Separation Anxiety

N

nemanuelson

Forums Novice
Chloe, my rescue girl, has begun to really go crazy when I leave our house. We rescued her when she was 8 months old, I was her third mom, it took me a year to gain her trust. Now, she goes crazy when I leave, barks, cries jumps at the door so hard that it hits you in the backside as you're leaving. I don't crate her while I'm gone. She has 2 other sheltie sibblings to play with, so she's not left alone. When I leave they all get a cookie, Chloe just swallows the cookie whole, burps and begins the rant. :( Does anyone have any suggestions to help alleviate this little girl's anxiety issues? Any advice is really appreciated.
 
Maverick had a lot of separation anxiety. When he was a pup I left him for an hour or two in a laundry room with his crate open with a kong full of food. At 1.5 years of age, living in a different home, I leave him in the 4 season room with his kong full of food. He cant get me out the door fast enough so he can have his food.
She might feel more comfortable in her crate. Maybe with a food dispensing toy that takes longer to eat than a cookie. Maybe frozen peanut butter in a kong, frozen peanut butter with yogurt in kong, or frozen canned dog food in a kong. Free realm of the house can be overwhelming.
 
Can you leave her with something that will distract her longer from watching you leave? Like a stuffed Kong? Sadie will throw a bit of a fit when I leave if I don't give her a good enough distraction.
 
If it is separation anxiety, maybe leave her in a crate with a kong. This way she feels secure. Dogs really love their crates and for dogs that have any sort of anxiety, a crate could be a safe place for them while you are away.
 
Thank you all for your advice. I wanted to let you know that on Day 1 I filled a kong with peanut butter, gave it to Chloe, and it was heaven. I haven't been able to leave the house without havoc reigning in a long time.:smile2:

Day 2 - I filled the kong again with peanut butter and Chloe wouldn't take it - she already knew the program. Unbelievable! I ended up just putting it on the floor and leaving. Her usual bad behavior reigned. Of course, when I got home the kong was licked clean. :cry:


Day 3 - Tried it again - to no avail.

My next thought is to put her and the peanut butter filled kong in her crate. Although, since she has not been crated in a long time, I'm not sure this is a good idea.

Any other suggestions?
 
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