents out when I'd leave him with them for a few hours.  Brinkley could actually tell when I was leaving from my routine.  He figured out that if I'd throw on a baseball cap and boots, he was coming with me b/c most likely we were going to the park.  But if I would blow dry my hair and/or pull out my make-up bag he'd get so distressed and he'd sulk.  

Brinkley did grow out of it.  We did start a routine though as we left-- and we still do it to this day.  He stays in our sunroom while we are gone.  He loves it in there and spends time in there even when we are home b/c he loves it so much.  As we are leaving, we tell him to get up on the (old) sofa in the sunroom; then we give him a treat and say "Momma and Daddy be back soon."  As soon as he hears that he eats the treat and puts his head on the armrest.  He's been fine ever since he realized we are coming back for him.  

 

Good luck!  Hopefully your pup will grow out of it also.  

[Sally]

Duncan hated being left alone. He was crated and hated the crate but even after the crate he still hated the alone part. Although the barking stopped after i left him out of the crate. I did all the desensitizing stuff too. Don't know if that helped or if it was just growing up but he's 2 now and SO MUCH BETTER!!!! I have a 3 story townhouse with the main living area on the second floor but once i took down the baby gate he would follow me all the way down to the first floor when i was leaving and try and come with me. So i got him a really big comfy dog bed that i leave down there and i always have him lay down on the bed and then i leave him with a handful of cookies. I turn the radio on and i go. He actually stays and watches me leave. Granted every time i come home he is literally at the front door but he doesn't bark or destroy anything. he just basically waits for me. I think it's definitely worth it to have stella lay down in her "spot" and maybe just leave the room for a few seconds at first and make it like a training sessions. The more and more you do it and she stays give her lots of praise and treats. Keep adding time and distance. If you can get out the door and leave her for 30 seconds that would be great. I think combine that with her maturing and that should definitely help some.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

you could try using a pheromone collar or a thunder shirt - both work really well for anxiety

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3191645

http://www.thundershirt.com/

 

for the barking - a muzzle or a spray collar would work, but not address the underlying issue

http://antibarkcollar.all-productsreview.com/?page_id=21

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Our Springer Spaniel suffers from this also and we have never found a solution so I will be watching for possible suggestions.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Our Muprhy was very distraught with seperation anxiety at around 6-9 months. We had not had much occasion to leave him before that so it wasn't like he could get used to it very easily. We ended up moving and living with our daughter and her doodle and it went away, so the cure most likely was Marley. We just added a second doodle to our home and he is fine as far as we know now. As is the 2nd doodle, but she is a different personality and probably wouldn't care either way. So if a second isn't an option, then I would certainly have begun by leaving for short periods with treats  that take a while to eat. That may help. although Murphy wouldn't touch a thing while we were gone. So good luck with this.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

Do you know if her barking continues while you are gone?  Real seperation anxiety includes more than just barking when you leave such as drooling,  panting, digging, chewing, destruction of items, vomiting, diarrhea and usually continues the entire time you are gone.

 

Your dog can feel your distress/stress building in anticipation of your departure, you need to learn to control your stress as well.

 

Usually true anxiety can not be cured and they don't out grow it but do learn cope but still have some anxiety.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Here's a pretty good article on separation anxiety....

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/separation-anxiety-in-dogs/page1.aspx

[Bonne Bouche]

Our BB has just gotten into this "stage" (or so we hope it is just a stage). He's about 6.5 months and we recently moved (into a duplex no less). We work from home most of the time, but a couple times a week we need to leave him in his cage. This has been causing him a lot of stress. Loud panicked barking.  As I type this, he is in his cage relaxing and quite, however if I were to walk out the door right now (out of his sight) he would freak out.  The good thing is, it clearly is not "that bad" as there is no self-destruction, vomiting, etc. And after about an hour (or so we estimate) he seems to calm down. When I arrive home he's sleeping and relaxed.

 

We never act excited when taking him out of the cage. Usually I walk in the room ignoring him for a minute until I walk over to the cage and quietly let him out. We're trying to desensitize him by leaving the room with the door open, then closing the door, etc. Any other suggestions/advise welcome.

 

Anyone try the Pheremone collar or the Thundershirt?

[Heather & Brinkley]

Brinkley grew out of it.  I did notice a huge help by really sticking to a routine when we'd leave and come home. 

 

Right before we'd leave we'd take him out quickly to use the bathroom; bring him back inside and tell him to get on his couch (we have an air conditioned sunroom--also my office) where I have an older slipcovered sofa for Brinkley); tell him to to sit and give him a small treat.  Then we say "mama (or daddy) be back soon".  After a few times now he just goes through the motions without even being directed.  He knows he goes to his sofa when we are leaving... and I noticed a big difference in his separation anxiety when we established this routine.