Separation anxiety

[BazBaz]

Hi again,

It's been a while since I posted here. This is mainly because my now  5 month old Border Terrier puppy has been developing great. Stopped almost all the annoying things it initially did. Yay 

However, she's been having some digestion system issues recently and had quite loose stool for about a week now. Saw the VET (Thursday) and got some food and paste that should help with this.

That isn't why I'm writing though. When we originally tried to leave her on her own for a while, it went really slow at first and then was fine instantly. We've left her for about 3.5-4 hours in the morning and the afternoon so we can go to work. We're home for lunch and take her for a walk and she gets fed.

This week, she seems to have decided that she doesn't like this any more and started barking, howling and whining after we left the house. It was so loud that we could easily hear her outside. So we waited until she was reasonably quiet and one of us went back inside, the other went to work anyway.

Since then (Wednesday), we've been taking turns working from home and trying to leave her alone for minutes ( ! ) at a time. This has been going really slow.

I don't know what changed... We're really concerned now, that she was actually like that before, but just wasn't so vocal about it. We really don't want her to be stressed when we leave. It also makes us worry all day now, so productivity at work is out of the question just now as well 

Does anyone have good advice as to what we can do or what might have changed that makes her react like this?

Could her "illness" be a factor as well?

Cheers,

Baz

 

[hollysh]

Did you have a particularly exciting weekend before the week began that you had issues? Could be that she became used to the increased interaction with you and felt suddenly anxious at this stopping. Have you thought about doggie day care or a dog sitter? 

 

[BazBaz]

We took the Friday and Monday off work and had a long weekend, so yes: We have been home more than usual, but I didn't expect this to have such an effect. Especially one that doesn't seem to go away again.

She goes to doggie daycare Tuesday mornings and is shattered afterwards. According to the staff there, more than half a day twice a week would be too much for a dog her age. I don't think I can afford a dog sitter every day during the week. There has to be a way to make her be reasonably happy even when we're away.

We've started over again; leaving her alone for minutes at a time. Opening/closing the front door. Things like that, but times are increasing at a glacial speed

 

[hollysh]

Yes she should be ok with 4 hours. That is the allowable time for dogs to be left alone. Does she stay in a crate when you leave? Maybe try settling her in it with some blankets, toys, treats etc. Things to keep her occupied. 

 

[BazBaz]

Yes, she's in the crate when we leave. She always has a cuddly toy and her chewy Kong bone and a soft towel in there with her.

She seems to be ok when left on her own if we don't leave the house. We've left her for a couple of hours on multiple days this week now and she was alright, but I'm sure she'd start crying again if we actually left.

We're training to desensitise her regarding the house door and car noise now. Puppy in crate; leave house; wait; come back in; praise; repeat...

 

[gypsysmum2]

Good plan to desensitise to you leaving. I would not overdo the praise when you return. Departures and returns need to be very low key so that the dog relaxes. If they are sitting there waiting for you to return so that they can have a fuss then that can make them very frustrated. You want them to settle and ignore your comings and goings.

Some pups reach a stage where they are happier out of their crate when left. If you have a safe place for her then you could try that to see if she settles better?