Separation Anxiety

[SAMI]

Not me... I'm healthy as an ox. Jacey dog(4 y/o golden retriever) has mild separation anxiety. By 'mild' i mean he whines and paces if I leave the apartment for a few minutes even when Jacey is home. He'll bark for awhile after Jacey leaves for work(she leaves after me). He also licks a ton.. Way more than any dog should ever lick you. That to me, is the most irritating thing. He'll be in your face for hours if you don't give him the attention.

We've been reading a little on what we can do to help him out. Basically what i've learned from our research is that he more than likely feels that he is the 'leader' of his pack. He feels responsible for us, and when we're not around it causes him anxiety from not knowing what we are doing or if we're ok. I've also discovered that we are not exactly helping him with our current daily habits with him.

So there are things we can do to train, or retrain him to accept that we are his 'leaders' and not the other way around...

An example of some suggested activites to help him out:

~Regular walks morning and night.. we can improve in this area.

~Have him walk beside or behind us when on walks. The 'leader' leads. He needs to know that he is not the leader of the pack. The gradual realization of this will allow him to not panic when we leave the house, because in a pack, the leader is allowed to leave, however, the followers never leave the leader.

~Two smaller meals a day, rather than one big one.. I'd say he does good in his eating patterns overall. He's getting alot better at polishing off 2 bowls a day.

~Toy with a treat stuffed in it for when we leave. That way he isn't focused on us leaving, and becomes more accepting of the idea.

I'm sure others on here have dealt with this. While Sobe isn't bad, it's noticeable. Rather than yell at him and get frustrated like most people would we want to invest the time into helping him have better mental and physical health.

So what have you done to help your dog with separation anxiety?

-Jason

 

[mbryson]

I really miss our Golden. Probably not enough to get another dawg, but he was kewl. He was a licker as well. Very protective of my little boys, but not aggressive about it at all.

 

[BroncoMama]

So what have you done to help your dog with separation anxiety?

-Jason

I just take my dogs with me.

 

[SAMI]

I really miss our Golden. Probably not enough to get another dawg, but he was kewl. He was a licker as well. Very protective of my little boys, but not aggressive about it at all.

He is a great dog. He just needs a little refining.

I just take my dogs with me.

I wish i could. I've always wanted a job that I could have my dog with me all day.


Jacey made a good observation after looking more into the 'leader' of the pack idea. The reason Sobe wiggs out when I leave, is because i'm new to the pack and he feels he is my leader. This is what we need to work on.

 

[Kiel]

don't reinforce the barking and pacing if your the one staying after someone leaves. Your only justifying his problems, distraction is good for know but you don't want to have to do it every time you leave. Crate training also might be an option as he would not be able to see when you guys leave, but he would also know your in control

 

[SAMI]

don't reinforce the barking and pacing if your the one staying after someone leaves. Your only justifying his problems, distraction is good for know but you don't want to have to do it every time you leave. Crate training also might be an option as he would not be able to see when you guys leave, but he would also know your in control

I don't quite understand the first sentance here...

He has been raised in a kennel. We are just now starting to allow him to sleep in the same room as us on his padded bed, rather than his kennel.

In our previous apartment he started to get really good with my morning schedule. He'd walk into his kennel just from seeing my come out of the bathroom at the end of my morning schedule, cause he knew i'd tell him to go anyways.

Dogs are a hell of alot smarter than not seeing you leave. They know.. He needs to eventually feel comfortable with us leaving. Right now he doesn't think that I should leave since he thinks he is my leader..

make sense?

