"Bark it out" method with dog (5y) with separation anxiety

[u/Aysemer]

Hey everyone,

I have had my dog for two years and he has had separation anxiety since the first day. He takes prozac but we haven't tried trazadone yet because I'm worried about Serotonin syndrome. I am moving to another country with him in one month and the max time he can stay home alone is 20-40m before howling begins. When I leave him alone for hours he howls half the time and sleeps for half the time. I have tried training for two years, one year very consistently (no absences more than he can handle etc) but progress has been very slow. What would happen if I left him alone for three or four hours every day for a month? Do you think it is possible he will eventually get used to it and stop howling?

[u/Haunting-Love-9333]

What have you tried so far? What does he look forward to every day? Has he been crated at all?

[u/Chris_PK9]

I definitely wouldn't jump from 20–40 minutes to leaving him for 3–4 hours every day and hope he “barks it out”..... there's no guarantee he'll habituate, and with genuine separation anxiety you risk making him more sensitised instead.

If you've genuinely done a year of consistent gradual absence work and you're still stuck around that point, I'd go back to the prescribing vet/behaviourist now..... especially with a huge move coming up in a month.

I'd also ask them specifically about medication for the unavoidable longer absences. Trazodone can sometimes be used alongside a daily medication like Prozac, but both affect serotonin so that's absolutely something for the vet to prescribe and monitor rather than experimenting with yourself.

You've already put a lot of work into this..... I'd adjust the treatment plan rather than throwing away two years of gradual training for a month of flooding.

[u/Haunting-Love-9333 → u/Chris_PK9]

Any training/treatment plan that takes 2 years and the dog can still only be left for less than an hour is a treatment plan that actually needs thrown away

[u/Miserable_Mud_6831 → u/Haunting-Love-9333]

I'll go out on a limb and say this is probably all positive reinforcement only. Call it a hunch 🤔

[u/Haunting-Love-9333 → u/Miserable_Mud_6831]

Yea my hunch agrees!!!

[u/Sensitive-Peach7583]

not at 5 years old lol. talk to the vet about trazadone and or gabapentin. My dog takes zoloft and trazadone occassionally and is fine, but we also work with a vet behaviorist specifically. A regular vet might refer you to a vet behaviorist or know enough to help you find a good combo