Separation Anxiety

[sally7216]

Advice need please

We collected our rescue dog on Monday from the Dog Shelter (he was mentioned on this forum under Rescue Cockers under the name Gizmo) now called Parsley!

Just advice regarding separation anxiety as i have never had this from a rescue dog before and i want to go about helping him and not do the wrong thing to make matters worse.

We have only left him for an hour to go shopping since Monday and about 20mins today at the dog groomers. He isn't destructive at all just inconsolable crying and barking. I understand the reasons why it is happening. Obviously i do need to go shopping sometimes and it isn't always possible to take him everywhere. Parsley is following me around everywhere at the moment and we love him to bits so just want to help him know that when we pop out its no big deal etc. and we will be coming back.

Cheers everyone

Sally

[Abby]

A few questions first, to help us understand the details 

Where is Parsley in the house when you leave him? Is he crated or lose in one room or lose in the whole house?

Do you leave him with anything to do (such as a kong).

Was the hour the first time you'd left him at all or was there some build up (i.e. two minutes, ten minutes, longer...)?

Was he distressed when you left, when you got back or both? And how distressed, ie. noisy, shaking, drooling.

Can you leave him in a different part of the house to you with him being okay or does he get distressed then as well?

The more we know the easier it is to advise 

[sally7216]

A few questions first, to help us understand the details 

Where is Parsley in the house when you leave him? Is he crated or lose in one room or lose in the whole house? Whole house(bungalow) very small.

Do you leave him with anything to do (such as a kong). Ball with treats

Was the hour the first time you'd left him at all or was there some build up (i.e. two minutes, ten minutes, longer...)? hour was first time
Was he distressed when you left, when you got back or both? And how distressed, ie. noisy, shaking, drooling. when we left - noisy, on return noisy for a few minutes, dont know what happened in between, had thought of next time setting up a recorder.
Can you leave him in a different part of the house to you with him being okay or does he get distressed then as well? i haven't tried that as yet, getting a stair gate put on at the weekend so he can be in the kitchen and still see us in other rooms i.e. bed time

[sally7216]

the info i have about his past is lived with a family with children and cats and one other male cocker.
Both cockers were not castrated and the other one had started to dominate Parsley and there were occasional fights.
So the owner (lady) who i understand Parsley was her dog if that makes sense decided Parsley had to go. Now why castration wasn't done to try and alleviate the problem i dont know. Seems like a sledge hammer to crack a walnut to me putting him into rescue. So thats all i know, he is 5, now castrated, microchipped, vaccinated, insured etc.

I think as he was the lady's dog this is why he is following me everywhere and not my husband.

[Abby]

With SA you need a softly softly approach. Also, it may not actually be full blown SA, but just a settling in thing. This often happens with rescues in a new home as it is very disruptive for them  It may just be a time thing. Friends of ours have gone through this recently.

Try building up the time you leave Parsley for, starting with just going outside the front door and waiting quietly for a few seconds before coming back in. Then build it up by tiny increments until ten minutes, 20, 30 etc.

Dogs are all different, some benefit from a leaving routine, others feed off this in their anxiety (ie when they see you pick up the keys or put their coat on the anxiety starts). You'll have to see in time what works. For us, Dylan hates being left (even though he has Clive) but benefits from being asked to go to bed. He knows he is being left, but this prepares him and works for him.

Leaving Parsley with a treat ball is a good idea - does he use it?

When you return try not to make a big fuss as with some dogs this makes the difference between you being there and not being there greater - ie no fun without you, fun with you.

Another thing is where he is left. Some dogs prefer being left in a crate, or a single room as too much space can make them anxious. Others (like my friend's dog) SA disappates is they are left to roam. Try different things to see if it helps.

Hope this gives you some stuff to work on. Best of luck, and hopefully it will just be a settling in issue rather than a bigger one.

