Seperation anxiety?

[rainbowkriss]

Last night I left the house for a few hours and my grandmother agreed to "bella-sit". I put Bella in her crate and shut off the lights, but left the t.v. on(our normal routine) 20 minutes after I left, my grandmother called me to let me know that Bella was in a panic. Appearently she was attempting to chew her way through her crate. I told my grandmother to let her out and close the bedroom door. My grandmother called me back an hour later and said that Bella was still cutting up. She said that she had let Bella out of the bedroom, and that she was running around frantically looking for me. She also stated that Bella wouldn't allow my grandmother to get close to or touch her. Finally, a half hour later, Bella wore herself out, and she was sleeping when I arrived home. How do I fix it?

 

[MyXena]

I don't know how you can stop the issue completely, but it could be helpful to leave Bella with something that smells like you. Something like a shirt that you wore. If you don't think she would chew it, stick it in the crate with her. My dog had quite a bit of separation issues when she was a puppy (chewing up pillows, cds, or whatever she could get a hold of), but I don't remember how we solved it. I did start working from home around that time, so that may have been it. I know when my husband is at work now though, she will spend much of her day with her head on his boot or a sweatshirt of his. It is a comfort thing for her.

 

[EAO76]

There is a new book called "Don't Leave Me! Step-by-Step Help for Your Dog's Separation Anxiety" (Phantom Publishing - Books for Dog Trainers and Dog Lovers) that people in the rescue community have been discussing lately (many dogs are surrendered for these reasons). I have not read the book myself but have heard good things.

Phantom Publishing - Don't Leave Me!

There is no magic fix. You HAVE to address it from a behavioral / training standpoint. The book will help with that but in conjunction with training you can also use the DAP Collar to ease her anxiety a bit (works for some dogs but not all).

DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) Calming Collar for Dogs