Help with seperation aiety!

[moongodess319]

My 2 1/2 year old beagle has seperation aiety. He cries/barks non stop everytime someone walks out of the room he is in. He also chews everything he can, mostly clothing and blankets. My neighbors are starting to get irritated by the constant barking whenever he's alone and I'm afraid he will chew through something and hurt himself. We've tried crate training. He's fine in the crate at night when I'm in the room with him, but if I walk out - even for a minute - he cried, throws himself against the bars of the crate, rips up his blanket. The other night I left him there for about 10 minutes while I was on the phone. When I came back in he had cut his nose trying to chew through the bars.

Does anyone have any advice for this? I would really appreciate it!

Thanks,
Diana

[creativz]

PerfectPaws-Separation Angst (http://www.perfectpaws.com/sa.html)

VetInfo-Behaviour Problems/Separation Issues (http://www.vetinfo.com/dbehave.html)

VetMed-Separation Refs (http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/CCAB/separation.html)

[moongodess319]

Thanks! :D

[petcare]

My suggestion to you is to put him in a doggy daycare, he needs alot of excercise, he has too much energy built up and no outlet:)

[LUVMYSWISSY]

Many dogs experience separation aiety when left alone. They will often whine, bark, cry, howl, chew, dig, scratch at the door, soil the house or destroy your home and yard. We often unintentionally train our dogs to behave this way because whenever they throw this kind of tantrum when we leave, we quickly come back to reassure them, give them attention or even a bone or biscuit. If you do this, your dog will soon learn that he can control you with emotional blackmail.
Long, drawn-out farewells can create separation aiety problems by first exciting your dog and then making the isolation more obvious when you're gone. Just when he gets all worked up and ready to play, suddenly you disappear. With all this energy, your dog will either try his best to get you to come back or he will have to vent his energy in some other way.

Perhaps it is not separation aiety after all! We often think our dog is destructive because he is angry and spiteful that we left him, but he could actually be just trying to have some fun since there is nothing else to do.

Some dogs with separation aiety are stressed, nervous and insecure when they are left alone. They express this nervous energy in typical dog fashion - chewing, digging, barking and house soiling.

To prevent separation aiety, dogs need to feel happy, secure, and comfortable when you're away. It's important to give them things to do while you're gone. Provide them with lots of toys, such as a kong or havaball stuffed with treats.

Another way to prevent separation aiety is to set aside scheduled time periods to give your dog undivided attention, play and exercise. A happy, well-exercised dog will usually sleep contentedly during the day while you are gone. Be sure that one of the scheduled play sessions occurs before you must leave for the day. Give your dog a chance to settle down before you leave and don't make a big deal of your departure - just leave without any emotion or commotion.

Since your dog is already experiencing separation aiety, then gradually accustom him to your leaving. Practice leaving and returning several times a day until he gets used to your departures and realizes that you are not abandoning him forever. Gradually leave for longer and longer periods of time, but start out by leaving for just 5 minutes and returning again.