[sally7216]

Thanks Abby. As you say it may just be a settling in thing. I just went outside to cut the grass and immediately he started i thought he would be ok because my husband was still in the house but no, it was me he wanted. Don't know if i did right or not i took him outside on his flexi lead so he could see me. But even if i was mowing behind a bush and he couldnt see me he started. I wouldn't have given in but my husband had a colleague round and i couldnt really leave him with that racket. I will try the suggestions you have made and keep you informed on here.

Cheers

Sally

[fizzyntiffy]

Hi, I know what you're going through  When we got Tiffany she also barked and got distressed when she was separated from me. I kept popping out the door, to the bin, or upstairs, anywhere really, just for a few minutes at first, and singing or making a noise so she could hear me.

I was worried sick when I had to go back to work and could often hear her barking as I was walking to the car, or back to the house.  I too was told it was probably just settling in problems, which is what it turned out to be.

I did give in with the night time routine tho, she sleeps in a crate in my room, and all I hear now is snoring 

[Sarah.H]

Millie got very attached to me and had mild separation anxiety when we got her at 18 months. Abby's advice is excellent especially not giving lots of attention before you go or when you return. Millie settled over time (she wouldn't even eat unless I was stood with her to start with  ) and is regularly left in a stable where I work and is happy to go to sleep. At home she now can't wait for me to go out so she can get her kongs  . I can remember getting all excited because she fell asleep in a different room to me  .

[sally7216]

Have been trying a few minutes each time but at the moment it hasn't got any better but i know it will take time. However we did have to leave him for 3.25 hours, nothing we could do about that. Left a talk radio station, didn't make a fuss of going, left treat ball and a couple of biscuits for him to eat whilst i was going out the door. Plus the all important voice recorder going. Have just sat and replayed it. Howling and barking for the whole time, no let up at all. I am beginning to wonder whether it is worth me investing in a behavioural person to come round but i dont know of any reputable ones in Cambridgeshire if anyone has any other ideas, i would welcome them please.

[Jeanette]

The first dog trainer we went to is a behaviourist as well, are you near to Peterborough?

[sally7216]

yes about 16 miles away

[Jeanette]

I'll pm you.   Have not used her as a behavourist but will send you a link of the website for you to make a decision.   

[sally7216]

thanks Jeanette, just looked at it and i need a vet referral so i will speak to my vet about this.

[sally7216]

I couldn't get an appt at our vet until this Tuesday coming (or at least with one of the vets who has an interest in dog behaviour). Just thought i would update on how this week has been.

I did lots of 1 minute - building up to 2 etc. to no avail. Parsley is just apoplexic about the whole situation. Which ended up with all of us going everywhere or all of us staying in depending on whether we could take him wherever we wanted to go.
As i posted last week he did 3.25 hours of barking and howling when we had to leave him last Sunday morning so this Sunday we decided to put him in his crate in case of any destructive behaviour also developing. Our time away was 3 hours exactly he was left with treats, my slippers, a talking station on the radio, no fuss before we went and none immediately on our return and of course the dictaphone taping away whilst we were away. This time we had 3 hours of barking and howling, ripped up slippers, ripped up rug in the crate and he had wet in it too. So we have slightly gone the wrong way. So I am really looking forward to seeing this vet about this. He is perfect in every other way, but we do have to go shopping and cannot always take him.

Sally

[Karma]

Was he quiet for the 1 minute??
If so, you maybe built up too quickly...    If he wasn't quiet for the 1 min, you maybe need to start literally walking out of the door and then in again... scatter some treats on the floor as you go and return before he's even had the chance to eat them all... anything to break the pattern of panic the minute you leave.  You said before that you left him with a treat ball when you left... does he actually eat any of these treats? 

Every time he is left and allowed to become distressed, the worse the problem is going to get, unfortunately...    It's a slow solution, but it is possible to help a dog cope with being alone...

While you are a long way off from this, just a word of warning, when you are building up the time you leave him, do so on a variable schedule... so once he is happy being left 5 minutes, go back to 2 minutes, then 4 minutes, then 5, then 3 and then maybe try 5 and-a-half.... otherwise a clever dog learns that you are just leaving him for longer and longer and the anxiety can return...