 

[rondo]

I read a good book on the subject before i picked up my lab from the shelter. in a nutshell it said a dog needs to know his place in the pack like you already said. It's important for the dog to know he is NOT the leader, and if he asserts dominance then squash that.
The issue (according to the author) is that many people don't act like a 'pack leader' instead they gush love and hugs and attention on their pets. a true pack leader (in dog terms) might show affection, but not all the time.

to show you are the leader, don't let the dog go out a door ahead of you. don't let him jump on you uninvited. don't let him love on you uninvited. show you are the leader by sometimes ignoring him and walking away. show affection when its up to you, not up to him. dogs can suffer from seperation anxiety in a big big way if they are a lap kind of dog.

hope this helps. if not, pick up a dog help book. sounds chiche but when i had my daughter i had to do the same thing; get some books and do some really quick self study

 

[SAMI]

I read a good book on the subject before i picked up my lab from the shelter. in a nutshell it said a dog needs to know his place in the pack like you already said. It's important for the dog to know he is NOT the leader, and if he asserts dominance then squash that.
The issue (according to the author) is that many people don't act like a 'pack leader' instead they gush love and hugs and attention on their pets. a true pack leader (in dog terms) might show affection, but not all the time.

to show you are the leader, don't let the dog go out a door ahead of you. don't let him jump on you uninvited. don't let him love on you uninvited. show you are the leader by sometimes ignoring him and walking away. show affection when its up to you, not up to him. dogs can suffer from seperation anxiety in a big big way if they are a lap kind of dog.

hope this helps. if not, pick up a dog help book. sounds chiche but when i had my daughter i had to do the same thing; get some books and do some really quick self study

That's exactly what i've been reading up on. I'm sure he got confused when he had to go live with my siter in law's for 4-5 months with kids, then moved in with me alone for 3 months, then Jacey moved in when we got married. I bet that sequence of events threw him threw a loop.

I took him for a lengthy walk after I got home from work yesterday. I could tell a difference in how he acted throughout the evening. Less demanding of attention was the biggest. He seemed far more relaxed. So It's obvious that alot of his corrections need to start with me.

A big change is only letting him walk right next to me. He's still trying to figure out why he can't lead. It's kind of funny to see it too. He'll fight it for a minute, and then throw a burst of energy into attempting to jump out ahead of me, only to be denied. He just looks at me like 'WTF is your deal?'.

I really think he's on the fast rack to better mental health now that i'm realizing what I need to do.

 

[JPNGRL44]

I have a few suggestions, we have a 2 year old Lab and we foster for the Utah Lab Rescue, and I really enjoy doing research on dog behavior.

The number one thing that came to my mind is more exercise. If he is in your face for hours wanting attention, that just SCREAMS more exercise. Dogs need a lot more exercise then most people realize. A lot of behavior problems stem directly from not getting enough exercise. Most of the time they are cooped up in the same house and yard for days on end without ever really getting out, they need to get out and see new scenery just like we do. You would be amazed by what a couple of long walks a week will change for your dog.

Secondly make sure that both your entrance and your departure are BORING!! Don't say goodbye, don't say hello. If you get anxious or excited, or feel bad about leaving so will your dog. If you just come and go like nothing changed then your dog won't get nervous when you leave and he won't be overly excited waiting for you to come home and be all excited with him.

Your on the right track with addressing the problem early, and you have already found a lot of good suggestions. A lot of folks give up on GREAT dogs not even realizing how simple the problem can be to fix.

 

[ricsrx]

My kids watch a program on TV, I think it was animal planet, any way it is set in England and his lady goes around to peoples homes, these folks could in no way raise children and they cant figure out why the dogs are out of control, she spends a week there and tries to change the behavior patern of the owners and then goes to work on the dogs.
Last week she told the owners to pack it in and get a cat!!!!!!!!!

 

[SAMI]

My kids watch a program on TV, I think it was animal planet, any way it is set in England and his lady goes around to peoples homes, these folks could in no way raise children and they cant figure out why the dogs are out of control, she spends a week there and tries to change the behavior patern of the owners and then goes to work on the dogs.
Last week she told the owners to pack it in and get a cat!!!!!!!!!

a cat? = target practice

kidding.. sort of..

I think that researching the behavioral patterns of these animals is really cool.

 

[Greg]

I have a few suggestions, we have a 2 year old Lab and we foster for the Utah Lab Rescue, and I really enjoy doing research on dog behavior.

The number one thing that came to my mind is more exercise. If he is in your face for hours wanting attention, that just SCREAMS more exercise. Dogs need a lot more exercise then most people realize. A lot of behavior problems stem directly from not getting enough exercise. Most of the time they are cooped up in the same house and yard for days on end without ever really getting out, they need to get out and see new scenery just like we do. You would be amazed by what a couple of long walks a week will change for your dog.

