My new GSD puppy is frantic. How to prevent separation anxiety?

This does sounds pretty bad. I'd have Oggy seen by a vet to discuss using anti-anxiety drugs in her. You do have to play a lot with her, GSD needs a lot of stimulation and play time. You need to play with her as much as possible.

This behavior is normal. she does not like being separated from her 'pack'. Luna is too young to have separation anxiety but if you indulge this type of behavior, you could cause her to develop separation anxiety as an adult. It is important to have dogs that are comfortable and adjusted to being away from you. Your best option is to work with a trainer and to read many books about dog training and behavior. There is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who has written several books that will be beneficial. German Shepherds are a breed that can be prone to behavioral issues so you want to be certain that Luna is well exercised and trained. I recommend to stick with positive training techniques and to read a lot about the breed. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

GSD are already very high strung and skittish dogs so you really need to get a handle on this before it gets worse. Most often GSDs will resort to fear biting if they are uncomfortable around people. You need to get a trainer to work with you at your house, in her environment. Behavior issues are not a quick fix - they take a lot of time, training and dedication. There is nothing magical I can tell you over the internet to fix this. With a GSD you need professional intervention with a trainer in your home so they can see how she interacts with people, what her triggers are, etc. Here is a trainer in your area. I am not endorsing her as I do not know her in any way. I suggest you contact her and see if she can help you. If not, maybe she can refer you to someone who can. https://www.karenpryoracademy.com/Debi_Buchholz Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Honestly, the best option is to consult with a professional, in-home dog trainer. In the long run this is going to be the most cost effective and will give you the best chance at resolving the issues without making them worse. These are times a professional needs to intervene. If you don't know what you are doing you can certainly make them worse. The trainer need to come to your house to see the behaviors and see how all the family members and/or other pets interact with him. Behavior problems are not quick fixes but you must consult a professional and be consistent. I really like BarkBusters and SitMeansSit but they may not have a trainer in your area. If not, call the closest one to you and see if they can refer you to someone else. You can also contact the rescue organization or your veterinarian for a training referral. ( https://www.barkbusters.com/dog-training-california-experts ) ( https://www.barkbusters.com/dog-training-sacramento-roseville-folsom ) ( https://sitmeanssit.com/locations/ ) In the meantime you can try some Adaptil diffusers, spray and/or collar to see if they help. You can usually buy these products at your local Petco. ( https://www.adaptil.com/us ) Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

You would need to consult with an in-home professional dog trainer. They can help you the best. If the anxiety is severe then you can talk to your vet about using a medication in conjunction with the re-training. You may also want to consider using some Adaptil (pheromone) products: https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/site/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?s=adaptil&hierarchy=&sort=score%20desc

Congrats on your new dog, but it does sound like Iris has severe separation anxiety. I would have her seen by a vet for this. The vet can give you a referral to a professional behavioral expert to work on training techniques to lessen her anxiety. The vet can also discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications in Iris. I would also recommend getting a DAP diffuser. This diffuses pheromones in the room which helps dogs with anxiety. A Sentry calming collar can be used as well, which releases the calming pheromones when in contact with her skin.

Sounds like some separation anxiety is starting. You should try and keep her distracted while your mother prepares to leave. Dogs will pick up cues like putting on shoes or picking up keys and start to feel anxious. Sometimes just doing these things and then not leaving will help, as the dog will start to disassociate that with her absence. Also practice getting your mom to leave for very short periods of time and keeping the dog busy in the house with a food dispensing toy, play time etc. Or just chilling quietly and rewarding her like crazy when she isn't looking to the door, acting anxious, whining etc. Have your mom come back. Any time she leaves or returns she needs to not make a big deal about it for the dog. That means no more "Ohh Fluffy, I'm so sorry I''m leaving" or "Hiiiiii Fluffy, I'm home, oh, aren't you just the best dog ever?!". It needs to be really neutral so they dogs behavior isn't being reinforced. Any attention (good or bad) is attention to the dog and you can actually be rewarding them for doing things you don't want reinforced by accident. Keep working on building up the length of time that she is gone and the dog is comfortable. You are absolutely correct that the sooner you get started on this the better off you will be! I also recommend upping your dogs exercise. A tired dog, is a good dog. Dogs with extra pent up energy are more likely to find ways to keep themselves busy and this usually means by doing something we won't approve of. Most "bad behavior" is stemmed from pent up energy and frustrations, and is just a way of expelling that. Make sure walks are just not a leisurely stroll. They need to include running, jumping, sniffing around, try some commands-anything to get their mind and body working together, and tired. If you aren't able to work through this yourself you will need professional help and guidance to work through this issue and give you the tools to be effective in helping her through this. This is imperative that be it addressed now. Over time, the behavior re-enforces itself and it gets worse and harder to treat.