Can a companion dog help my dog's separation anxiety and chewing?

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Yes, dogs can have seperation anxiety if away from their companion dog(s). Since Sienna is still young, some of it may be a bit of jealousy or fear of missing out. I would recommend trying to make sure that she is ok without him, just in case there is a time when they would need to be seperated for a bit (illness or veterinary visit) that she is ok on her own. As she is fairly young, it would be much easier to prevent full blown seperation anxiety by working with her now. But I'm so glad that Sienna has had such a positve impact on your male dog's anxiety.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Separation anxiety can be difficult to address but with patience and persistence training can help. Rather than starting on anti-anxiety medications right away, I typically recommend trying products such as NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin and an Adaptil collar, which can both be found online or at your local pet store quite easily. I would also recommend using a Thundershirt, which can be found online or at the pet store. It would also help if you began feeding Sienna breakfast and dinner in the kennel so that she becomes used to being inside the cage for positive things. I would move all of her toys to the inside of the kennel and whenever she goes inside the kennel, reward her with her favorite treat. If this does not help, I would recommend speaking with her veterinarian and discuss anti-anxiety medications as these may be beneficial in deterring this separation anxiety she suffers from. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!

I would first make sure there is nothing underlying with Corduroy. It seems like there has always been a bit of separation anxiety with him and with his history I would say it is less likely medical. I would talk to your veterinarian about medicine to help Corduroy especially when you are not home. Sometimes getting a second dog does help, while other times it does not. It may be where he may calm down a bit but since his anxiety is getting worse quickly I would recommend doing a trial of medication. While you are trying the medication I would also consult with a behaviorist or a trainer to help with the situation. Your veterinarian should be able to give you names of either a veterinary behaviorist in your area or a trainer that they trust. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It's possible Ares has a bit of separation anxiety going on. if he's destroying things even under the supervision of your roommates, it might be time to look into crate training or keeping him housed in a kitchen or laundry room that has few destroyable items in it to prevent him chewing on stuff. If he's feeling anxious, a pheromone collar (they have dog versions of Feliway) can help by releasing a calming pheromone that may help lessen his anxiety while you're gone. Offering chew and puzzle toys that are safe for dogs is also a good distraction to help keep him occupied with that instead of something he shouldn't chew on. If that doesn't help, looking for help from a trainer or veterinary behaviorist in person is a good next step.

This is a tough question to answer. Some dogs do much better with another dog around, and some do better alone. It depends on Ginger's personality. If she likes to play and gets along with other dogs, she might enjoy the company. If she is afraid of a lot of things, the best thing you can do is get her out into different environments as much as possible. The more she experiences in a positive way, with treats and affection, the more comfortable she will become with new things.

Poor Diesel! This sounds like fairly severe separation anxiety, especially if he's too distressed to eat food or treats while you're gone. I would strongly recommend talking with your veterinarian about the problem, as most dogs with this degree of anxiety will need prescription medication (at least for a while) in order to make any headway. If your veterinarian isn't comfortable dealing with behavior cases, you can ask for referral to a veterinary behaviorist who can discuss a training plan to work on this issue as well as medication options to help your puppy. In the meantime, you can try a DAP pheromone diffuser as well as a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to help a bit with his anxiety. It's not likely that these measures will be enough to resolve the problem on their own, but they may help to make him a little more comfortable until you are able to see your vet for a more comprehensive plan.

Poor Prim. This is likely due to separation anxiety. Sometimes they feel more comforted if they are in a crate. You can try this. This will also help prevent her from ingesting something that could potentially harm her or get stuck. If she doesn’t like a crate then I would talk to your vet about starting her on an anti-anxiety medicine like fluoxetine. I have had good success with this medicine for anxiety. I hope this helps!