separation anxiety- new neighbours...help.

[rorymoneira]

Hi all

I am just wondering if anyone has dealt with a dog who has separation anxiety and ways to help solve the problem without getting a dog trainer.

I have a three year old Dachshund and she has terrible separation anxiety. It is a struggle to leave the house I can barely get out of the door. I have to get her a treat and throw it into the living room and then shut the living room door on her just to be able to leave. The biggest problem though is her extremely loud bark, I'm not kidding you it echo's down the street and it gives me the worst anxiety because it's obviously irritating for the neighbours.

I live in a semi-detached, my next door neighbour said they could only hear her when we leave and then she seems to quieten down. They didn't seem to mind that much because they were always up early with their children and had dogs of their own anyway. Well I have just gotten a new neighbour and I'm just concerned as I doubt she'd be as accepting. My partner has to leave early in the morning for work and if next door is still sleeping they will be woken by my dogs loud bark as my partner is trying to leave.

I just don't know what to do, should I try harder with the treats or crate her? please help!!!

And perhaps that is the case with our dog but there is no need to be rude and critical of how long it has taken us (in the middle of a pandemic) to achieve some success when you don’t have the full picture. We’ve worked so hard with her and she’s become a lovely, well trained dog.

@Missfelipe
I’m glad that worked for you. But with true SA it’s different. It’s not a dog who isn’t keen on being left. But one who drools, has palpitations, chews through anything they think is standing in between them and the rhing that would relieve the anxiety and who can’t think or calm down but is in a constant state of panic.

Thing is, we don't know if the OP's dog has true, phobic separation anxiety, a 'fear of missing out', is frustrated, or what.

The OP hasn't mentioned any destructive behaviour or returning to 'accidents' on the floor, which would be typical of various degrees of separation anxiety but mentions that the dog barks when her partner leaves when (presumably) as a SAHM she is still there and the dog is not therefore alone.

The dog also seems to want the treat the OP throws into the living room to allow her to 'escape', when as a rule a very stressed dog will generally not be interested in food while in that heightened state.

Dachshunds can be very barky dogs (originally they needed to be heard when underground) and they do tend to use barking as a fall-back when they don't know how else to process a situation or what else to do, or even just because the dog is aroused and that needs to come out somewhere; it may be that this one finds it difficult to deal with people leaving the house and just needs to be taught to be able to relax and cope happily.

They are also not 'toy' dogs but hounds who do need some sort of a 'job' to do and well exercised dogs are, as a rule, less inclined to be fractious in the house.

Really, though, none of us can say what will work and what won't because every dog is different and we don't have that dog in front of us.

If you can, OP, record what the dog does when you do leave for a short time (a laptop webcam or smartphone propped somewhere will give you a good idea) so you can show this to the behaviourist when he or she arrives.

@Shambolical1

Thing is, we don't know if the OP's dog has true, phobic separation anxiety, a 'fear of missing out', is frustrated, or what.

The OP hasn't mentioned any destructive behaviour or returning to 'accidents' on the floor, which would be typical of various degrees of separation anxiety but mentions that the dog barks when her partner leaves when (presumably) as a SAHM she is still there and the dog is not therefore alone.

The dog also seems to want the treat the OP throws into the living room to allow her to 'escape', when as a rule a very stressed dog will generally not be interested in food while in that heightened state.

Dachshunds can be very barky dogs (originally they needed to be heard when underground) and they do tend to use barking as a fall-back when they don't know how else to process a situation or what else to do, or even just because the dog is aroused and that needs to come out somewhere; it may be that this one finds it difficult to deal with people leaving the house and just needs to be taught to be able to relax and cope happily.

They are also not 'toy' dogs but hounds who do need some sort of a 'job' to do and well exercised dogs are, as a rule, less inclined to be fractious in the house.

Really, though, none of us can say what will work and what won't because every dog is different and we don't have that dog in front of us.

If you can, OP, record what the dog does when you do leave for a short time (a laptop webcam or smartphone propped somewhere will give you a good idea) so you can show this to the behaviourist when he or she arrives.

Hey thanks for this. The recording to show the behaviourist is a great idea, I have a date scheduled in for her to come so I feel relieved albeit she isn't the original behaviourist I originally wanted to go with.

She hates people leaving it doesn't really matter who it is, me and my partner could both be here and if my mum is visiting and needs to leave she does the same thing. Really loud, consistent barking and sort of gets really close to the door so you have to slip out. Once the visitor or my partner has actually left though she's hyperactive for a minute and then settles back down to her normal self again.

There are times where if I need to leave I don't always throw the treat into the living room and escape, she willingly goes into the living room and I say '' stay'', give her the treat and she does kind of stay in there until I get out of the door and then the barking starts.

I do actually have a webcam and I know that once I have gone to the shops and she is alone she doesn't bark the whole time but she does kind of lay on the sofa by the door waiting for me to come back and maybe whimpers now and again. Other times she does bark the whole time though. Either way she isn't happy.

I think she has the potential, she just needs some proper training and I need this behaviourist to come so I know what to do to help her and understand her better.

Honestly OP that advice on the FB group I mentioned will sort it. Don’t leave for now. Try the flitting game. It’s not a training thing really. If that makes sense!!