Separation anxiety

[scottew71]

We have beagle/blue tick mix. She is a good dog. Does not bark at all but whines and cries when we leave. This means we cannot do anything away from the camper unless we take her with us. That is not convenient when trying to swim or ride bikes as a family. Any suggestions. We are trying not to be "that person". Who leaves the noisey whining dog in the camper to disturb everybody else. Any suggestions are welcome.

[raceit17]

We have (2) German Shepherds that we have taken camping with us for 10 years. The female's separation anxiety has become worse over the years. To the point if we leave them alone inside the camper and she thinks (or knows) I'm outside the camper she starts whining to the point it sounds like she's being skinned alive.
This is our solution that has helped make our camping trips more enjoyable:
1) Turn the Air conditioner to 65 and make sure the fan is set to constant (for noise so they hear less of what is going on outside the RV).
2) Turn the TV on. It works for us, we sleep with it on and they are always in the bedroom with us sleeping too. This helps create her comfort zone.
3) We give her (2) Benadryl pills about a half hour to us leaving.
4) Take them for a walk, this helps get them tired and gets that Benadryl running its course.

Having a good vet and being married to a Pharmacist has its perks. Our next course of action was another product called COMPOSURE. It's a chewable treat and you can give them 1-4 of them depending on how anxious they still are. Our vet said that if and when the COMPOSURE no longer controls her anxiety that there are other meds (prescription strength) that we can go to.

Don't be afraid to scold them either if you come back and it sounds like a slaughter house in your RV.

[alaska511]

rvten wrote:
Try a Thunder Jacket. Helps with my dog.

We have some friends that did this, and it made us believe!

I own/have owned, the most neurotic breed (IMO) of dogs, and the SA was in the unbelievable range. Luckily, they both grew out of it.

Our friends did the thunder jacket on their great dane, and he is a totally different dog.

When we get our next Neo, we are definitely trying it.

[Camsmom]

If we are headed to a destination where we know it won't be a good mix for our dog, e.g. NASCAR race, then we leave him in the care of a great dog sitter we have. If we take him with us, then we commit to camping with him and doing activities with him. And yes he has been lots of places many people haven't been. He is a smaller dog, JRT, so it is a little easier to bring him along. He kayaks and swims with us, we book dog friendly parks and research for dog friendly beaches. He comes in many stores, non food of course, and we always ask before going in. We don't leave him in the trailer at a campground, any longer than going to the showers or similar. And if stopping to grocery shop, we do put him in the trailer with the fantastic fan going if it is hot. If it is crazy hot, then we split up. Just not fair to the neighbours to leave a dog in your trailer and then go out. Have been stuck near many a people who do that. Not fun.

[xteacher]

SA dogs are tough. I used to have boxers, which are famous for this problem. I agree with getting medication from your vet to help, but increased exercise and mental exercise are also crucial. One walk a day for a mile isn't enough for this type of dog, IMHO. I would try 2-3 walks a day at 2-3 miles each (gradually work your way up to this level, so as not to injure your dog). Mental exercises will wear them out, as well. Google Brain Games for Dogs or Mental exercises for Dogs to get ideas. You may also want to consider enrolling your dog in agility class. Many dogs enjoy it, and it engages their brains as well as giving them (and you!) physical exercise.

[scottew71]

We tried a thunder shirt with no success at all. It is not the noise of the thunder but I think the difference in pressure in addition to separation anxiety. She reacts the same when we leave sometimes as she does when there is a front approaching. But her panting and pacing starts a while before the rain even starts and long before the thunder most of the time.

[rockhillmanor]

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[DutchmenSport]

Thunder Jacket did not work for our dog. Even our vet said it might not work on all dogs. I think it made him worse! BUT! It works great on our cat! 180 degree turn around for the cat!

We never leave the dog alone. He is always with us. We've adjusted our activities and if the dog can't be there, we don't do it. That means one of us stays in the car or truck when the other goes in the store. Or one stays home while the other runs the errand. If the dog cannot go in, then we don't either. Drive-throughs, camping activities, all take into consideration of the dog. We don't have kids with us any more, and the days of running, running, running to do it all are now ever. So not being as active ourselves affords the time for relaxed activities.

