Separation Anxiety
 

I guess I lost my username info to my other account (jmm_x3), but I have been on here a few times before. My dog Roxie is 8 years old and has pretty bad separation anxiety. I crate trained her as a puppy and she was housebroken pretty quickly, but she would break out of her crate. We tried baby gating her in to certain rooms and she would jump the gate, no matter how high. She can't be shut in to a room or she barks, cries, and scratches on the door. Normally I just give her free reign of the house because she is house broken and does not get in to stuff. I moved to a new house this week and now Roxie is having issues again. (Disclaimer: she is an army dog and this is her 7th move in 8 years). I tried to give her the weekend to get adjusted to the new house with me in it, but now that it's the work week she cannot stand for me to leave. Roxie will latch on to my leg with her paws and bark and cry like someone is hurting her. She won't let me get out the door without weasling her way out. I know she will adjust because she has before, but I can't remember how long it took her before. This is the first time I've lived without roommates and that she will be home by herself whenever I am not there (not that she's never been alone before). Some of my coworkers have mentioned giving her something for the anxiety, but I really don't like the idea of drugging my dog because she has the sweetest personality and I don't want her to be a zombie, but I am really willing to consider advice from people with experience/knowledge on this topic, even if it is something medical. Also - getting another dog to keep her company is NOT an option, sorry, but I won't consider it haha. Any advice? Thanks!!

*Bump*
Had another hard morning... I have to go back to the house in a little bit for furniture delivery and I'm afraid I'm going to end up bringing her back to work with me. Please help!

Fort Campbell, huh? 3/187 in the 60's


How's your schedule, can you take her for long walk before going, burn that energy up. Lock or snap the crate shut (if its big enough for a day stay), low key arrival's and departures, firm but calm. Find a toy that's safe and hard to destroy that will keep her occupied while you leave and till she gets nappy, If you can calm the process, wear her out a little she might whine a few minutes and then take a nap. Also the home coming should be low key, not excited, just let her out go through the sniff ritual, a few pets and go on about normal routine. This should calm her down in a few days, good luck

Hi - so sorry no one has responded to this yet...sometimes posts get away from us. And sometimes it's bc people just might not know how to help out.

Your poor girl! Did she ever lose anyone in her life, another person she was really attached to or something? I wonder why her anxiety is so bad...it could be the multiple moves like you mentioned.

Regardless of the cause, we need solutions! A few things....you might want to look into buying her a Thundershirt...it truly could help her, it's helped many dogs here; it doesn't work for all, but for those for whom it does work, it's quite amazing. You might try getting a DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) Plug In - it releases a pheromone into the air that dogs are attuned to - they also make DAP collars.

And lastly, I really wouldn't hesitate in trying a medication like valium or Prozac (or both) for this little kiddo. The meds don't have to be permanent, so don't worry about that right now -- what they *can* do is help her learn / re-learn what it feels like to be calmer...it may give her the space and calmness so that some real learning can occur and solidify. Even if she is tired at first with Valium, this truly wears off almost all the time in animals - and then they just get the calming effect. I had a cat who had to be on Valium and he wasn't a zombie at all.

So hang in there, and don't be nervous to get some meds - they're their for good reasons and can sometimes work miracles! Please keep us posted on how she's doing :).

Thanks, y'all. I forgot to mention that I don't crate Roxie anymore, I don't even own one. She got the the point where she wouldn't go in it anymore so I just got rid of it during one of our moves. She's never lost someone important and usually she is fine in a new place as long as I'm with her, she just has a hard time when I leave her and the place is different. I know it will pass, but like I said I'm not sure how long it will take. I think I will look in the the thunder shirt and then maybe after that try a prescription. I just got home for my couch delivery. I've been gone 2 hours and as soon as I walked up to the door and she heard me she was at the door scratching and crying. She jumps on me and whines as if trying to tell me she's had the worst day ever. I don't understand because I got her as a puppy, so it's not like she's ever been abandoned. She's never been alone for more than 6-7 hours. She does have a favorite toy, but nothing distracts her when I'm trying to leave. I could put a block of cheese on the floor and she would still be trying to climb my leg.

