Hi! I'm seeking some advice on helping train my dog who has developed really bad separation anxiety. He has always had some trouble, barking and whining when we leave, but would eventually settle down after a few minutes. That was before the pandemic, then both of us moved to permanent work-from-home and we moved in with a roommate who had a calmer dog who he would stay with when we left.
We just moved across country so he no longer has another dog roommate and we are in a completely new environment and he has gotten much worse, scratching at the door and constantly howling and yelping. We live in a much closer apartment environment and are worried about noise complaints (We have put up a plastic covering on the door to stop scratch marks). We are also going to both be working in the office soon.
I'm concerned about many of the training recommended by others. Here are some of the things we are doing/not doing:
1) We have stopped making coming home a big deal, and grabbing keys/coats throughout the day, he has adjusted well to that but it hasn't made an impact except that we are able to get out the door before he gets anxious.
2) He is not very food oriented so leaving a treat or Kong is not very helpful. He will get the first treat or two and then give up. He will ignore it completely if there is anything else for him to do, like howl and scratch the door. Also, he has a sensitive stomach so getting him treats like that could get very expensive as we would have to get the nice ones.
3) I was always taught not to reward begging behavior because that just reinforces the idea in their mind that if they do x then they get y, so if I wait until he starts howling or scratching to come back in then I'm worried this will have just teach him that scratching and howling is what makes us come back. This is why I haven't tried much of the "leave for x minutes, come back when they start to get anxious" training. I've tried it a few times, it always gets shorter instead of longer.
4) We tried crating him at our first apartment but that didn't make much of a difference to his behavior. We are probably going to get a plastic one (he has escaped wire crates) for him and try it out, but he's been allowed to stay out in the fenced in living room at our previous house and apartment before that. I'm worried that crating him now will cause extra anxiety.
5) Leaving the blinds open or keeping them closed seems to have no effect. We also have put our shoes out which we know that he loves and he has ignored them.
My boyfriend's mom put up one of the things that emits an unpleasant sound when dogs bark in her backyard and he hated it and it was one of the only things that has deterred him from barking at other dogs. My boyfriend is considering getting one for the apartment. I really don't want to, but I'm also worried that we will get noise complaints and have to move.
I guess I'm seeking general advice, and specifics on how often I should do #3, leaving for a short time and then coming back or if I'm doing it wrong?
We just moved across country so he no longer has another dog roommate and we are in a completely new environment and he has gotten much worse, scratching at the door and constantly howling and yelping. We live in a much closer apartment environment and are worried about noise complaints (We have put up a plastic covering on the door to stop scratch marks). We are also going to both be working in the office soon.
I'm concerned about many of the training recommended by others. Here are some of the things we are doing/not doing:
1) We have stopped making coming home a big deal, and grabbing keys/coats throughout the day, he has adjusted well to that but it hasn't made an impact except that we are able to get out the door before he gets anxious.
2) He is not very food oriented so leaving a treat or Kong is not very helpful. He will get the first treat or two and then give up. He will ignore it completely if there is anything else for him to do, like howl and scratch the door. Also, he has a sensitive stomach so getting him treats like that could get very expensive as we would have to get the nice ones.
3) I was always taught not to reward begging behavior because that just reinforces the idea in their mind that if they do x then they get y, so if I wait until he starts howling or scratching to come back in then I'm worried this will have just teach him that scratching and howling is what makes us come back. This is why I haven't tried much of the "leave for x minutes, come back when they start to get anxious" training. I've tried it a few times, it always gets shorter instead of longer.
4) We tried crating him at our first apartment but that didn't make much of a difference to his behavior. We are probably going to get a plastic one (he has escaped wire crates) for him and try it out, but he's been allowed to stay out in the fenced in living room at our previous house and apartment before that. I'm worried that crating him now will cause extra anxiety.
5) Leaving the blinds open or keeping them closed seems to have no effect. We also have put our shoes out which we know that he loves and he has ignored them.
My boyfriend's mom put up one of the things that emits an unpleasant sound when dogs bark in her backyard and he hated it and it was one of the only things that has deterred him from barking at other dogs. My boyfriend is considering getting one for the apartment. I really don't want to, but I'm also worried that we will get noise complaints and have to move.
I guess I'm seeking general advice, and specifics on how often I should do #3, leaving for a short time and then coming back or if I'm doing it wrong?