torontobasset

Hi everyone,

My partner and I adopted a three-year-old basset hound from a rescue about six days ago. Since then, we have learned that he has very intense separation anxiety. The first time we left him alone, in a crate with his rescue-home blanket and toys, he barked for 45 minutes straight. Since then he's whined loudly and barked as we've tried to get him used to us coming and going throughout the day - we've never been able to leave for more than 30 minutes. He also appears to be licking his paws, in between his toes.

Other than going slowly with coming and going, does anyone have any advice? We live in an apartment and cannot have two dogs. It seems that as good as he gets, he always relapses. For instance, yesterday he was quiet in the house as I sat outside for 30 mins. But this morning he barked loudly right away. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

jaylii9

I could have written this same exact post 6 months ago! We adopted our 3 year basset last summer and she had horrible separation anxiety. No problems now but it took a lot of work. Our trainer told us that if you don't tackle separation head on, it will never go away.

Congrats on your rescue! What's his name? Please post pictures!

I don't like having pets in bed with me (can't sleep), but we did have Libby's crate in our room for the first 3 months we had her and she slept in there. I think she needed the security of being with us at night. These days she sleeps on the couch downstairs (rough I know!) So that is one suggestion I have.

Here is some other info on separation anxiety:

1. Buy a thunder shirt. Sounds stupid, but it works! My husband called it the valium vest. We used it when she was feeling anxious and during thunderstorms. We haven't used it in awhile, but for the first few months she used it all the time.

2. Crate training. I was against crate training when we first got Libby, but our trainer convinced me that she would feel safest in her crate and it would help us house train her. I found the ASPCA crate training in one weekend guide very helpful. We spaced it out over more than a weekend, but the steps are the same: ASPCA - Virtual Pet Behaviorist - Weekend Crate Training

Also don't make a big deal out of your coming and goings. I would also develop a routine as soon as possible. Also, make sure he is getting lots of exercise and interaction/love with you when you are home.

We also always made going into the crate positive for Libby. She had bedding, a couple toys and water in her crate.

It might also be good for you to give him something stimulating to do when you leave. We would make Libby a kong those first few months. You can fill kongs with lots of stuff (look online), but we usually used some wet and dry dog food to stuff it. Seal the ends of the kong with peanut butter. As he gets smarter with the kong you can also prepare one and freeze it ahead of time to make it more challenging for him! Treats and kongs provide a positive association with you leaving and dog going in the crate.

This is roughly what our routine was with Libby the first few months we had her. We first did all the steps of the crate training I linked above.

Leaving:
-Walk with her to crate.
-Tell her "bed"
-She would go into her bed and we would praise her and give her the kong.
-Close crate and say bye in a calm, normal way
-Turn on radio in room (classical station or npr)
-Leave

Coming home:

-Go straight to her crate.
-If she was overly excited we would stand there and ignore her until she calmed down (advice from our trainer).
-Once calm we would say hi quickly, get her out of the crate and immediately take her outside to pee.
-We taught her the command "potty". She is very smart so this comes in handy! She doesn't like going out to pee in the rain, but we are firm in our requests (this is important with a stubborn, smart basset!)


Another good piece of advice that our trainer gave us is to practice her being alone when we are in the house. We did this the first few months for short periods of time, just to reinforce to her that we will always come back, she is safe etc We would put her in the crate, give her a treat walk out of sight and immediately come back to her and praise and give treat if she was quiet. If she did bark when we walked away we would come back and calmly tell her quiet and then walk out for a second again. We did this over and over and over again gradually increasing the time as she got more comfortable. Our trainer told us that we had to teach her to trust us and teach her that we always come back. Over time we would put her in the crate for 3-30 minutes while we were doing other things in the house.

3. if you do have to leave for long periods like for work consider hiring a dog walker to come to your apartment mid day for the first few months.

Good luck! I think he will get better and you will be able to get over his separation anxiety if you do the hard work with him. Ithink that it's never too late. Our Libby was rescued and we did not know her background at all. Lots of hard work and patience, but it has paid off!

One final thought! Invest in dog training! We took an eight week class with Libby and we all learned SO much! Ask your vet or local animal shelter for a recommendation. It was also great to have the support of the trainer as we all adjusted to one another.

jaylii9

P.S. Here is another article from the ASPCA that may be useful for you! ASPCA - Virtual Pet Behaviorist - Separation Anxiety

Barney'spal

Welcome to the forum torontobasset....jaylii9 just about said it all. Good luck in solving this......post some pictures please.

__________________
Properly trained, a man can be a dog's best friend.

barneysmom2510

Hi and welcome. Looks like jaylii9 gave you some good advice.

__________________
-LISA


Mini daschunds Sadie Lou & Daisy dukes
Chihuahua Lola
Bassett Hound Barney

AmyB

Clifford has separation anxiety also & the Thundershirt works well for him. It doesn't totally fix the problem, but it definitely has helped. Also, he seems to be getting better as time passes. He is a rescue too & I've had him for 6 months. When I first got him, the anxiety was pretty bad - drooling, barking, running around (as reported by a neighbor who checks in on him). Now, he is much better. I've also found it helpful to keep his days very routine. On days when I don't work, I still leave him for a bit, just so he keeps the routine.

__________________
Amy, mom to
Sadie (ATB, 6/9/06) & Spencer (ATB, 8/19/10) - always in my heart
and Clifford (gotcha date 7/2/11).

Mikey T

see the exercises in the following links however note that most often it is necessary never to leave longer than the dog can cope with. Which for many is not eassy that usually means doggy daycare. Often times behavior modification will not work without reducing the anxiety level in the first place. which requires medication so you either need to consult with your vet or work with a board certified veterinary behaviorist. not sure any exist in canada but a list of the one in the state can be found at american college of veterinary behavior.

the most commonly prescribed medication is (Clomicalm®),

seperation anxiety in dogs

Seperation Anxiety

Jnfr

You are getting some good advice here on the Separation Anxiety, but I wanted to chime in and say Welcome! (and post pics!)

torontobasset

Thanks for all your advice, everyone!

Here's a bit more information: Shiloh came to our house crate trained, and he willingly goes into his little cave. He's happy in there, and we keep him in there during the day (I work from home) between walks. He's in the crate when we leave, too.

I've been trying to come-and-go, each time prolonging the time I'm away, but he can only handle about 3 minutes without whining loudly and getting stressed. It's only been a week, though, so I am trying to be patient with him.

Hope this photo works!

mydawgz

Riley knows what I am doing depending on the shoes that I put on. If I grab my tennis shoes, he automatically thinks that he can go with me so he looks for his leash and he goes to the door. If I put on my heels, he knows that I am going to be gone for a while so he gives me the sad look and he goes over and lays down. My problem is whenever I want to run an errand or go to the grocery store, I have to wear my heels or he follows me around whining and waiting by the door!! lol!! I just can't win. Too smart.