My Frenchie cries when left alone. How to stop his separation anxiety?

Hi Lola and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about your problem with Asher Jackson. Behavioral problems are very complex and unfortunately this forum is not adequate for helping you solve the problems. Separation anxiety is one of the toughest problems to take on but with behavior modification and sometimes drug therapy, good progress can be made. Sometimes this involves a certified dog trainer or veterinary behaviorist to aid in the improvement. My best advice is to seek help from your veterinarian. They can evaluate Asher Jackson, take a thorough history and then advise a diagnostic/treatment plan. Diagnostics may include blood tests and other tests to make sure that his overall health is good and to assess internal organ function in case some drug therapy is implemented. Your vet may even refer you to a trainer or behaviorist for more one on one training. Good luck with Asher. I know you can make head way in this case.

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!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Don't worry- you are not alone in this separation anxiety issue Oren seems to be having. This is very common but can be very frustrating for everyone involved- including Oren! Anxiety can be very energy draining, so I am not surprised to hear about the exhaustion experienced when you get home. A few tips, though, can help with this. Keep the crate area very comfortable and inviting with lots of soft blankets. Spray a bit of Adaptil Spray (pheromone spray) you can purchase at your local pet supplies store around the crate area and blankets 15 mins before you leave. Take a kong toy and stuff it with low fat peanut butter or low fat plain yogurt and freeze it overnight. Take it out 10 mins before you leave and offer it to Oren to keep him entertained and busy while you are in the process of leaving and while you are away. Playing music or the radio can help as well. Claiming chewables with L-theanine in them daily can help lower anxiety levels naturally. SSRIs prescribed to Oren by his veterinarian can help with cases that do not improve even with behavioral modifications if Oren continues to have trouble with separation anxiety. I hope this helps and best of luck!

Hello. Neutering may help, but this is a very good time to discuss Dodgers behavior with your vet. She will conduct a through examination of all his body systems & probably recommend bloodwork to rule out any underlying problems. Behavior problems can be addressed with modifying the environment, increased exercise & interactions with the family, training & finally the use of pharmaceuticals. You might want to request a consultation with a board certified veterinary behavior specialist as these things can take time. You are, after all, trying to change a behavior that has been there for quite a while. If your vet does not know of a specialist try here: https://www.avsabonline.org/. Hope Dodger improves soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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!

Hi and thanks for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry to hear Leo is having some separation anxiety. A few more tips that can help would be to freeze a Kong stuffed with low fat peanut butter or low fat plain yogurt to give to him for hours of entertainment a few mins before you leave. The Adaptil pheromone spray can help if you spray this around his bedding or crate 15 mins before you leave. Another suggestion are calming chews such the ones made by VetriScience (Composure) you can give him daily to help with anxiety. Lastly, never make a big deal out of leaving. Say your goodbyes 1/2 hour before you leave and never right before. This can make matters worse for Leo. I hope these tips help and best of luck to you and Leo!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry for the loss of your husband! I think animals mourn as well and they can pick up on our stress and anxiety. I would call your vet and ask for medications for Sophia. I would consider a long acting anti-anxiety medication like prozac and also a short acting medication to use in the beginning for when you leave her. I would hope with time you can wean her off these medications. I would provide something of your husbands for her to keep in her crate or bed that you can give her. If she doesn't have food allergies consider giving her a Kong filled with food (there are recipes online) and keep the radio or TV on for her. If she likes other dogs you can even sign her up for doggie day care and drop her off there for the day. I wish you all the best!