Separation Anxiety

Poor Summer.  My Codycoe had a mild case of SA.  She could settle, but it took a bit.  That's one of the reasons why I prefer having companions...it really helps having somebuddy else around.

do you use a varikennel or wire crate?  The problem with leaving them in a room is that when you let them out when their all wired it reinforces the SA (cry long enough and you'll get let out).

So you don't have the other dogs in your sig? 

*my* way would be to use a wire crate but then build a 'wall' around it with carpet or baby gates with blankets over them.  Then to create an environment in there with a radio or some sort of 'noise' that is friendly to her. 

In my experience just putting them in a room often tends to ultimately wind them up further because the room isn't a "sleep" environment and there's just enough room for them to wind themselves into a frenzy running back and forth. 

I would likely be using something easy and gentle like Hylands Calms Forte or even an herb like Oat Seed or Passion Flower to relax her.  If you are trying to train her in 5 minute intervals you have to *prevent* the hissy fit.  You have to let her out while she's still not panicking -- to reinforce the calm behavior -- not leave her until she *does* freak.  So it takes a long time to desensitize this way.

why not try and borrow a small animal -- like a bird or a small rodent in a cage and have it somewhere in her environment.  Hootie's cage (cockatiel) sits ON Luna's crate.  They're never allowed to interact (he's somewhat mean -- he bites ME and would definitely bite the dogs).  BUT they are all in the same room and have become 'buds' over the long haul.

But if "anybody" else in the room calms her, then why not see if you can borrow someone's hamster or gerbil or something and see if it works.  Never leave her uncrated near it -- you don't want her killing something.  But if it works you can often find one to rescue easy. 

Just a thot since you said that about any other 'body' working.

If you can get her calmed down with something like an herb or homeopathic so she CAN *think*, then you can work on the training.  Does that make sense?  I'm not talking about sedating her into oblivion.

I know some folks like plastic kennels and I never have because they're limiting.  In a wire crate you can create a room within a room with a carpet 'wall' around it

So they're going to seriously call a small caged animal a 'pet'? 

You seriously may need to borrow a wire crate just to have something *different* and then start from scratch -- feed her in there, give treats, SIT WITH HER.  It shouldn't be a place ONLY to be when you're gonna leave -- then she *will* hate it.

Some quick points to see if you can get some ideas of your own on this.  This is one of those problems that's really hard to help with unless one is right there to observe many nuances of your interaction, or else to ask a million questions.  Sadly at the moment I don't have time for a million questions but when I have my surgery, not sure when yet, I'll basically be sitting here for about a week with nothing to do.  We can yak all you want then if you are still having issues.  But, I hope not!  :)

If you have Deborah Wood's little pink book Little Dogs, go get it and find the section on SA.  Many wise words in there - and in fact she inspired me just now.  I'm always looking for new twists on the old solutions to problems and this is one I hadn't considered yet in this light.

• Toy dogs/small dogs are bred to be companions.  Therefore, just like cat killing and obessing over lights is herding behavior taken to an extreme, SA in most toy dogs may also be usefully considered in that light.  In other words, it's not her that's afraid to be alone, but rather she is afraid that you are alone.  So, take a breath, smile at Summer, and say, good dog, you are just doing what you are supposed to.  Now let's see how we can show you where your job starts.
• The question you need to ask yourself is, how to give her a tool that helps her understand when it's okay not to be right there.
• Deborah Wood points out that SA dogs need to be backchained into understanding that space is okay.  If you've done sports, or freestacking conformation exercises, you may understand backchaining.  In this context, you start by rewarding her for giving you two inches of space, then two feet, then two yards, meanwhile also working on time.  Remember that time and distance are seperate concepts - every time you increase one you are increasing the difficulty.  For something like this, you have to be cautious about increasing both at once.
• You also need a way to ease her fear in between times when you can work on the above.  Instead of changing up when and where and how she's crated, just be very consistent about the crate being "hers."  Carpeting the crate is a nice idea.  I throw blankets over even airline kennels, assuming the dog doesn't chew.  It's very dangerous to use any kind of cover with a chewer, however, especially unsupervised.  Last summer we had to rush a dog to the vet and get a piece of bucket (for pete's sake) removed - he didn't have SA, he had severe barrier and people aggression and while we were gone our landlord had gone in and done some work in the garage where the kennels are.  He and his daughter saw the dog attacking and swallowing pieces of bucket and when the dog became distressed, his daughter (a DVM, thank goodness) stablized the dog while he called us.  Lesson learned!  No more plastic buckets in the kennels.  Anyway, work on making her happy in the crate, not by being there with her, but by rewarding her, again, for volunteering to go to it from another room, staying in there on her own with you in another room, etc.  Make a big game out of it.
• I'm sure you know this but never make a fuss when you come back.  I have used the "pot of water" routine.  For a dog with severe issues, let the dog out of the crate, but don't greet the dog at all.  Go put a little pot of water on to boil, hum a little tune, watch it come to a boil.  When it's done, turn it off (don't forget that part like I've done before :-/ ), and ask her to do something (Zhi has to do a trick and get a treat).  By that time things are sort of on an even keel and the "Coming back" part is mingled in with Life As Usual.