Awwww, the poor kiddo...sounds like this was just innate to her very sensitive little nature, and no matter what you would've done, there would've been no preventing it. But dogs can learn...so let's hope something will help her eventually, I sure hope so bc it must kinda break your heart to watch her go through this every day!

Oh another thing....Melatonin is sometimes given for mild anxiety and might be worth a try for you. My Wylie has to take it for other reasons and it doesn't make him one iota tired. He takes the 3mg twice a day, but for your girl I'd almost think time-release may be a better option. Melatonin would be milder than a prescription since it's natural, and it's what our brain makes to relax us and prepare us for sleep. You can get it at Target or Walgreens or wherever.

As soon as this couch gets here, Rox and I are taking a trip out for a thundershirt. I have liquid melatonin that I could try to give her, but I think I'm going to try the shirt first. I will post updates. Rox is napping peacefully on my bed right now since I am home. The second I get up, I'm sure she will jump up and start losing it again. We'll be purchasing this shirt ASAP.

UPDATE - Yesterday after the couch arrived, I was able to slip out because it had started raining. I gave Roxie a dentastick on the way out, so that probably helped. When I came home, she was crying and carrying on like I had been gone forever. She didn't eat breakfast yesterday, but was eating grass when I took her out. She seriously makes herself sick with worry. I took Rox to Petco after work and they didn't have the thunder shirt. They had a Kong version, but I hadn't heard anything about it and decided to hold out for the real thing. There wasn't anyone on the floor that could answer questions about calming stuff, so I went to Petsmart (they're right across the street from each other). Petsmart had the thunder shirt, so I picked one up. There was a staff member on the floor who seemed super helpful, but she was working with a couple who had just adopted a shelter dog and had no idea what to get to start out and there was another couple waiting to talk to her. I only found one other person on the floor and it was a girl cleaning the fish tanks who could only tell me what stuff they offered (collar, diffuser, treats) and that the thunder shirt has "mixed reviews." I decided just to buy the darn thing because it has a 60 day guarantee or something, so I can always take it back. I put it on Roxie last night for her to try it out while we were at the house. I am not sure if it made a difference because she's typically pretty calm as long as she's right next to me. This morning after I took Roxie out I put it back on her while I was getting ready for work. She sat on my bed and glared at me the whole time I was getting ready, very suspiciously. When we went downstairs for breakfast, she didn't eat again and sat in the living room, halfway between the front door and kitchen and periodically growled at me. As soon as I started picking up my bags, she was on my heels again. I needed to give her her desoquin for the day anyway, so I had her sit and gave it to her as I slipped out the door. I don't know if the shirt has made a difference, but I can usually get out of the house once a day if I give her a treat. It usually doesn't work the second time around, so we will see how she reacts at my lunch break. I may have to try the melatonin at least for a few days/weeks until she goes back to bed after I leave for work on her own (she did at the old house). I definitely am not keeping the thunder shirt if it doesn't help since I found out about the guarantee/return policy. Wouldn't mind having the $40 back, although I'm okay with not if it helps her.

I feel so sorry for you baby....I, too, have a failed rescue with the same problem. I have 2 other yorkies in the house, so just to ease your mind, having other babies does not always help. My little guy had severe separation anxiety, very similar to your little ones. He would scratch and bite at the door constantly. He also would jump the gates. I hated to "drug" him until I talked to a animal behaviorist. She is a vet that also specializes is animal behaviors. She asked me if I thought he was happier behaving and feeling this anxious when I had to leave him. She explained that the medication would not change his behavior or turn him into a zombie, it would simply calm him down and cause him to have a better sense of "well being" while I was gone. The medication has to be given daily, closely monitored to achieve the correct dose, and takes about 3 weeks to see the full effect. It is not a miracle drug, but I have seen a difference in his anxiety level. He does seem calmer. Would he still rather be with me and have me stay home - yes, absolutely...but, I don't think he thinks the world will end anymore when I leave him. He seems more at ease when I do. He is still anxious, but 50 - 75% less so. Storms still upset him, but we can handle that. I understand your hesitation, but can tell you that under proper care and supervision, helping your baby with properly dosed medication, it can be a much better alternative for your baby than to be left anxious, scared and alone all day by herself. Good luck!

What do you have you pup on?

