anxiety in boston terrier when left alone (Separation anxiety)

[MaddandDavid]

We have a 17 month old boston terrier.. he seems to be getting worse and worse when left alone. We have a big dog pen for him and we use a blanket to cover the floor but he always pulls at the blanket and pulls the pen toward him and gets to the floor.. We used to have a hardwood floor that we would cover with the blanket and he used to lick all the varnish off.. then we put down a temporary wood floor on top of the varnish floor just where the pen was and he actually chewed the wood! Now we put him in the basement (finished basement) and really stretched out the pen for him and for the 1st few weeks he seemed to really like it but now he is right back to panicking.. he pulled up the rug 3 times with his nails and made all pulls in it.. then when we come home he is shaking because he knows he did something wrong.. we really don't know what to do! Any suggestions? thanks!

[newbear]

Here are some tips that may help you and your dog:
1. Turn on a soft, smoothing tune on the radio when you are away.
2. Wear some unused clothes for 5-10 mins before you go out and place the clothes in your dog's pen when you go out.
3. Buy some boredom toys that are found easily in the pet stores and fill them with treats for your dog before you go out. (A frozen Kong filled with peanut butter and a treat works amazingly well for many dogs)
4. Bring your dog out for a run and make sure he is really tired before you put him in his pen and go out.
5. Crate train your dog. (Watch this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Gb-TF9c9U)

Hope these methods help you and your dog! I would love it if you post me a reply on your dog's progress.

[jude09]

Here are something that Sharda has to say about this topic;

Signs of Separation Anxiety

There are many signs of separation anxiety including: barking, chewing, defecating, digging, excessive salivating, scratching, and urinating. Chewing, digging, and scratching are signs of your dog trying to “escape.” Barking, defecating, excessive salivating, and urinating are signs of anxiety and fear.

Causes of Separation Anxiety

Such causes of separation anxiety include genetics, lack of socialization, lack of training, lack of confidence, mistreatment by a previous owner, extensive confinement, and too much bonding with the owner. As you can see, most of these are the owner’s responsibility.

Treatment of Separation Anxiety

There are things that you can do to prevent separation anxiety. When you put your dog in his crate, don’t have a long, emotional good-bye. Simply, walk away. It is even a good idea to ignore your dog 5 minutes before you leave. If you draw attention to your departure, your dog will worry when the love and emotion is suddenly stopped.

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[lucy and coco]

Hi, just wanted to ask if you are making you coming a going a big deal. if you make it one then it is one. he needs to be calm, so you need to be calm. he will feel if you are anxious about him being in his pen.
As advised above, just ignore your dog when you are leaving, no big goodbye's, and equally when you arrive home, no fuss and big hello's and making him excited, don't say hello till he is calm. it might help if you put him in his pen at other times as well, just hang around coming in and out of the room while he is in there, never get him out or pay him any attention while he is making a fuss. also make sure he is worn out when he goes in there. hope this helps, lucy

[Sarah]

I would suggest you get your dog a little kennel, put an old shirt in there for the dog to lie on and know it's from you.

When you get the kennel, start working with your dog this way. Put a treat in the kennel and put your dog near the entrance so he/she can smell the treat and she will go in voluntarily to get it. When she goes in to get the treat, close the door [don't latch it] for a few seconds. Then open the door [don't call the dog out] let the dog sit in the kennel with the door open and not come out for a few seconds. If the dog tries to come out, tell the dog, no, or us another word of choice. Then call the dog out. give a treat. Repeat the process increasing the time that you have the door closed.

When she gets the idea that you want her to stay in her kennel, you can add "go to bed", or go to space' and she will know that there will be a treat in her bed. When she learns all that. Put the dog kennel where you want her to be when you are at work. put a treat in her bed, and before you go to work tell her go to bed or got to space. and you shouldn't have any problems with her.

depending on the dog and of course your diligence, your dog should learn all of this in a couple of hours. You can also get her a stuffed animal to sleep with when you aren't home.

let me know how this goes...