Separation Anxiety.. Please help :)

[vikrant76]

Greeting All,

I have 10 month old yorkie. The BIGGEST issue we are facing is he has separation anxiety. He does not let me leave the house. I work from home, but time to time i have run some errands. He knows when i grab the keys and he will start to jump and stand on the door and won't let me leave. I have to put him in the crate and i can hear him bark, but i have no choise.

Also soon, i will have leave the house for work 8 to 10 hrs a day. My concern is he will get depressed, any advise or thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Thanks..

[SirTeddykins]

Here are some good tips:


Separation Anxiety | ASPCA


Also, it would be worth having a discussion with a behaviorist. Your vet or the local shelter can recommend one for you.


My Teddy has extreme anxiety so I do have other suggestions but they may not be applicable to you at this stage.. I'm sure other members will come along with some advice!

[Dayswalters]

It's a perfect excuse for a 2nd Yorkie...lol! Actually, mine didn't have separation anxiety but she IS much happier since she got a little sis to keep her company.

[Wylie's Mom]

Have you tried leaving him in a fenced off area in the house, rather than in the crate? Some dogs (ALL of mine included) despise the crate...and forcing them into it may cause add'l issues. Does yours like the crate?

[Magnus]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Have you tried leaving him in a fenced off area in the house, rather than in the crate? Some dogs (ALL of mine included) despise the crate...and forcing them into it may cause add'l issues. Does yours like the crate?

I started by leaving them in their room which is just a gated off hallway. (It's about 4' x 4') And I'd leave the tv/radio on. Give him a toy with treat in it to keep him busy.

If you can associate something fun/good/positive of you leaving, things might be easier. Is your boy food/toy driven?

I've also heard/seen suggestions where you should start off leaving them for couple minutes and slowly increase the length of time "away. This is to let them know you're coming back.

Good luck!

[vikrant76]

-Thank you SirTeddykins great article. I will discuss that with his vet and trainer

-Dayswalters that would be nice getting a second yorkie. I am just afraid, when i start going to office he will have no one too look after him. He always want someone to be around.
-Wylie's Mom he likes the crate when someone is around he does not bark. But i have to go some where (for little time), i put him in crate he will start barking. I cannot leave him in crate for long period of time. Our goal is to him to be independent.

-Magnus- we are thinking about getting fence around the living room, that way he access to water, food & puppy pads. We do have web camera in the living room, where we can watch him.

Has anyone tried any separation anxiety medicine? if yes, which are good for Yorkies, i can discuss that with his doctor.

Thanks

[tphan74]

Originally Posted by Dayswalters

It's a perfect excuse for a 2nd Yorkie...lol! Actually, mine didn't have separation anxiety but she IS much happier since she got a little sis to keep her company.

LOL! That's the only thing that helps my yorkie. He still barks when I leave, but only for about a minute and doesn't pee/poo on the floor while I'm gone or go crazy like he did when he was alone. Now I have 2 fur babies.

[sophie31]

Start by leaving for short times and don't make a big deal when you come home leave him for a few minutes then slowly increase the time and try not to make it the same time everyday it helped with my little one and she doesn't seem to be upset anymore . Also try a little treat before you get your keys

[Florabug]

I leave mine in a xpen when I am gone. my Harley had horrible anxiety when I would leave. So I would leave him rawhides to chew on or give him an interactive toy where he would have to work to get treats out. But I agree that another pet helps alot. I have 4 yorkies and have had no issues when they are all left together in their x pen during the day.

[SirTeddykins]

Originally Posted by vikrant76

-Thank you SirTeddykins great article. I will discuss that with his vet and trainer

-Dayswalters that would be nice getting a second yorkie. I am just afraid, when i start going to office he will have no one too look after him. He always want someone to be around.
-Wylie's Mom he likes the crate when someone is around he does not bark. But i have to go some where (for little time), i put him in crate he will start barking. I cannot leave him in crate for long period of time. Our goal is to him to be independent.

-Magnus- we are thinking about getting fence around the living room, that way he access to water, food & puppy pads. We do have web camera in the living room, where we can watch him.

Has anyone tried any separation anxiety medicine? if yes, which are good for Yorkies, i can discuss that with his doctor.

Thanks

I queried meds with the vet, who is a YT specialist, and he was absolutely against it. For one, he advised that meds would permanently alter Teddy's personality i.e. take the spunk out of him forever, etc. I know he is right in this due to my experience in neuroscience and how meds work inside the brain. In addition, the vet advised that the efficacy of these meds is not as good for little dogs so due to this, and the potential for the meds to alter more than separation anxiety, he would not recommend meds and flat out refused to give them to me. He suggested we 'wait it out' as little dogs do sometimes outgrow anxiety and a lot of the time, it is thought they have anxiety when really, we are projecting our worries and, thus behavioral issues, onto them.


Therefore, I'd highly recommend discussing options with the vet and a behaviorist. Meds are always a last resort for the reasons I've mentioned above + others.


Trust me, if there is hope for my Teddy, there is hope for yours! It's just a matter of targeting the right areas in the right ways!

[Doodlebug]

Daisy was the same way when she was a puppy. Tried to block us from leaving, throwing a fit when we put her in the crate. She fought us lIke a wild animal. Then one day my husband set her down in front of the crate and told her to go on in the crate. She walked right in the crate on her own with no fuss or barking. After we found out that she wanted to walk into the crate on her own instead of being put in the crate, we never had any more problems. She loves her crate now and goes there for comfort.

I don't know if this will work for any other pup but little miss diva Daisy just didn't want to be placed in the crate, she wanted to go in on her own. That's a Yorkie for ya.

[vikrant76]

Thanks to all for sharing there experience. Even though Sunny is mama's boy, i love him to death. I laugh when i say this, but I think the issue is also me, b/c i don't like leaving him alone My wife says, that he is training me well (that might be true sometimes).

[MaggieMaysMommy]

I can totally commiserate - I just posted the other day that my fur baby came down with IBS due to stress after leaving her for 24hrs with a dog sitter (I too work from home, and bring maggie with us on most trips - but this past wkd we couldn't bring her because she is not ok with small kids). A few things you can do. When you have to leave don't feed into the pups anxiety. Ignore them. Maggie leaps off the couch the moment I put on my shoes or pick up my purse. I distract her with a tiny bit of fruit, and walk out the door. When you come home, don't make a big deal about returning. Dogs have routine behavior. To break this, walk out your door, wait a minute. Walk back in. Do this several times a day for various lengths, slowly increasing. Your dog will hopefully get bored, and will begin to predict that you will indeed walk back in the door. An expen, is a great idea, or a baby gate in a kitchen or bathroom. I can not crate Maggie, she barks and goes to the bathroom on herself (and she's potty trained). As for meds, my vet actually recommended an all natural med that is very safe and derived from milk but lactose free, with the through that nursing puppies are soothed after feeding. I haven't tried it yet but I think I am going to. Its called Zylkene if you want to research it. I am also going to post about it and ask for feedback. Good luck, separation anxiety is so hard, just as hard on the fur parents if you ask me!