What's the best way to treat my dog's crate separation anxiety?

I am very sorry that you are experiencing these issues with Luke. Separation anxiety is unfortunately a fairly common condition for companion animals. I would try the following tactics; Increased exercise -helps with bonding and mental health Interactive toys -treat releasing Puzzle feeders White noise machine while out Interactive games- fetch and hide and go seek Thunder coat continue to use You may consider adopting another pet into the home 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/ There are training techniques to try as well where you leave the home for increasing amounts of time. Each time you return you reinforce that you will come back and everything is fine. I hope this is helpful and Luke feels better soon!

Poor Brownie! You're right that this level of anxiety is not normal, and needs to be treated ASAP in order to improve his quality of life and prevent things from getting worse as he gets older. I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Brownie in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on his problem - this will likely include training exercises to help build his confidence with being alone, management suggestions to help him be more comfortable while you work on the problem, and anti-anxiety medication to make him feel better in the short term. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

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!

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!

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!

Thanks for asking about crate training your puppy. I'm a professional dog trainer. It sounds like you are doing some of the general recommendations for crate training, like feeding in the crate and giving treats in the crate. I'm going to share with you all of my tips for crate training. But the two most important things are to ALWAYS give high value treats for going into the crate and never let him out if he's crying or barking. For you I recommend doing this: Step 1: Throw a handful of yummy treats in the crate and say "Crate" or whatever phrase you want to use and let him go in to eat them. While he's eating them, close the door and stand there. When he's finished eating the treats and not crying, open the door and let him out. Do this 5 times. This teaches him that he gets lots of treats in the crate. The crate is good! Step 2: Throw the treats in the crate, say the word "Crate", let him go in and eat, close the door and walk out of site for a few seconds or a minute (very short time). Come back when he's not crying. Open the crate and let him out. Do this 5 times. This teaches him that you put him in his crate, leave and come back and let him out when he's not crying. Step 3: Throw treats in the crate, say the word "Crate", let him go in and eat, close the door and walk away for 5 minutes. Come back when he's not crying. Open the crate and let him out. Do this 5 times. This teaches him that you stay away longer but you still come back and let him out when he's quiet. Step 4: Do same thing for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and then at night. Step 5: Now that he knows the crate is good, keep reinforcing it by always giving treats to go in. Give him a stuffed Kong or special toys that he only gets in the crate. Keep feeding him in it and don't let him out when he's crying. More tips: Guidelines: 1. A puppy should be able to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably in the crate. 2. Do not leave any extra space inside the crate where the puppy might be able to eliminate. If the crate is large, place another barrier inside that will leave just enough room for the puppy, as stated in step one. 3. Place a towel or padding in the bottom of the crate for puppy to lie on. Remove if you feel the puppy will chew or ingest it. 4. Select an area in your home to set up the crate. This should be in a room where the puppy is engaged with family activities and able to view the family. This may be the family living room or master bedroom. 5. Setup the crate and let the puppy see it in his environment and explore. Keep the door open and hide yummy treats inside, he will learn that good things happen in his crate. 6. Hold a yummy treat in your hand and lure the puppy into the crate. As the puppy enters the crate, say “Crate” or whatever word will be used as the crating cue, and praise and treat. 7. Continue to leave the door open and keep hiding treats under the crate bedding. This will encourage the puppy to explore the crate. 8. Repeat several times until she is comfortable going into the crate. Additional Information: • NEVER force the puppy into the crate. • If a puppy should begin whining or barking in his crate, check your housetraing schedule to ensure the puppy does not need to potty. If the puppy just eliminated, wait until she is quiet before you let her out of the crate. Wait patiently for a split second of silence, and then open the crate door. If you let a puppy out of the crate when he is whining or barking, this will become an “I want out of the crate” cue. • The crate should become a calm and positive environment. • For crate training to be successful, the puppy must view the crate as a refuge and associate it with positive experiences. • Add special yummy treats or toys that the puppy only receives when he is in the crate. Food-stuffed toys like Kong’s work well and make the crate a happier place for the puppy. • When a puppy is left alone in his crate, play soft music in the background.

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!