What ideas do you guys have for dogs with separation anxiety?
I have worked with many cases before, including 4 of my 5 dogs who all had it...
I do have a client however who's got a basset beagle mix who she says has separation anxiety...
They've tried desensitizing the dog to the garage door which they say is the biggest trigger but he digs and tears up the carpet. She said originally she had been told by the foster mom of the dog that he was crate trained, so they started with crating him but because of the way that he acted (scratched, whined, barked...etc...) she then gave him a room to stay in with a baby gate.
I told her that if we started working with him we would re-introduce the crate and get him to associate it with good things to help keep her house in tact, as I don't believe you give a dog (especially one with separation anxiety) access to more space if he doesn't know how to handle a controlled space.
She said that she's opened and closed the garage door and just stayed home, to try and desensitize him to it but when she leaves he loses it...
I have not yet seen this behavior (as her consultation isn't until tomorrow)...but I'm sure many of you have dealt with separation anxiety so if anyone has any ideas, I'd like to present her with as many management techniques and options as possible.
thanks all!