Here is another blog by TNT Dog Training and Pet Health Consulting. Keane had a lot of seperation anxiety when he was little and and i wish i was able to read this blog then.

For more of his blogs go to http://tntdogs.blogspot.com/.

It seems that separation anxiety in dogs is a bigger problem than openly reported by owners. From a position in retail, there are a large number of owners that privately express concern over experiencing problems with their dog's behaviour based around the routines of the day. Many dogs seem to bark incessantly when left alone and only stop upon the return of their owners. This can become a major problem for apartment and condo dwellers. In fact it may be noises of neighbours that the dog picks up and not our ears that creates the anxiety. The foreign "stranger" sounds and smells may ruminate so relentlessly on your dog's mind when you are not there, that the dog cannot help but express concern and stress. One suggestion would be to talk to your neighbours and see if they are on board for having a very positive introduction to your dog. Your dog being comfortable with the neighbours, as well as you the owner promoting the neighbours as part of the pack, may provide the dog less internal unrest. The dog may find the sounds of "familiars" soothing and even in your absence the dog may be more at ease.

Another suggestion I like to make is to play old home videos on a tv at a low volume while you are gone. You could also do tape recordings of you and your family talking. The sounds of "the pack" and the impression that you retain a presence in the home may also soothe the dog and relieve the anxiety. You can try this for plane trips as well. If you can safely install a tape recorder on or in the cargo crate then your dog will be hearing you the whole time. Of course you would want to make sure the dog could not get his jaws on the mechanism.

I believe strongly in the power of naturopathic cures and remedies. I have found a complete success rate with my own puppy and saved thousands of dollars already in his first year from following a more natural path than running to the vet. There are many teas that humans use to alleviate certain ailments. Depending on the ingredients and whether they are safe for dogs and in what quantities...you may do some research and find a tea for people to relieve stress and anxiety, that also works for your dog.

Of course you would brew the tea and then put it in the fridge to cool. You could make ice cubes out of it or try replacing the drinking water with it. There is no guarantee that your dog will choose to drink it, but without any other kind of water...you should have some success. Here are some ingredients that you will find in commercial concocted anxiety sprays for pets. You could go collect ingredients yourself from health stores and make your own teas.

1. Valerian: a herb and sedative used to relieve insomnia, nervous tension, hysteria, excitability, stress and cramps.

2. Skullcap: a herb and sedative and nerve tonic. It has a folklore of being a remedy for rabies.

3. Zizyphus: flowering plant in the buckthorn family. In Chinese natural medicine, zizyphus is used to relieve stress.

4. Wild Lettuce: you can add the leaves to a salad and they are known to have similar effects as opium although they are not an opiate. It is a plant with psychotropic effects (hypnotic, sedative). The effects don't last long but act quickly and are often used as a sleeping aid.

Bach Flower Remedies

5. Aspen: flower used for paranoia relief and helps alleviate feelings of fear (depending on the cause, it may be less effective on dogs as on humans. We suffer paranoia and I'm not sure a dog does, as really they follow their instincts which are connected to a natural evolution).

6. Impatiens: flower used to treat anxiousness, although the flower is known to have a bitter toxic taste that can cause nausea.

7. Mimulus: flower known to have a salty and bitter taste. Calmer for fear.

8. Wild Oat: used to relieve uncertainty (??).

I have to admit that the Bach Flower Remedies ironically disturb my mind somewhat. Dr. Bach lists 38 flower remedies and very specific emotional responses that they address in creating relief. One of the flower essences addresses relieving feelings of "not knowing what direction to go in in life". I do believe in the power of Nature and that natural products are the safest and the best to use wherever possible. I would have to admit that I would make my teas out of the plants and herbs listed above and not the Bach flowers specifically, regardless of their track record. This is why...

I don't believe in masking a problem. It seems the Bach Flowers go deeper into addressing emotional causes instead of what the non-Bach plants and herbs do, which is to treat the physical effect. I personally, would look to train my dog to keep his emotions under control and understand why a stimulus does not have to elicit an extreme reaction from him. In the practical meantime, I would relieve the immediate physical stress with a mild sedative tea concoction.

I have always said that if you suffer depression for real and legitimate reasons, what good does a pill do to extinguish those reasons...it only makes you ignore them and forget about them. Your life will go on unfulfilled in those areas and you will never solve those problems that brought on the depression. I don't believe that humans or dogs suffer depression, fear and anxiety irrationally and without reason. There is a cause and it must be addressed and not moved past. Otherwise you will be carrying that enormous baggage with you everywhere you go regardless if you are aware of it or not. You have to find a way to cope with and negotiate the problem in order to reach some kind of solution that has you move on comfortably under your own Will power and not through the duress of some exterior an inherently foreign adnate.

Sobie does a fair share of wimpering during the day. It is mainly because I am working at the computer and he is looking for something to do that is equally important and significant. I have not done anything more than continuously say ,"Bear, don't cry. I don't like crying." I feel that in time he will feel more ease and become more mature and calm. He is still a puppy. I would not think of sedating him during the day just because I can't be running around outside with him. Verbal reassurances and corrections will have to do, patience on my part, and new toys never hurt either.

You may find that picking up a lot of "good deal" toys and leaving your dog with a new toy works well for relieving stress. Perhaps not. Maybe the anxiety isn't from boredom. If it is, the toys could work. A suggestion would be to keep them at your work place for a few weeks and pick up the smells there. Then when your dog has them while you are gone...there is a continuity. Your dog knows your smell from being gone and the toy has that smell. It is like you are still around or at least that the dog is included in the work day. A connection is maintained to keep the animal calm and satisfied.

This also works well when a new pet joins the home or when a family of pets loses a member. Before a new pet joins a family that already has a pet, it is advised to exchange items. Take a toy of your present pet to the new one's temporary home, and bring something of the new pet to your present pet. Introducing their scents to each other prior to meeting can be very effective in relieving stress and creating amiable relations from the onset. This works well also when a pet passes away or leaves the home. If there are still pets in your home that suffer anxiety from the missing pet...bring in an item of a friend pet from the park or day care. You can do an exchange with the owner of a friend of your pet for mutual positive effects. If anything, this is better than keeping relics of the pet who is gone around as that pet will not be returning whereas the friend pet will be seen again and they will have formed a stronger bond.

I think that this is such an extensive and important topic that it could be discussed at much greater length, but I will leave these ideas as the initial ones for helping with separation anxiety in dogs and pets.