Dog Training World Forums Behavior Problems Dog Anxiety severe separation anxiety Re: severe separation anxiety

  • Teresa Stanczak

    Member
    July 11, 2012 at 2:28 pm
    0
    34
    314

    Click on this link and read through these few pages. http://www.selfhelpdogtraining.com/Anxiety/cms/Anxiety.html
    It has a section about timing as it pertains to separation anxiety including a visual timeline.

    Further suggestions:
    What kind of state is she in when your pet sitter comes?
    Perhaps you can start having your pet sitter come a little later each day as a transition. Most separation anxious dogs do the most damage in the first 20-30 minutes or if someone comes home and then leaves again.

    The manners minder may be helpful to get her accustom to being in her crate and rewarding relaxed behavior without using a distraction.

    Clomicalm is helpful in making her more receptive behavior modification.
    You can still practice graduated leaving exercises when you are home. It can be you just going out of the room or to get the mail etc. I understand you will still eventually have to go to work but the exercises will still benefit her
    As far as pack structure do you leave toys out all the time for her, chew toys or bones? Do you always initiate petting or just pet her when she is not eliciting it? http://www.selfhelpdogtraining.com/PackStructure/cms/PackStructure.html
    Read through this link for leadership exercises. It sounds like you are doing a lot right.
    Keep us posted