Separation anxiety

[Anniegetyourspoon]

I have a miniature dachshund who is very attached to me. She was originally my daughter’s dog but I had to take over her care ( we live together)
Now originally we had three dachshunds but two of them sadly passed away after little Honey joined us. She was very close to our male dog 😢
The thing is, this year I’ve had cancer twice and numerous operations and hospital appointments. When I leave the house she howls for hours until I come back. This drives my daughter mad and she’s very anxious.
we have tried all the usual things including mild sedation. Nothing works.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
I did have a dog sitter nearby but she couldn’t stand the howling either 🤦🏼‍♀️

My only suggestion would be to go back to basics like she was a puppy... and very gradually build up the time apart. Leave her for a few seconds then go back in and give her no attention initially (i.e. dont make a big deal out of you returning), then a few mins etc until she can tolerate longer.
Oh and the usual stuff like leaving a TV on, blanket with your scent etc, but i'm guessing you're doing that already.

Sorry to hear about your health. Hope things improve soon

Part of the problem is that she’s with me all day, every day until I have an appointment. Yes we’ve tried things with my scent on, treats that she loves etc. It’s like she just goes demented as soon as I leave the house. She is very clever and watches me getting dressed. As soon as I put my shoes on she’s following me everywhere, obviously aware that I’m going to be leaving!

Its unusual that she kept on howling with a dog sitter!!

You could try a dog walker. Will be more distracted if out.

I know! She seemed ok at first but the sitter had two dogs of her own and they were a bit bossy with her. As for walks, the sitter tried that and ended up dragging Honey because she wouldn’t walk. Her paws were sore and I’ve never taken her back 😠

Have you tried going out for a minute and coming back? Repeat lots of times for a few days. Then the next week do 5 mins, then 10 mins the week after, then 20 mins, then 30 mins.

Build it up.

I believe the advice is don't make a fuss when you go, just leave without saying goodbye. Then don't particularly greet them when you return for a few mins either.

What does your dd do to distract/soothe the dog, can she take her a walk before you go out so the dog doesn't see you getting ready? Then gets a nice treat when she gets back, the dog might need some long term medication and a behaviour plan.

Sadly my dd won’t collaborate with me on this. She’s undiagnosed autistic and is deeply offended that our dog will not take comfort from her. This has made the situation worse. Maybe I should have mentioned this at the beginning. When I’m home the dog will interact with my dd but as soon as I leave it’s as though she’s not there. Tbf she has tried but it’s never worked so now she just stays in her room with headphones on 🤦🏼‍♀️

Then if I’m at the hospital I get a series of nasty texts about what is happening 😞

Oh no, is there a day care you can drop your dog off or even a 1 person sitter what a shame it sounds distressing for everyone.

This sounds incredibly stressful for you, especially because of your health. I am so sorry. Similar, to previous posters, all I can say is to try going right back to basics, as if she was a new rescue or a puppy. I recently adopted a rescue dog, who had lived with only one elderly person, until that person was taken into care. He then went to a shelter and was traumatised by the enforced separation and the kennel environment. When I brought him home it was immediately obvious that he had separation anxiety, barking and howling when I went out, which became worse as he bonded with me, it was a nightmare as I live alone & have no back up.
Anyway, on a positive note, I immediately began following all the advice about leaving him for a few minutes, frequently, always leaving with a breezy "see you later" and no fuss. Returning as if everything was fine and normal. Then I increased the time away to five minutes, ten minutes and so on. Now, after four months, I am able to leave him for two & a half hours. It has not been easy but it has definitely been worth the effort. Obviously, I am hoping that I will be able to leave him for longer periods, in time, if needed, but the current success is better than I could ever have imagined in the beginning. I wish you the very best of luck.

@indianrunnerduck
thank you, that’s incredibly helpful! I’ll try getting dressed as I do for hospital then go out for a few minutes and come back in, with my daughter waiting with Honey!
it’s really good to hear that I’m not the only one in this situation, yours sounds very similar 😊

If shoes on are a trigger put them on for 5 mins but stay at home. Shoes on may only be a 50:50 chance of separation

There was a very recent episode of Victoria Stilwell’s programme about a dog with severe separation anxiety - it might be worth having a watch of that. It’s on Discovery+.

@snoopythebeagle Thank you!