[Greekhermosa]

Hello, I am concerned about my dog which is a mix chihuahua he is fixed, up to date with all vacc and Is about 5 years old. Every time I leave the house he cries and jumps at the door non stop and when I get back he is out of breath and of course doesn't eat or drink when he's alone . I videotaped him for about 37 minutes and I couldn't believe how much jumping he does and no wonder he's lost weight. What can I do? I can send you the video an you would see how he reacts! Thank for your help .

[Lucky098]

First.. understanding separation anxiety is key. It is a mental disease that dogs develop where they panick when the owner leaves (as you have seen). It can be just a panick attack, it can be destructions or the dog will start to eliminate in strange places, typically where you are the most, when you leave.

Separation anxiety is not something you can "heal". Typically once the dog has developed, they have it for life. It can be controlled and maintained.

The first thing I would recommend is to purchase a crate. Because this is a small dog that doesn't like to be alone, I would suggest a wire crate. It is open and airy and not easily broken out of. Introduce the crate slowly. Don't just put the dog in there for the first time ever and leave. Have him go into the crate while you are home starting for 5-10 minutes. Give him chewy things, tasty treats and feed him in it. Once he starts doing good with the short time, increase the time by 5 minutes. This can take a week, or maybe 2 weeks. Don't dwell on his bad behavior during this time while you are gone or away from him. Once he is OK with the crate, than start to leave him in it while you are in a different room. A good soothing aid in crating dogs is to leave the TV or radio on. It makes them think you are still home.. which is why when you leave him alone in his crate while you are home, have the TV on and walk in and out of the room periodically while making NO contact with him. Ignore him. After the session is over, let him out and go have fun. What that is teaching is you DO come back, and when you do, there is something for him to do. In other words, give him something to look forward to.

He is a small dog, and his energy requirements are not major, but make sure he is getting out enough. Take him on maybe one more walk or throw the ball a few more times. Tired dogs are happy dogs. If he is tired, than he may not be so paranoid when you leave.

Obedience training. Obedience training is very important for separation anxiety dogs. They need discipline in their lives. Even if he is a good boy and listens to you, taking him to a class once a week is going to give him something to look forward to, make him a better dog and exercise his brain. You can never do too much obedience training. And, if you inquire with petsmart/petco, they have other classes besides obedience. If you get involved in a kennel club training group, they'll have more classes than just obedience too.. Maybe agility is something you both would like. There are lots of small dogs competeing in agility.

I don't know if you want another dog, but sometimes dogs with separation anxiety lack companionship. If you are willing and wanting, maybe get a second dog. However; I wouldn't suggest a puppy or a dog under 2yrs of age. Your dog will teach the new dog bad behaviors. An older rescue dog would make a great addition. And you can be picky... don't just grab the first dog that give you sad eyes, make sure its house trained and well behaved.

And last but not least, you can also give medicine to help him out. Melatonine works great for hyped up anxiety dogs. Or you can go to your vet for a prescription anxiety medication. However; him being such a young dog, these medications are hard on the organs. I would suggest to figure something else out first before resorting to that.

Hope I helped.

[Greekhermosa]

Thank you for your quick response, I will try and leave him in my computer room since I am often there ill see how that goes ( will record him tomorrow ) if still the same I will put him in a crate which I have one but never used it because I don't like the idea of him being caged up but I get it now ! Why people do it for security etc..

Thank you for your help will let you know how it goes.

[Lucky098]

Good luck :)