My dog has separation anxiety. How to help her clinginess and destruction?

What can I do if my dog already has separation anxiety? Treating an established case of separation anxiety will require the guidance and help of your vet. The road to recovery takes time and patience, but with the right tools you and your dog can both lead a less stressful life. It is very important that you visit with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will help you formulate a specific plan to help reduce your dog’s anxiety and build his confidence. Things your vet may recommend are: Behavioral exercises SPECIFIC for you and your dog. Anxiety-reducing medication. These medications will not cure your dog; however, they can alleviate his anxiety enough so that he is able to learn new behaviors. An examination to look for underlying medical conditions.

This does sound like Rexxy has some separation anxiety. Some things that you can do to help him are to make sure he gets plenty of exercise, especially before you have to leave for an extended period of time; put him in a crate/kennel before you leave to prevent him from being destructive while you are away; and you may want to consider talking to your vet about medication for anxiety. This may help his transition and make him be more calm in your absence. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

You would need to consult with an in-home professional dog trainer. They can help you the best. If the anxiety is severe then you can talk to your vet about using a medication in conjunction with the re-training. You may also want to consider using some Adaptil (pheromone) products: https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/site/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?s=adaptil&hierarchy=&sort=score%20desc

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern! Unfortunately, separation anxiety can be quite difficult to address for most dogs. I usually recommend a multi modal approach. I recommend the following non-prescription approach prior to anything prescription: 1. NaturVet Quiet Moments calm chews plus Melatonin (can be found online quite easily. 2. Adaptil pheromone collar 3. Adaptil diffuser 4. Thundershirt In combination with this, I typically recommend providing plenty of toys such as a kong toy filled with peanut butter and some other noise making toys. I have recently recommended a product called the Pet Cube. This allows you to watch him via an app on your phone remotely and you can even control a laser pointer and interact with him while you are away. If this does not work or the behavior worsens, I typically recommend adding in anti-anxiety medications such as Trazodone, Amitriptyline, Clomipramine (clomicalm), etc. in combination with the above recommendations. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. It sounds like Loki has a fitting name! Unfortunately, he has separation anxiety and this can be difficult to correct many times. I would recommend providing him with plenty of toys including the kong toy that allows you to insert peanut butter or small treats so that he has to really work to get the treat. Adaptil priducta, which can be found online, can also help. If you are unable to correct this behavior, I would try NaturVet quiet moments calm chews with Melatonin which can be found online or at your local pet store. If there is still no improvement after trying these, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate treatment can be recommended such as anti anxiety medicatioms. 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.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Camellia may have generalized anxiety, or separation anxiety. This can cause dogs to have destructive behaviors, such as chewing excessively, tearing up furniture or clothes, etc. I recommend consulting with your veterinarian about medications that can be given to help reduce anxiety at home, and make dogs much more calm at home. These can include Trazodone, Prozac, Clomicalm, etc. Many dogs tolerate these medications very well and can save them from being relinquished to shelters. I hope this is helpful! Please consider there before rehoming Camellia, as her underlying problems will not go away on their own, and changing homes can actually worsen her signs.

I am sorry to hear that this is happening. It sounds like she is anxious enough to hurt herself. When dogs are this anxious I do think that medication has a place in making them feel better. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian soon. There is a new supplement out called Solliqiun that has a lot of promise. You may consider using that first, before medication. Also, there Is a pheromone product called Adaptil that is a calming pheromone. It comes in collars and plug in diffusers. I would encourage you to purchase this as well. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.