Patricia McConnell really understands active, job-oriented dogs and I've always really connected with her methods.  She's got a booklet just for this issue:  I'll Be Home Soon (isn't that sweet? :) ).  I haven't read this one but her other booklets are very practical and helpful.

Good luck!
 

Poor Summer. Astra's starting to go through the same thing and having the other dogs here makes no difference. She starts howling even outside the crate. She did better the other day though. (I hid outside listening) I put her in her crate with a kong. Have you tried that? Leaving her with something to do?

 Sounds very similar to the SA I went through with Kirby when I first got him.  Only difference though was I had to be there.  Didn't matter if I left him  with my parents he would still start stressing, whining, and then barking.  They couldn't even get him to eat his favorite treats, even if they were shoving them right up under his chin because he was too fixated on my return.

While I did a number of things like desentizing my leaving, giving special kong treats when I was gone, and never returning if he did break into a barking/whining spree untill there was a calm, I think the most effective thing I did that helped him was ignore him when I returned like Brookcove mentioned. 

I didn't boil a pot, but when I would enter my room, where his crate is kept, I would go straight to my computer.  I wouldn't give him eye contact but would play around with my comp and wait for him to completly chill.  Once he had given up the OMG SHE'S BACK!!! routine and sat or laid down, only then when I go and let him out of his crate.  Even then I would still ignore him once he was out.  Usually I would sit back down at my comp for a minute, then get up and take him out to potty.  Only once we got back from him pottying would I finally really acknowledge him, and then I kept it real low key.  Just a pat or two, a soft hello and then moved on with my life.

 Because are little velcro, companion dogs are so sensitive to us, I think they really pick up on how we react when we come home.  If we are relaxed, yawning, and not even feeling the need to check in with them right away, I think it helps them see that it really isn't a big deal.

Thanks for all those tips everyone! I really never thought of SA being put the way that you mentioned, Becca.  I've always said that toy dogs do seem to view their bond with their human very differently than other dog groups.  Not better or worse, just different and they take companion to the extreme.  That's the main reason I love the papillons- their total devotion to trying to be your constant best friend.  Of course it makes issues like SA a bit more difficult.

I went to the bookstore and read up on SA a bit yesterday but didn't see that book.  I might go look for it later.  The basics we've been trying are obviously ignoring her when I leave and get back and make it as boring as possible.  I've also been trying to vary my schedule.  The only problem is I am going to have to get the other two people I live with on board. One's goo about following the rules and the other isn't so much.  I'll have to have a talk with her tonight.   

 one thing I find so strange with her is that it does not matter who it is with her.  Most dogs I know of that have SA really seem to miss their owners.  Summer just doesn't want to be alone.  I can leave her with another dog and she's fine (haven't tried any other animals), she can be with either room mate, either parent, hr breeder, my sisters, etc... I'm pretty sure she'd be satisfied by a burglar keeping her company as well!  I do count my blessings though as she doesn't get destructive while I'm gone, she just cries and bounces around.