[granma_ota]

This is about Molly that I talked about in this thread. She is a black lab/Australian shephard mix and 7 months old. This is kinda seperate from her chewing my daughter's shoes and kinda the same because she just chewed Jenni's tennis shoes when we went out to dinner. Molly has MAJOR seperation anxiety any time she can't see where I am. She is still young, I know, but I've never had a dog this bad!!

Now, most of the explanations that I've heard and read say the dog is bored and lonely when you leave. That is not what is wrong with Molly, because she has 5 other dogs here to play with and she has toys, the whole back yard and then the chickens, turkeys, and geese in the next yard to keep her from being bored, and plus the neighbor dog (a dachsund just her size) comes over to play. I went into the garage to get poultry food and closed the door when I went in and she had a coniption fit!! The whole time I was in there, she was crying and barking and trying to get in the door. My daughter says its the same whenever I leave.

Now, I have noticed an unusually strong bond that she has developed with me. She doesn't really like other people - she even barks at my daughter who lives here!! She always has to know where I am and be able to get to me. She has no trouble venturing out on her own as long as she knows where I am and that I am likely to stay put there. If we have company, she tries to hide behind me or get as close to me as she can - and we have company frequently with my neighbors and my daughter's friends!!

She has fit herself into the hierarchy of my pack with ease. Recognizes that Suki is the old, alpha female that she is to show submission to; treats Cubby like a father even to the licking in his mouth; and plays constantly with Abraham, Coco, and Maggie.

Sidenote: Abraham and Cubby got into it tonight (my 2 males - they never hurt each other, but you would think they wanted to kill each other while it's happening. I've watched their teeth though, they are both very careful not to make contact with the other.) Molly jumped into the fight and attacked Abraham - fur raised and everything. We all kinda looked at each other and my daughter's boyfriend said, "Did she just jump in there to defend Cubby?" I said, "Yup!" My daughter said, "She has heart, that's for sure."

And, that's the whole deal - she has heart, intuitiveness, and personality and although I have to use unique methods for her, easily trainable. This is going to be a wonderful dog when she gets older. But in the meantime, my daughter is ready to kill her and barbeque her (not really, but she threatens). Not only does Molly eat my daughter's shoes and has killed half my chickens (I think I broke her of that - either that or the rest of my birds are smart enough to stay out of the dog's yard :-D ), she's started eating the couch! But only when I'm gone. I don't know whether my daughter is madder about her shoes or the fact that I don't get angry when she chews on the couch or kills a chicken.

I need HELP!! I'm not a fan of crate training - too many people expect their dogs to sit in that crate for 8-10 hours a day and not pee, but at this point I'm considering it. (I can't go that long without going to the bathroom, so why would I expect my dog to do it?) What in the world could make her so frantic when I'm gone or out of sight? She has 5 other, older, calm dogs around her that know that I will be back. It doesn't even matter if my daughter is here or not -- it's me.

Now, then, I've been digging into the recesses of my mind and thinking (dangerous, I know). In the wild, are the puppies taught to always keep their eye on the alpha? Do Australian shephards have this trait strengthened in them for herding and watching the herder for signals? I've had a period in each of my first four dogs where they have had seperation anxiety of a lesser sort at the beginning, but nothing as severe as Molly.

Come to think of it, Cubby ate my linoleum and holes in the walls. Abraham ate 7 pairs of my shoes and two couches. Maggie ate the crossbars on all my wood kitchen chairs and several feather pillows. The only one I've never had a problem with is Coco.

Maybe I've gotten so used to it, I know that "this too will pass." But, does anyone know the answers to my questions above or know what I can do for her?

[opokki]

True separation anxiety is usually connected to a single person. It doesn't matter if there are other dogs present or even other people. In severe cases, crating is not an option as some dogs will work themselves into such a frenzy that they actually cause injury to themselves.
Desensitization and counterconditioning seems to be the usual protocol for dogs with separation anxiety. This involves very gradually getting the dog used to your absence starting with only seconds at a time and also desensitizing her to any signs that you are about to leave, such as jingling keys or putting on your jacket. In very severe cases drug therapy might also be considered in combination with behavior modification. Extra physical exercise can be helpful to some extent because the dog might be too tired to worry as much about your absence as she normally would.

Your best bet would be to consult a behaviorist who is experienced with SA. If this is not possible I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Patricia McConnells booklet "I'll Be Home Soon". Its a short easy to read guide to preventing and treating SA and it only costs around $6.00.

Herding breeds were bred to work closely with humans but whether this predisposes some of them to SA, I can not say for sure.