However our dog is not without experience. He's attended a Fort Wayne (Indiana) Philharmonic Orchestra presentation, and even climbed up forest fire towers with us. He's traveled everywhere with us, and when we can't take him inside, then only one of us goes.

Nothing worse than leaving the dog behind locked up in the trailer. What fun is that for the dog. He's part of the family, the needs to be included in everything we do as a family too.

[Murphsmom]

Our Ollie is terrified of thunder so at the recommendation of his trainer, we have been using a CD series to de-sensitize him. The Kennel Calm CD is just classical music with a sort of "heartbeat" rhythm. It puts him right to sleep. We plan to put that on our CD player if we need to leave him alone in the camper. Something like that, played multiple times at home before you go so that he is familiar with the calming effect, might help your pup.

I'll let you all know how the thunder shyness goes. We are only about a third of the way through the series, but so far Ollie still just goes to sleep when we play it.

[NCWriter]

Wow, great advice here.

It sounds like a tough situation for you because the dog is fearful, but also now might be conditioned to getting "good" results (not being left alone) from negative actions like whining.

I have an assistance dog trained by Dogs for the Deaf, and because of the strong bonding created with the human partner, was taught by her trainers to also be sure I left her home alone from time to time to lessen the chance of such anxiety developing. I sprinkle some yummy treats (there are anti-allergenic versions) on her bed and leave a TV on. Now I think she looks forward to it.

I think the Kong advice was definitely worth trying. Our trainer suggested using yoghurt, treats, dabs of peanut butter at one end, and various healthy foods the dog likes. The Kong website probably has lots of suggestions. Stuff the Kongs and freeze.

[rvten]

Try a Thunder Jacket. Helps with my dog.

[dturm]

Separation Anxiety

Pay particular attention to the pharmacological and treatment sections as they give very good advice on how to deal with this problem.

Doug, DVM

[Pawz4me]

Mental exercise = Teaching obedience commands or tricks, playing hide-and-seek (using toys or food), etc. Physical exercise is great, but absolutely nothing tires a dog out like a good session of mental exercise. Clicker training is fabulous since it really gets a dog thinking.

How old is she? Has she always had some SA?

For a dog who has destroyed a crate, and especially if the SA behavior has been going on awhile, I really think getting some medication from the vet to take the edge off and then working on retraining is the way to go. You have to lower the stress level (with the medication) so the dog can be relaxed enough to relearn good behavior.

ETA: If she's food motivated then even with food allergies I'd always leave her with a food treat. You can take some of her regular food (moisten it if it's kibble) and stuff it into a Kong and freeze it. A frozen stuffed Kong will keep most food motivated dogs busy for quite awhile. And most experts believe the worst time for a SA dog is the first 10 or 15 minutes after their person/people leave. So if a treat can keep her busy and distracted for that time period it can really help.

[scottew71]

Pawz4me wrote:
Need more info --

What is your procedure when you leave her? Have you tried both crating and not crating her to see if she does better with one or the other?

We tried crating and she destroyed a metal crate. Bent the bars to the point I was afraid she would get caught on them. She has a plastic one now and she is fine in it as long as we don't close the door or if we close it but stay in the room. If we close it and leave the room she starts frantically scratching and whining.

Do you leave her with some kind of yummy treat?

Haven't tried many treats she has a lot of food allergies so I was kinda shy away from them

Does she behave the same way when you leave her at home?

Sometimes. At times she is fine at home and other times she acts out

How much exercise does she get (physical and mental)?

When at home usually a mile or so walk once a day. When camping several shorter walks a day. Not sure about mental?

For some SA dogs lots of exercise (both physical and mental), a special treat and some white noise when you leave is all that's needed. Others will need some pharmaceutical help and conditioning training to overcome their SA.

[Pawz4me]

Need more info --

What is your procedure when you leave her? Have you tried both crating and not crating her to see if she does better with one or the other?

Do you leave her with some kind of yummy treat?

Does she behave the same way when you leave her at home?

How much exercise does she get (physical and mental)?

For some SA dogs lots of exercise (both physical and mental), a special treat and some white noise when you leave is all that's needed. Others will need some pharmaceutical help and conditioning training to overcome their SA.