Separation Anxiety advice needed please.

[MotherJack]

Story from the start:

I got my "old lady" (best guess 9 going on 10 now) from rescue last October. She latched on to me quite quickly as I was the one who walked and fed her. Through a series of incidents etc I figured that she had been the pet of an old person, and spent most of her life snoozing with them, never going out, but never leaving their side....

....and she most certainly does not want to leave my side. She has always been prone to following me but in the last couple of days it has got ridiculous. Examples are this:

This morning when I stood up to walk into the front room and she was in her bed in the kitchen. When I returned to the kitchen, she wasn't there, which was strange as she wasn't in the front room. I went back to check in the front room - not there and it was only when I returned to the kitchen that I heard her claws on the lino - she had been following me so closely that I couldn't actually see her behind me.

I can't sit down on the floor to sort laundry out as she comes and sits between my legs, looking at me.

I can't walk downstairs without her tripping me up (her gross motor control isn't A1 and she usually stumbles and bowls me over)

She would rather stand outside in the rain with me whilst I am getting something out of the freezer than stay inside in the warm and dry.

In the last few days she has started panting on my return and I wondered if she did it when I went out... question has been answered this morning as DP was in, unusually. She went upstairs to pant excessively in his face as soon as I went out. She panted on my return.

I have tried a couple of things related to this as I had thought her weeing in the house may be related to separation anxiety, but it was not (all it took there was actually catching her at it, a firm "No!" and she has not done it since) and is very pleased with herself for doing it in the garden. (funny really, she knew the best place to do it was the garden as she got a biscuit, but still didn't understand the house was off limits!)

The things I try to do are not making a fuss when either leaving or entering the house.

I gradually built up the length of time I was away and have been out for up to 3 hours and

I give her occasional rewards when she is relaxed in her bed.... You've probably got the picture that I can't actually do this very often!!

I need to get on top of it as I feel so sorry for her, not being able to relax, seemingly ever. She is a jumpy wee thing too and normal household sounds upset her... for example I opened a large packet of spice last night and it crackled and she nearly fell over in her haste to exit the kitchen (and before anyone says it - no, that would be cruel ) Her nervousness of sound seems to have increased recently too.

As she seems to be a lot worse, I don't want to step up what I am doing in case what I am doing is doing it.

Advice greatly appreciated! Thanks

[janmoomoo]

My old rescue dog was similar when we first got her, although not as bad as yours. Its really hard because its so blummin annoying to have them glued to you but if you get cross and shout it makes them even more anxious! Mine used to be up before I had even got fully off the sofa, and bark the moment we left the house, but the good news is she did gradually get better once she learned we were coming back. It took about a year or so but she did settle. Have you talked to the vet - they can give some sort of short course of anti anxiety medication which worked a treat for mine to break the habit. Also my friend who is a vet recommended the Dog Appeasing Pheremones - DAP plug in diffuser. It did seem to work although not sure of the science! Also I read somewhere to leave the room, close the door and then put some of your worn clothing across the bottom of the door so they can smell you when they sniff under the door. Good luck. I had my rescue dog for 16 years but she decided it was time to go last summer and I still miss her.

[anchovies]

We also used a DAP diffuser/collar and it seemed to work really well. The other thing we did was every time we left the room close then immediately open the door, building up the time that the door was shut very gradually. We also left through the front door and quickly came back in through the back which seemed to work well (with no fuss from us whatsoever). I don't know how active/food motivated she is but our rescue also really likes his kong wobbler, if we are going out in the morning I put his whole breakfast in it which makes the leaving him part much kinder as he is distracted and not going ridiculous at the site of us all putting coats and shoes on. Good luck, it's not a nice feeling knowing they're missing you!

[MotherJack]

Thank you! Sorry for the delay in responding.

It's not that she's missing me, but that she is distressed - and not just when I have left the house, either, but in a different room!! I have given her a Kong before I left, but the last one she was so upset she didn't touch it. I do do the going out of one door and in the other already... but getting out the door without her glued to my heel can be a challenge at the mo!!

I'm glad you have both seen the end of it. It gives me hope for her, at least!

So it seems that I'm not particularly doing anything wrong, but I need to keep it up and get her to the vets and get a DAP thingy. Handily, there is a plug right next to her downstairs bed.....

And Janmoomoo.... It's heartbreaking after all that time spent together.