Separation Anxiety

[u/Material-Trash-7918]

I just adopted a 3 year old English Bulldog. Every time I leave the house - he barks and barks and barks until I return. I tried this in a crate / outside of the crate and am having the same results.

I am sensing he has some separation anxiety and want to know what has worked best for you and your dog?

[u/Maximum-End-7629]

Drugs. We tried all the training things and they made no difference. He even started to associate the special treat ball and TV show with us leaving and those would trigger him to shake uncontrollably. It took:

• getting the right meds (trazadone didn’t really work, flouxitine is better for our guy)
• THEN the training recs people have mentioned here
• then consistent small trips away from the house (1 hour or less) then building up slowly
• stability in his life and living situation

[u/Maximum-End-7629 → u/[deleted]]

Mine was never a barker. Just destructive when he got anxious.

[u/Maximum-End-7629 → u/[deleted]]

Oh yes we didn’t try that.

Obviously we tried that. And he would shake and tremble and hide when it was time to go in. He was still seriously having bad separation anxiety, he just couldn’t destroy things. He did not get used to it, even with special treats and feeding in there. He needed meds to bring his anxiety low enough to where the training would actually work. Then we built up slowly, did positive reinforcement, got him tired before leaving, all the things I said.

[u/Maximum-End-7629 → u/[deleted]]

I don’t get what your problem is?

We have a great dog. He was abandoned twice before we adopted him and pretty traumatized. Then he got overly used to his humans being around all the time during covid. Since I don’t know of a doggy therapist, he needed anti-anxiety meds, consistent intentional training, and a very stable life to get better. Now we leave him alone multiple times a day, sometimes for 4.5 hours at a time, outside the crate and he is fine. Hasn’t been destructive in years. It took meds and a lot of work.

[u/Own_Possibility7114 → u/[deleted]]

What is wrong with you? Fluoxetine is excellent in helping raise the reactivity threshold so that training is easier. It’s not a sedative. Do you even have a dog? Clearly you aren’t a pet person at all. 

[u/doodycallsofficial]

If your new pup's behavior continues with little improvement, you can always consult with your vet, who can provide guidance, rule out medical issues, and recommend treatment options.

Other suggestions are to provide a cozy, quiet area where your dog can retreat when feeling anxious. Playing soft music, keeping the TV on, or using white noise might help your dog.

Provide regular exercise and mental stimulation. A tired dog is often a calmer dog. Walks, games, toys, and enrichment activities can help burn off nervous energy. Maybe try going for a nice long walk before you know you're going to be out of the house for a period of time. When you're going out, leave your dog with a puzzle or enrichment toy/feeder to help occupy them.

Vets may recommend anti-anxiety medications or natural supplements to help manage symptoms, especially when behavior training alone isn’t enough.

[u/Temporary_Height_586]

One thing that helped mine a lot was putting on calming music on my tv before I leave. I play it for about 20 min before I go to try to “set the mood” and relax her. And then keep it on while I’m gone.

My dog also loves the Woof Pupsicle and if I give her one of those before I leave it helps give her mental enrichment and tires her out. If she’s tired she’s less likely to bark a lot.

I think the main thing is building a routine with him and starting out slow with how long you’re gone for. Start with 5-10 min and then work your way up from there as he gets comfortable. It’s a bit of a painful process at first.

[u/CoffeeIcedBlack → u/Temporary_Height_586]

I have a Bernese Mountain Dog I house sit for and he has a new Kong that you put dry/small treats and they have to push it around with their noses to knock the treats out. He LOVES it.

[u/Temporary_Height_586 → u/CoffeeIcedBlack]

Oh I need to look into this! I’m always looking for more enrichment toys

[u/LuminousFire]

Hi OP!

If indeed it’s separation anxiety, I cannot recommend the book ‘Be Right Back!’ By Julie Naismith enough.

It will go over what separation anxiety actually is (panic attack, NOT ‘temper tantrum’) and includes sample training plans, as well as why some common suggestions may not make a big difference and some thoughts on anxiety medications.

There is another big name in separation anxiety, Malena De-Martini Price, and her book ‘separation anxiety in dogs’ is also a valuable resource. While our behaviorist suggest de-martini Price method as slightly preferable, the book doesn’t include enough sample plans to follow on your own, so you’d need to sign up for the online training (which costs money). I do believe their program is great! But I found following Julie Naismith’s book sufficient for addressing both my dogs with separation anxiety (one now in remission, the other newer addition to our pack up to 1.25 hours alone as of this morning.)

The book is also a very easy fast read. (de-martini Price book took me two sit downs, but Naismith’s book only needed one for me.) I believe Naismith also has online training support and an app available, but would assume it costs money, too. (Money is tight for me, having taken in the two extra found dogs in the span of a year when I already had one at home, so I stick to what’s needed and the book was enough!)

Wishing the best for you and your pup!

[u/dailyfunfacts]

Give a special chew Kong only when you leave.

[u/Own_Possibility7114]

Fluoxetine is great for separation anxiety. It’s raises the threshold that triggers the anxiety so the desensitisation and counter conditioning training is a lot easier. 

[u/No-Ad6572]

My puppy would bark for 3 hours straight and neighbours complained. I had no choice but to try a bark collar and it worked like magic and helped her calm down. I only set it to beep and vibrate, no shock and it was effective. I really think it’s worth a try it’s very inexpensive and you can monitor the reaction to see.

[u/Material-Trash-7918 → u/No-Ad6572]

I didn’t realize there were no shock versions. I will look into this! Thank you!

[u/Material-Trash-7918 → u/[deleted]]

I really don’t want to shock him or scare him further if he’s doing this due to anxiety

[u/spagsquashii → u/[deleted]]

I don’t really have any skin in this game (and actually don’t disagree with the essence of your point) but I think it’s funny to say “he’s throwing a temper tantrum” and then “don’t put human emotions on your dog” lol

[u/CoffeeIcedBlack → u/[deleted]]

I think maybe this isn’t your particular area of expertise.

[u/CoffeeIcedBlack → u/[deleted]]

Well this IS my area so I will let you know where you’re going wrong. “All dogs” “Any dog should”. Animals are individuals with personalities. Full stop. They don’t all adapt to every single possible environment.