[puppylove2009]

Sorry so long but I wanted to paint a clear picture.

first of all what causes separation anxiety in dogs?

Second we have a poodle and he had it real bad as a pup and we've worked through it mostly but it still shows up in him from time to time.

Its obvious he had it before he came to live with us...

He came to live with us when he was 1 day shy of 10 weeks old.

(When knew within the first 24 hours we had him that he didn't like to be alone but he was going to have to learn to be from time to time)

He was kept with his mom and aunt up until we took him home. He didn't have any siblings (his only sibling was stillborn and was delievered by C-section)

He was a fighter......had he not been born first he probably would have suffered the same fate as his sibling.




Anyways my husband took the rest of the week off to be with him and I was home too (I wasn't working at the time) We got him on a Wednesday and felt it best for us both to be there for his vet visit and just to help him get adjusted

And we quickly discovered he couldn't stand being left alone and he would scream the whole time we would be gone. (the neighbors let us know about it)

(He was crate trained by the way)

Well we worked with him and he got better and then we asked our vet some advice and the vet said "He'll grow out of it" (worst advice in the world)

Anyways then a friend of ours suggested getting him a friend. So when he was 8 months old we brought home a second dog. (she was between 10 and 12 weeks old)

We got our second dog though not so much for him. I wanted her for me. I wanted my girl dog and she was the kind of dog I always wanted. Not that I didn't want him I very much wanted a poodle)

And I think she helped him a lot but the problem is now (now that he is a year and a half old and she is a year old) he hates to be away from her. So now we see the anxiety is still there but its focused toward her now.

So what do you think could have caused his anxiety? Was he just born that way?

I will add we do pretty much have it under control now but it still boggles me that he had such bad anxiety when he had never been abused or abandoned.

(You would think our little mix who was abandoned would have those issues and she doesn't before he would)


Well its completely under control now (well I say completely but every now and then he still gets a bit nervous about being seperated)
But I still wonder to this day what could have caused this anxiety.

thanks

Sometimes this type of clinginess is just a part of the individual dog's temperament, something he was born with. There are some dogs out there, who present in such a way that everyone is certain it was abused, when in fact it was not. Strong leadership can help to build the dog's confidence and make him a little more secure.

What causes separation anxiety? Probably any number of things -- anything that can cause the dog to connect being alone with a scary event. As to dealing with it, there are many many ideas out there. You may find a solution that works for your dog; or, you may not.

My dog, Sabastian, is a mixed hound that I adopted when he was 10 months old. His first 10 months are a mystery to everyone. His separation anxiety was severe. I lived in a apartment at the time. I had one advantage--my neighbor like to have "lively" parties on weekends. We had an agreement--I wouldn't complain to the landlord about her parties and she wouldn't complain about Sabastian's screaming.

It was interesting to see how Sabastian and my other dog, Libby, helped each other. Libby, a cattledog, had severe shyness issues. Sabastian was very outgoing. So, Libby was Sabastian's comfort at home, and Sabastian was Libby's ambassador in the big scary world.

After Libby went to Rainbow Bridge last October, Sabastian's separation anxiety exploded again. He became terrible anxiety whenever I left the house--even if my mother was still at home. He seemed to be afraid that I would not return--just as Libby had not come back. Now, whether he really made that connection I don't know but that's what it seemed like. He has begun to settle just a bit now that Tanner has joined the pack.

Some of the things I tried:
Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter: Libby liked these, but Sabastian was too anxiety ridden to give a rip.
Crate training: Sabastian actually chewed his way out of an airline approved plastic travel kennel--pooped plastic for three days. We then got a metal wire crate. He eventually worked several wires loose and I came home to his head sticking out of the crate. He seemed to do much better not being in a crate. Surprisingly, he did not destroy doors, carpet, or furniture when he was loose in the house.
Buster Cube: this was a dice shaped toy that treats went into and when tipped around would release a treat. This was fun for Sabastian but he would only play with it when he had calmed down.
Bach's Rescue Remedy: didn't do a thing.
St. John's Wort: also didn't work.
Valerian: did not work. (I was trying to avoid pharmaceutical anxiety drugs...can you tell? I never would put him on drugs.)
Obedience and trick training: this did help, actually.