My dog whines in her crate when we're home. Is it separation anxiety?

From your description, if Miel is showing this crying behavior when you aren't around, it can be sign of separation anxiety. She is anxious when you leave and is afraid you may not be coming back. This can be a common problem in dogs. I recommend crating her when you are gone. The crate will provide her a small space where she can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train her to get used to a crate. Start putting her in it when you are home and sitting nearby so she doesn't think you are abandoning her, and slowly increase the time she is in it. She can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that she 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 her in the crate. That will keep her 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 her, then I recommend having her seen by a vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Hi there. Yes, it certainly sounds like she may have separation anxiety. Many dogs with this problem are much more distressed if they're confined to a small area, so I would consider leaving her loose in the house since it sounds like she does better that way. You could also try leaving her with a special long-lasting treat that she only gets when you're gone, such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. A natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure might also be helpful.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I agree with you. This is possibly separation anxiety which is actually way more common than people think. While there are behavioral medications that may help, I still prefer more behavioral modifications such as increasing the frequency of those times that you are separated to get her more used to it but more importantly, start rewarding her for when she behaves well when left alone. You can do this with praise and of course treats. If this does not work, there are medications that can be used for this purpose which your veterinarian may be able to prescribe if deemed useful at that time. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It sounds like Stormy is dealing with separation anxiety. I would recommend feeding her dinner in her crate and making this a place where she wants to go and is comfortable for her. I would make sure she has plenty of room to move around in as well. You can try using the Adaptil products to see if this calms her down and relaxes her. It can take some time for a dog to become crate trained but the key is to make it an enjoyable place that she wants to be in. If she associates the crate with food and a place where she sleeps, she will hopefully find the crate less stressful. 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. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

Congratulations on your puppy Coco. It sounds like she may be dealing with stress and maybe even separation anxiety following the departure of her siblings. This should calm down over time, over the next month I would expect her to feel more and more settled. I will suggest a few ways to help her cope below. I am very sorry that you are experiencing these issues with Coco. I will suggest a few tactics to help you both have some peace. The key is to helping Coco feel safe and secure at home, increasing exercise to help with anxiety and also increasing mental stimulation. Allowing her to stay with her mother as much as you can while she adjusts Increased exercise (think fetch indoors) Chew toys Puzzle toys Interactive games like fetch and hide and go seek Leaving the TV, a fan or a White House generating machine on DAP- dog appeasing pheromone releasing diffusers Thunder coats Here are some further resources to help you, but also feel free to ask me any for their questions here on the forum. https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-ways-to-stimulate-your-dog-s-brain/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-ways-to-make-sure-your-dog-feels-safe-in-your-home/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-signs-your-dog-is-stressed/

Destructive behavior like this when you're not home is usually caused by separation anxiety - some dogs will chew things when they're bored, but if there is significant destruction and it only happens when you're gone, anxiety is much more likely. If you want to know for sure, I would suggest videotaping her the next time you go out - it's usually very easy to see on the video if this is anxiety vs. boredom. There are a few things you can do to try and help her. You can try crating her, but be aware that many dogs with this problem are more anxious when they are confined - she won't be able to do as much damage to your home, but she may injure herself if she panics trying to escape. I would strongly recommend leaving her with a special long-lasting treat of some kind every time you leave the house, like a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter or something similar. You may also want to try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Composure or Zylkene to help decrease her anxiety. If you don't see improvement within the next 1-2 weeks, you should talk with your vet about the problem as she may need prescription medication to treat her anxiety, at least for a while. You could also request referral to a veterinary behaviorist for additional help if the problem is severe.

I'm sorry that Lewis is having a hard time adjusting to his crate. A few suggestions. *be sure to leave the crate open at all times, and let it be a happy place for him. put treats and toys in there, and you can even feed his meals in there. Encourage him to go in there just to relax with the door open. Don't ever use it for punishment. * If the 2 dogs get along well, consider this-- I know it doesn't sound fair, because you've had your other dog for a long time, but if your other dog used to go in a crate, I would set one up for her as well. keep them side by side, leave them both open as described above, and when you leave the house or want to crate them at night, crate both dogs. (each in their own crate). Sometimes if a dog sees that his "buddy" is right next door and isn't freaking out, then this can provide some comfort and reassurance. Here are a couple of articles you may find helpful. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-crate-train-your-puppy-or-older-dog/ https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/crate-training-101 Thanks for asking PetCoach!