He is on Fluoxetine (Prozac) and Trazadone....but we tried several different meds before we got to this combo. We also tried several different doses. We always started out very low dosing and worked our way up. I never started a new med without staying home with him that day to see how he reacted to it. It really just depends on your pup and her size & how she reacts to the meds. It took us a while to find the right dose & combo that works. I think our vet is going to phase out the Trazadone in the next couple of months. We had a very, very severe case of separation anxiety, but I couldn't stand to see him that way. He is much, much better. I don't believe in over vaccinating or over medicating any dog, so I was very hesitant to start this. I can not tell you how happy I am now that I did! I also leave music on while gone - believe it or not, it seems to help.

Update - I went home for lunch and to take Rox out. As usual, as soon as I walked in the door she started berating me for being gone. I was very calm and tried not to respond to her to get her all excited, but she continued to cry and jump on my leg. I took her outside and finally got her to go potty, but she returned to crying and jumping on me. We came back inside and she sat on the couch with me for a little bit while I ate, and then I tried to leave. If you're curious how that turned out, check out the attached picture. That's Roxie riding in the passenger seat to my office. In her thunder shirt. Which does not work for her apparently. I tried to get her to stay again with a small treat but she quickly snatched it out of my hand and beat me out the door (I swear I'm not the world's slowest mover, she has super speed when she's stressed). Again she didn't eat breakfast. Once we got to the office she would run up to my coworkers and then dash back to me before they could reach out their hands to her. She continued to jump on my until I let her sit in my lap. Once we got home, I went to the bathroom and she cried outside the door even though she had just spent the last 4 hours with me. I really think I am going to call the vet tomorrow (after returning the thunder shirt.... darn).
I also noticed that while I was gone in the morning she had pulled my jacket down off the door knob; I can see where it was slept on. Poor baby...

Please try getting in a calm state, your feeding her anxiety. Take her for a 30 minute walk before leaving, stay calm, do not react to her begging, whining or what ever. Same goes for coming home. We, "People" love being greeted by an excited dog and play excited, this is actually confusing/stressful for the dog. Have you ever seen two dogs that know each other greet on meeting. If you can calm it down, you should see a difference every day. Dogs can sense our moods and feelings and react accordingly and that is not always the reaction we want.


Exercise, especially walks will be your best medicine and also for you as you will see the dog calm, your frustration will lesson. Guess what, as your frustration lessens, your pup will calm also. Watch people that have well adjusted dogs, you'll see most of are very easy going with their dog and yet the dog minds perfectly, is socialized, super friendly and unafraid.


I've seen wrecked dogs come from the Dog Pound, turn into Champs. My Mom was great at bringing dogs back (except she fed them table scraps, lol). It just take a gentle but firm hand, you need to work the dog, a dog without guidance is a confused, frustrated unhappy dog and can act out in many undesirable ways

Thanks for the advice! Roxie gets lots of walks. She is very active. Honestly, I don't walk her far in the morning because I am NOT a morning person and I have to be at work at 8 am. I do try to stay very calm around her, especially when I'm leaving. I try to move slowly, but deliberately and quietly. She usually knows it's coming and is hypersensitive to any of my movements. She usually begins to freak out whenever I put my shoes on. When I come home, I don't act very excited. I usually just open the door and let her go out and tell her to go potty (she's usually freaking out and I'm just telling her not to jump). I put all my stuff down and come in the house and sit down and then I will let her on my lap, but I don't make a big fuss about it.

Sweet baby. I know you hate to "give in" so to speak, but it's even worse to leave them like that, I know! I know that "racing to the door" routine, also. I can honestly tell you that I haven't really noticed any difference in Nash since he has been on the medication except for a gentle calmness about him. He does not seem tranqualized or "doped up" at all. Please do not expect to see a huge difference overnight - it will be gradual and you may have to make several adjustment to the medication, but I really feel like it has worked wonders with Nash's anxiety level. When I would return home before, his face would be wet from panting the entire time I was gone...Now, he is calmer and more relaxed. I think it would be worth a trial to see. Please give it at least 3-4 weeks to work...I wish you luck!