Secondly make sure that both your entrance and your departure are BORING!! Don't say goodbye, don't say hello. If you get anxious or excited, or feel bad about leaving so will your dog. If you just come and go like nothing changed then your dog won't get nervous when you leave and he won't be overly excited waiting for you to come home and be all excited with him.

Your on the right track with addressing the problem early, and you have already found a lot of good suggestions. A lot of folks give up on GREAT dogs not even realizing how simple the problem can be to fix.

Good info there, especially the exercise. Many outdoorsy breeds need to spend time outside burning off energy or they'll literally go crazy and terrorize your place. Our Weim Daisy is one of the highest energy breeds there is and she has been known to tear up the house.

Have you ever done the puppy take-down? Your Golden may be a bit set in his ways being a little older, but one thing you can do to reinforce that you are the leader of the pack is the puppy take-down. I read about this in a book we got right after getting Daisy. I won't claim that we have her totally under control, but she knows who the boss is and I think this helped.

Next time your dog is running around & acting wild grab him, then immobilize him by sitting down with him in your arms and just hold him until he calms down. Be gentle, but firm. Hold him so he can't move and wait until he relaxes and settles down, then hold him a little longer and let him go. I'd repeat that a couple times a day for about a week and soon he'll figure out you're the leader of the pack.

 

[SAMI]

Good info there, especially the exercise. Many outdoorsy breeds need to spend time outside burning off energy or they'll literally go crazy and terrorize your place. Our Weim Daisy is one of the highest energy breeds there is and she has been known to tear up the house.

Have you ever done the puppy take-down? Your Golden may be a bit set in his ways being a little older, but one thing you can do to reinforce that you are the leader of the pack is the puppy take-down. I read about this in a book we got right after getting Daisy. I won't claim that we have her totally under control, but she knows who the boss is and I think this helped.

Next time your dog is running around & acting wild grab him, then immobilize him by sitting down with him in your arms and just hold him until he calms down. Be gentle, but firm. Hold him so he can't move and wait until he relaxes and settles down, then hold him a little longer and let him go. I'd repeat that a couple times a day for about a week and soon he'll figure out you're the leader of the pack.

I had read about similar things as well.. Trust me, we've got quite a list of things that we are trying to improve on, or start doing to help him understand that we are in charge.

The good thing about Goldens, is that no matter their age, they are said to be one of the most retrainable breeds. THey are alwasy up for new challenges or tricks.. Which, the regular training fo new skills/tricks helps them mind stay sharp and re-enforces where they are in the 'pack'.. the follower.

Dogs are awesome

 

[rockreligious]

I dont know anything about dogs, I thought seperation anxiety was when you werent sure your upper links and lower links were spaced far enough apart.

 

[SAMI]

THis is great.. I'm seeing improvement each day on our walks. I found the perfect place to walk around for about 30 minutes. By the time i'm home the elementary school across the street is deserted, and is a great spot to train him with little destractions.

I won't allow him to walk in front of me, though he still has the tendancy after a minute to slowly pull ahead of me. Atleast it's not the heavy pulling. He used to pull so hard he'd start panting and breathing really loud.. I have taught him the command of 'behind' for when I want him to fall back and walk next to me. He's catching on quick. The best he's done was probably 100 ft walking next to me with no tension on the leash, so it was all him obeying.

I also am working on teaching him to sit at every street crossing, which is coming along. His obedience to my 'sit' command is maybe 75% of the time, so we need improvement there..

He is a fast learner, and more or less just needs to get it in his head that I tell him what to do, and he needs to obey because he's the follower.. We're getting there..

His indoor attitude has improved as well. He's far less pushy when it comes to nudging with his nose to force you to pet him, and he's alot more relaxed. I haven't talked to the upstairs neighbor to see if he's barking less.. We went back to putting a blanket over the front of his kennel durning the day.. He's used to this, and it generally keeps him calm while we're gone.

Not sure if anyone cares about our progress.. but i'm stoked to eventually have a well behaved dog that doesn't lick attack anyone he encounters.. Nobody needs that