How to help dog separation anxiety immediately when I'm at work?

Most people make the mistake of leaving their dogs for the first time without regard to how long they'll be gone. This can lead to separation anxiety. It is best to begin by leaving for, literally, a second or two. The dog will not have had time to work herself up into a frenzy yet. Come back in and greet her happily. Do this several times; then gradually increase the time you are out in 10 second increments; keep lengthening your time away. If you find her anxious when you come in, go back to the amount of time you were able to remain out without upsetting her. You can also use a Kong toy filled with peanut butter (be sure it's not made with xylitol). For a longer play session, freeze the Kong with the snack in it. She will begin to associate your going out with a goody, which will make it pleasureable.

• Leave on the radio/television. Some dogs may be comforted by background noise. What can I do if my dog already has separation anxiety? Treating an established case of separation anxiety will require the guidance and help of your vet. The road to recovery takes time and patience, but with the right tools you and your dog can both lead a less stressful life. It is very important that you visit with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will help you formulate a specific plan to help reduce your dog’s anxiety and build his confidence. Things your vet may recommend are: Behavioral exercises SPECIFIC for you and your dog. Anxiety-reducing medication. These medications will not cure your dog; however, they can alleviate his anxiety enough so that he is able to learn new behaviors. An examination to look for underlying medical conditions.

Great question! When a dog has separation anxiety, typically you will see destructive behaviors from them when you leave the house, such as tearing up objects. They can also excessively salivate, whine, howl, bark, chew on things, defecate and/or urinate in the home, dig, or try to escape the house. If you are concerned that Fox may have separation anxiety, there are a few things you can do for it. I recommend crating him when you are gone. The crate will provide him a small space where he can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train him to get used to a crate. Start putting him in it when you are home and sitting nearby so he doesn't think you are abandoning him, and slowly increase the time he is in it. He can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to him in the crate. That will keep him occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety and pair that will a DAP pheromone collar that releases pheromones when in contact with his skin. If these methods do not help him, then I recommend having him seen by a vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications. Good luck, I hope this helps!

They're adorable! Leaving them in a smaller room with music on or a TV will help. Start leaving them for short times before you go back to work to get them used to being alone. Ignore them some of the time when you are home and don't make a big deal about your coming and going. You may consider having someone come in for a while at lunch to take them out and play with them for a few minutes. If needed there are anti anxiety medications that can be given for a short time to get them to relax when alone. Hopefully they will settle into the new routine. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dogs.

I am sorry to hear about Max. Lexapro is not a drug we normally use in dogs so its safety and efficacy hasn't been evaluated and I would not recommend giving this drug. The drug also requires several weeks of use before effects are truly seen so it would not help you now. There are, however, some prescription medications your vet can recommend and prescribe to help Max to provide both short term and long term relief. You can read more about this condition and treatment options at https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952970 . You can try over the counter products like an Adaptil collar https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952970 and Zylkene calming supplement http://www.vetoquinolusa.com/content/zylkene though in severe cases of anxiety these may not be enough.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern! Unfortunately, separation anxiety can be quite difficult to address for most dogs. I usually recommend a multi modal approach. I recommend the following non-prescription approach prior to anything prescription: 1. NaturVet Quiet Moments calm chews plus Melatonin (can be found online quite easily. 2. Adaptil pheromone collar 3. Adaptil diffuser 4. Thundershirt In combination with this, I typically recommend providing plenty of toys such as a kong toy filled with peanut butter and some other noise making toys. I have recently recommended a product called the Pet Cube. This allows you to watch him via an app on your phone remotely and you can even control a laser pointer and interact with him while you are away. If this does not work or the behavior worsens, I typically recommend adding in anti-anxiety medications such as Trazodone, Amitriptyline, Clomipramine (clomicalm), etc. in combination with the above recommendations. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Be sure to get him plenty of exercise while he is gone; walks are great. You can talk to your vet about temporarily trying a medication such as fluoxetine or even trazadone to help ease his anxiety. You can try a calming treat such as Composure. I'm not sure if you can get this in India, but it is a good product and no prescription is needed. Thank you for asking PetCoach!