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hunniebunnie · 03-22-2006, 12:28 PM

have you guys tried leaving rocky alone a little bit at a time? does he cry if you're in one room and he's in another? does he have enough toys, food, water, while you're gone? have you tried taking him to doggie daycare a few times a week so that he won't be too lonely while you're gone? when he cries, do you give in and attend to him immediately? (don't attend to him until he's quiet, otherwise he'll learn that crying will get your attention immediately and keep doing it) have you tried anything to curb separation anxiety?

bunjee used to have the same problem. really bad separation anxiety. so bad in fact i got a little "letter of concern" from one of my neighbors because of all the noise. i was unsuccessful with crate training. ignoring is only okay during the day, not at night since i live in a condo complex. and even giving him the run of the kitchen and having the kitchen gated didn't help.

i finally did figure out something tho. i'm not sure if bunjee is just neurotic that way, but he is particularlly anxious if we are separated by anything visible like a gate. if he's never seen me on the other side of a gate, then he's okay. so i moved the baby gate to give him more room and separate the tiled areas from the carpet area. and it worked like a charm. he stopped crying when he's by himself in his new space and is content with just laying in his bed until i return. it's the weirdest thing. but i'm not about to question it if it works.

another thing i do is i walk him or play fetch with him for 20 min before i leave for a few hours. it tires him out so that he just wants to rest and sleep for a little bit. when i'm gone for a few hours, he'll usually just nap until i return anyways.

i thought about getting a companion for bunjee, and i'm still thinking about it! but the thing is, it's not a guarantee that it'll curb separation anxiety or barking and i can't afford to have two barkers in one home! i'll prolly eventually still get another doggie, and hopefully, bunjee will teach the new little one all the good habits mommy's taught him.

GOOD LUCK!

03-22-2006, 12:28 PM	#11
hunniebunnie Follower of Yorkietology Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cali-fo-nee-ya Posts: 1,325	have you guys tried leaving rocky alone a little bit at a time? does he cry if you're in one room and he's in another? does he have enough toys, food, water, while you're gone? have you tried taking him to doggie daycare a few times a week so that he won't be too lonely while you're gone? when he cries, do you give in and attend to him immediately? (don't attend to him until he's quiet, otherwise he'll learn that crying will get your attention immediately and keep doing it) have you tried anything to curb separation anxiety? bunjee used to have the same problem. really bad separation anxiety. so bad in fact i got a little "letter of concern" from one of my neighbors because of all the noise. i was unsuccessful with crate training. ignoring is only okay during the day, not at night since i live in a condo complex. and even giving him the run of the kitchen and having the kitchen gated didn't help. i finally did figure out something tho. i'm not sure if bunjee is just neurotic that way, but he is particularlly anxious if we are separated by anything visible like a gate. if he's never seen me on the other side of a gate, then he's okay. so i moved the baby gate to give him more room and separate the tiled areas from the carpet area. and it worked like a charm. he stopped crying when he's by himself in his new space and is content with just laying in his bed until i return. it's the weirdest thing. but i'm not about to question it if it works. another thing i do is i walk him or play fetch with him for 20 min before i leave for a few hours. it tires him out so that he just wants to rest and sleep for a little bit. when i'm gone for a few hours, he'll usually just nap until i return anyways. i thought about getting a companion for bunjee, and i'm still thinking about it! but the thing is, it's not a guarantee that it'll curb separation anxiety or barking and i can't afford to have two barkers in one home! i'll prolly eventually still get another doggie, and hopefully, bunjee will teach the new little one all the good habits mommy's taught him. GOOD LUCK! Last edited by hunniebunnie; 03-22-2006 at 12:31 PM.