[LolaLove]

I thought I would lose my mind!! I'm 27 and was 25 when I got her, so I know how you feel! Lola WOULD NOT be left alone WHATSOEVER! It became really inconvenient trying to work around that..doggy day care, etc. I actually posted a thread a few months ago and got a lot of great responses. Try Googling "Separation Anxiety for dogs"....but this is what we did:

In the house, we would all go into another room, and leave her for like 10 seconds...if she was quiet we would open the door and reward her. Then we would do it for 30 seconds...1 minute...etc. I'm sorry but it is a lot of work to get over this one. Then I would slowly practice acting like I was going to leave (got my keys, purse, shoes on...whatever you do before you leave)...and if she didn't get anxious, I would reward her. Then slowly just go out the front door but come right back in...just keep building up the time you leave for. (We had help from a trainer from the ASPCA, so that's how I learned this).

The biggest thing for me (my bf was always on my case about it), was that I felt myself getting anxious, because I didn't want her to be anxious. They feed off that energy. You need to be very "matter-of-fact"...you leave, don't say bye, come back, do things around the house, and when your baby has settled down, then you can say hi, and give her a kiss.

One more thing: find a "special" treat that your dog loves! They ONLY get this treat when you leave. You take it away when you get home. I filled a baby Kong with peanut butter and froze it...Lola loved it. This way, they look forward to getting the treat when you leave. Although this is a good idea, it didn't necessarily work for Lola..but maybe for your baby?

It really just takes work and practice, but I promise if you keep at it, you will accomplish it. We also bought this "pheromones plug-in" (I can't remember what it's called, but you can get it at the pet store). It is supposed to relax them, and gives off pheromones of a mother giving birth. It had great statistics, and supposedly works really well. We use that too...I honestly can't tell if it's working, or it was the training, but whatever it was, Lola is fine alone now. Good luck, it's SOOO frustrating, I know!! I would have to take her to my mom's house all the time too!! I feel like you are going thru the same situation I was in....keep at it! It will happen!! Good luck!!!