Separation anxiety

[lily-j]

Hi,

We are having mixed results with trying to resolve Sherlock's separation anxiety.  The current daily routine we have been working on (for the last 7 weeks, since we stopped sending him to day care) is that in the morning he goes for a walk, is fed, settled & then left on his own (with access to the hallway, kitchen & utility room).  We have built this time up from 10 mins to currently 1 hour 30 mins & he seems to be fine & we are happy that this length of time is building up.  For the 3 days a week when we are at work, my step-son then comes round & continues with the work we have been doing by leaving Sherlock randomly during the day for 10-30 minutes & again all seems to be ok.  The ultimate aim is that he will only need someone to pop in over lunchtime & then he can be left again for the afternoon. The current problem starts when he is left in the evening………we have been trying to stretch this amount of time as well. Step-son leaves the house at 5pm & we generally get home between 5:30pm-6pm but Sherlock only seems to last about 30 minutes before he starts whimpering, scratching at the front door & then starts barking & howling.  We know exactly what he has been up to as we set up a sound recorder whilst we are out & once he starts barking he doesn't stop until someone comes home (which is something he has done since we got him as a pup in March).
We have tried various suggestions for keeping him calm & making him feel secure etc. We are now using an adaptil plug & collar.  He also wears a t-shirt during the day & has a den in the hallway which he tends to go in at other times whilst on his own & we leave the radio on.  We don't leave him with a kong as when we tried this, once he finished it he would almost immediately start crying & barking.
So, any ideas on why he seems to be improving during the day but we don't seem to be getting anywhere with the evenings?  Is it as simple as he knows we are going to be coming back around that time & he will be getting his dinner (even though we don't give it to him immediately when we return)?

[Dinah]

Might be worth investing in a thundershirt.  Most of the people I know who have used them, including fosterers of scared dogs, say they can instantly relieve the dog's stress.  I use one on my lab when she goes on walks because she's sound sensitive - great time of year for her!  Not instant success, but it really does help calm her down.  Also there is a trial period (think 45 days) where if the thundershirt doesn't work you can get your money back.  Just google thundershirt for stockists.
When Sherlock is left in the evening, could you keep the tv on for him?  Maybe watching the screen, as well as hearing human voices, could help?

[lily-j]

He's got an Equafleece t-shirt which we were told did the same thing & he seems to enjoy wearing it - is the Thundershirt any different?  No, there isn't a tv in any of the rooms he is left in...will have a think on that one, thanks.

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

Have you thought about feeding him earlier - ie. before 5pm? Maybe if he's full of food he won't get as anxious.

[Archie bean]

Not really sure I can offer any advice but are you sure he is anxious? What time is his morning walk? How long is it and do you do any training exercises while you are out? Does your step son take him for another walk in the afternoon or do any training other than practising leaving him alone? If he has been used to spending the day playing with other dogs at day care maybe it is possible that he is not anxious, just bored? If the kong keeps him quiet while it lasts then maybe look at longer lasting mental toys like a treat ball and perhaps your step son could play some "find it" games etc?

[lily-j]

His morning walk is 45-60 minutes & he gets another walk in the afternoon.  In all honesty we have probably slacked a little in the training exercises when at home & can make the effort to do that more during the day. Even when he was at day care & in theory would come home knackered, if we left him in the evening he would still cry.
We are led to believe that it is separation anxiety. It took us months to get him into a routine where he would sleep all night downstairs on his own & even now when he gets up in the morning he instantly wants to be with someone & cries at the bottom of the stairs if you go back upstairs for any length of time & wants to follow us everywhere. 

[Archie bean]

Definately sounds like you have his exercise regime sorted. I was clutching at straws on your behalf! Cockers are notorious for craving human company and it can be difficult to leave them. I'm sure someone will offer some practical help soon. The thundershirt might well be worth a try. Although Archie doesn't have separation anxiety he is quite a nervous dog and gets very wound up when I have visitors. I have had quite a lot of success with this:
http://www.petremedy.co.uk/
It might be worth a try. It is available at PAH but I got it cheaper on amazon. He has one at my Mums too because he used to be totally hyper there when she was looking after him. He's MUCH calmer there when it is plugged in.