I also want you to know that when there is something to get excited about - a squirrel, the yardmen, another dog, etc., Nash still gets every bit as excited as he used to get. He just does not get as anxious and worked up when I have to leave him. The good, fun part of Nash is still alive and well!

If the medication dose is correct she will not be a zombie and have weird behavior. The medication will help calm her brain and slow it to slow,down so she she can cope better.

Prozac is a drug that has to be given pretty consistently for it to work. There are other drugs that you can use only when you need to because it sounds like she is fine when you are with her.

It sounds like you may be feeling guilty - dogs pick up on our emotions and will reflect those feelings. Most of us have to leave our pups sometime so don't feel guilty about it. You have provided her with a safe place while you are gone.

Right after my Cali was attacked by a hawk she went through a terrible and saddening time with terrible anxiety. I used xanax only at the times she needed it - she could still play and listen to me and function. Most dogs don't eat when they are anxious. It took quite a while but we no longer need the medication. The point being - the medication did not hurt her, did not make her a zombie, but did allow her to not be so miserable and sad. With time and lots of patients it can improve.

Good luck, wishing you all the best as you work through this issue. You are such a good Yorkie mommy for taking such good care of her and caring about her feeling!

Morning update - can't even get out of the house initially. I am sitting on the couch crying with a dog barking at me. I keep trying to explain what I mean when I say she will not let me out. I took a video that ill share as soon as I figure out how to upload. I am trying to ignore her, but it's difficult. I tried to give her her desoquin to get her to stay like I did yesterday but she spit it back out at me. She is now guarding the door in her thunder shirt and making the most pathetic crying noises at me. I think I'm going to have to take her to work again. I feel like I'm giving in to her but I don't know what else to do. I have to call the vet today and take this stupid shirt back.

Crate or pen her when you leave, you need to deal with this now as it can lead to other behavior problems if not. Crate her before you start your leaving preps, her favorite toy. I would get her used to the crate again before using it for leaving, never throw her in the crate. Use a cookie or toy to get her to go in by herself, saying some word such as "Crate", after a few times, close the door for a few minutes, increasing time till she gets used to it. After a few days, crate her for short trips to store or whatever.


Force yourself to get up early, and walk her for 30 minutes, crate her, get your shoes on, say "I'll be back" and go. She will whine but get used to it in a few days and go to sleep. Make sure the Crate/Pen is big enough, 3'x2' or more.


This is not a dog problem, the dog is feeding off you even if you do not realize it. Many bad Dog actions develop over time as a result of some sub conscious human action, the human does not even know they are doing it. Find a trainer that knows and deals with separation issues. It can be fixed if you want to fix it, but ignoring it can lead to serious other problems.


If you want to "Med" it (Bad Idea IMO), have Vet show you how to insert pill and start swallow action. Dogs are not born with Separation Anxiety, they develop it from their owners

I appreciate the advice, but I'm not willing to crate Roxie for 9 hours a day. She was crate trained when she was younger and after she turned 2 we stopped using it. She likes to wander around the house and find sunny spots and look out of the windows while I am at work. I think that crating her now after not for 6 years would be more stressful for her. That may make me a bad dog owner, but I don't really care - I like her to be able to entertain herself. I know that this is a temporary problem while she gets used to the new house, which is why I'm okay with trying medication, especially if it's short term. I take full responsibility for "making" her this way. I was never allowed to have pets until my parents gave in and let me get her at 15. She is the cutest, sweetest thing ever and maybe I've loved her too much. But she has stayed home by herself while I've been at school/work before, and she will do it again.
Roxie can walk for miles and act tired but then spring up and get super energetic when she is afraid that I am leaving. We haven't even been in the new house a week, so I am seeing what the vet has to say. Although I am not the biggest fan of medicating for everything, medication was created for a reason and there are some dogs (and people) that benefit from its use.

I respectfully disagree with you. I have been seeing an animal behaviorist for 2 years with my rescue. There are very few board certified animal behaviorists in the country (approximately 50) and for sure very few in Texas. She is a board certified veterinarian that went back and added 2-3 years of rigorous, advanced training program in behavior specialty - much like human psychology. Crating is not the answer for anxiety and can make the problem worse. Each case needs to be looked at and dealt with. Some anxiety disorders are most definitely in an animals genetic make-up. I think in this case your pups problem may be increased by crating her. Just my opinion, I'm certainly no expert. I would consult a vet I trusted and/or a behaviorist, not necessarily a trainer. This problem, unfortunately, may continue to get worse. My Nash's did until I sought professional help. He is now doing fine. Good luck.

