[PennysMum]

One of my friends is a dog trainer who does a lot of consulting for people with separation anxiety dogs, and she gave me a bit of advice for when my dog began throwing fits when we had to leave the house. She basically said to do everything dog-related at least one half hour before it was time to go, and then leave the dog alone after that. Don't talk to the dog or fuss over it at all, since by making a big deal out of leaving, you are telling the dog that leaving is a big deal. When it is time to go, just put the dog in the pen and go-- no smooches, no coddling. Then, when you come back, don't immediately rush to the dog. Wait 20-30 minutes before initiating cuddle-time-- do other things around the house for a bit, then casually release him from his pen as if the whole event was nothing at all. Again, she said that this helps because it keeps you from reinforcing that going away and then coming back is a big deal.

It seems to have helped Penny. After we moved to our new place, she would bark and panic every time we stepped out the door even for a minute. She's doing much better now that we're trying to be completely nonchalant about it.