Fear of being abandoned!?

Question

i recently adopted a new dog (a year n 3months old) and he goes crazy if we want to leave the house (even though we have our other dog in the house with him) but he just hate being left alone. i consulted a vet regarding this and she said that he has a fear of being abandoned and the only way to cure this is to give him tranqulisers before we leave the house and i dont want to do this to the poor dog. He was found on the beach (all alone) and my neighbour found him and brought him to me (thinking its my dog) so i ended up adopting him .....so i guess he was either abandoned or ran away from his owners. I wanna know is there any way i can make him stop doing this...he cries so bad and barks like crazy while scratchin on the door if we leave...i dont want us to get kicked out of the building because of him. any advice?

Answer 1

hi, I'm a dog trainer by profession. you can tell your vet that there are other was to handle this than just doping him up(sounds like your vet just wants steady money). what you are describing is a very common problem with dogs. your dog has separation anxiety. i deal with this all the time. i would recommend you contact a local trainer, what you will need to do is to create train. there is to much info for me to be able type to tell you how. the trainer will work with your dog and teach you how. that's the best way to quickly correct you dogs problems. well hope this helps, brad  

Answer 2

Your dog has Separation Anxiety.  The tranquilizers will help.  You may want to reconsider and try them out temporarily.  According to dog experts, the worst of the Separation Anxiety occurs in the first 20 minutes after you leave.  It is strongly recommended that you buy a size-appropriate Kong toy (or several), stuff it full of treats and hand it to your dog as you leave.

Another really good tip is to avoid any big, emotional Hellos and Good-byes.  Just leave, don't fuss over the dog.  When you return, ignore the dog for about 10 minutes then just give him a casual pat and hello.  It helps to combine this with sitting quietly for 5 minutes or so, ignoring the dog, just before you leave.

Combine the stuffed Kong toy with the second paragraph's tips and you should have a winner.  Giving the tranquilizers in the beginning and gradually tapering off will make it all easier on your dog and your neighbors.  

Answer 3

This works but it's tedious: Go through the routine of leaving (ie: put on your coat, grab the keys, go to the door, etc). Then just put everything back in place as if you just got home. Don't acknowledge him just go about your business. In a couple of minutes, do it again. Do it a few times and then actually go outside. Stay out for a few moments and then go back in. Again, remove the coat, hand up the keys, etc but remember not to acknowledge him, even if he comes to the door to greet you,. Eventually he will come to see that there is nothing to get upset about and that you do come back. The big thing is that you ignore his drama when you do come back. By talking to him or petting him you're feeding his feeling of "if I act this way I get attention". Good luck.