You are not a bad dog owner. You are a wonderful, loving dog owner...you love and care about your baby. I know how hard this is - you will figure it out. Don't give up on her - she's worth it!

The vet has prescribed Ace so we are going to pick it up now and then rox is color back to the office so I can observe her for side effects. I am looking for a short term solution because she will get get used to being at home. I just need to solve this as quickly as possible because I'm starting a new job in a few weeks and she won't be able to go with me to work.

Totally agree.

Crating/caging/confinement isn't a natural state for most living creatures, and certainly not for dogs. Confinement can make many creatures (incl us) absolutely crazy and can cause serious long term issues. Some will tell you that a dog's crate is its "den"...well, it's not when it's closed. A wolf den is *not* a trap, or a cage - it's an elective place for a wolf to go. In addition, we have to always remember that while our dogs are descended from wolves and are genetically almost exactly alike, they are *not* alike in terms of domestication...and domestication means they are conditioned to WANT to be w/ US...not confined to a very small place. (All that said, some dogs (not all) do later become very attached to their crates, and go in them electively to lay down, but that usually comes AFTER being forced into the crate for a period of time)

And yup -- medication can be a tremendous help! It can mean the difference btwn one thing and another and if/when that's the case, it's worth it. Like I said earlier, meds can enable the dog to have the "mental space" needed in order for new learning to take place.

You are doing a great job with trying to help her :)!

Ace may be very tranquilizing at first....but don't let that worry you...she will get used to it and after that she may be able to re-learn what it's like to be in a calm space. This is def worth a good try! Many dogs take Ace prior to plane travel, btw, and do very well at it. My Marcel has to take Ace for flying bc he goes out of his mind in that small carrier.

Totally agree with you!

Good luck. I hope you see improvement! If not, don't give up. There are many, many different things to try. We had to try many before we found one that worked on Nash. Xanax did not even phase him and I have human friends that can't take even 1/2 a pill without it knocking them completely out! Everyone reacts differently - including our pups! I hope you get lucky with your first try! Please keep us posted - I'll be sending good thoughts your way!

Very good. Be sure to have the vet show you how to get the dog to swallow the pill. Some dogs are very good at hiding the pill and spitting it out later. Getting a dog to swallow a pill is quite an art. (I only mention this because you mentioned elsewhere that she spit a desoquin pill back at you.) Good luck!

They weren't very interested in helping me give her the pill, but I put it in a SMALL piece of turkey hot dog and she took it down. She usually takes the deso no problem, but today she was mad and wouldn't be bribed. I put it back in her bowl and she will probably have it as a snack later. At first, Roxie seemed really sedate from the Ace. She is back at the office with me so I can observe her. When she sees my coworkers she wags her tail, but isn't going wild and sneezing like she usually does. She is still following around behind me and crying when I stand up. I plan to get up early tomorrow and give it to her before our walk to help it kick in before I have to leave for work. It makes me feel better that people are supportive of my decision not to crate her. She really is fine being home alone once she gets over me leaving. She doesn't potty in the house or get in to things, and she is not at all destructive. I don't want her to think I am punishing her. The vet only gave me 10 days worth of the Ace, so that worries me a bit. As I mentioned before, I want her to be on it short term, but my vet is about 30 minutes away now that I've moved, so I don't want to have to go back too regularly. Hopefully she will be good in two weeks. Especially because I don't want to use it on the weekends, just work days. I can't even tell y'all how much I appreciate your advice! Especially some of you who have helped me before on my other log-in. Yorkietalk has been my go to place for advice for the last 5 years, and I am so glad I consistently get good help.

I'm glad she seems a little calmer on the Ace. I see no reason to crate her either, since she isn't being destructive. Hopefully she will get the anxiety under control! If not, there are other options (prozac, etc.) as people have mentioned. I think the vet gave you a limited supply of Ace since it's meant for short term use only. Other drugs like prozac are safer over the long term (if it becomes necessary).