Mini Golden being Alone

[christineadler]

Hi, I hope this isn’t a repetitive comment. But we have a miniature golden retriever (King Charles spaniel and golden mix). We got him as a puppy at one month old, now he’s about 11 months old. For the most part he is a really good and chill dog. He’s fully potty trained, had one puppy obedience class before the Shelter in Place requirements in our area took effect and did really well in that class. Before the SiP I would leave for work, my wife would take the kids to school, occasionally the dog would walk with them. If my wife had errands to run the dog would stay home. I tell you all of this because it seems since the SiP he has developed an issue with us leaving. We had old neighbors who decided to tell us he barks for hours when we leave the day before they moved out... anyway. We didn’t know this was happening. Since learning of this behavior we’ve tried treat toys, bully sticks and Kongs. None of it worked. We’ve resorted to putting the dog in his crate that he sleeps in at night in our bedroom. Which is usually fine. But when we leave in the day and need to crate him he barks and whines and scratches at the door and digs at his bed as well as pees in and out of his crate regardless of the last time he went potty. It breaks my heart and I want him to be ok with the crate when we need to in the day, or even better, in the living room free to roam. Help please? How can we fix it?

 

[helenalindberg]

@christineadler Your dog has separation anxiety now that you all are home all the time. You need to work up in small increments to make him okay with you leaving. I have a few tips and suggestions.

1. Move the crate to the living room. This will make it a fun place for him to be as he can be in it and still around the family. You want to make it a fun space for him so make sure he gets lots of yummy treats when in there. When you do have to crate him when you leave, make sure he has a kong filled with special treats that he ONLY gets in the crate. Also depending on how long you’ll be gone you might want to remove water OR replace it with ice cubes. Ice cubes will still give him the hydration he needs without him overdoing it and peeing in his crate. Side note about the crate: how big is it? He should be able to turn around but that’s about it. Too big of a crate encourages them to pee because they can pee and then be away from that corner or spot. Smaller crates help them hold it as dogs don’t tend to WANT to pee where they’re laying.
2. You need to break up the triggers for when you leave. You probably have a routine of getting your keys and jacket or bag and walking out. Start doing those things randomly throughout the day but don’t leave. This will help him to be desensitizes to these triggers and hopefully help keep him calm when you go.
3. CBD or other calming treats may work wonders for him. I would check with your vet first to see what their suggestions are for homeopathic options. He may just need a little help controlling his anxiety in the beginning until he gets used to you guys leaving.
4. If you can, make sure he is exercised before you leave. A tired dog is a dog less likely to get anxious and start barking in the first place. If you can’t exercise him, try to do ten minutes of training with him. Have him practice his commands, this way he is exerting some mental energy and it may help calm him down.
5. Start slow but start leaving the house for thirty seconds, one minute, etc. slowly build up and if you come in and he’s calm praise.

The BIG thing with all of this is that you HAVE to stop making coming and going a big deal. If you or your family smother him when you get home then he will associate you guys coming back as a time to get hyped. You do not want to reinforce that because if he’s anxious and barking the whole time you’re gone, you are now rewarding him for that behavior. When you leave, don’t talk to him just go. When you come back, wait till he’s calm and then love on him.