Published on Positive Petzine (http://positivepetzine.com)

Don't Leave Me!

By flytiki99
Created 08/17/2007 - 06:58
My 4 yr old dog is getting a bit stressed. She had 4 previous "owners" before I got her at 11 weeks old but soon settled with me and my other puppy fine but always a little anxious but no problems when I go out. Her anxiety increased when at a yr old her sister was in hospital for 2 weeks. Although even then it was not bad. She has always been my little shadow and is a bit nervous aggressive around other dogs she does not know but is fine if given space. The last year has seen a steady increase in anxiety although with Emma Parsons Click to Calm method her anxiety around other dogs has significantly decreased. We do a lot of activities including flyball, agility and heelwork to music. There is no problem when I go out as long as her sister is with her but even if she's not at home its not really a problem. The problems arise in circumstances such as when we are away camping at competitions if I leave the van for a few mins. The strange thing is she is generally fine in the van when left on her own in it if she can't hear the excitement. I can take them both to my part time job and leave them in a room with toys etc . They are left no more than for 2 hours its a place they have both known since they were puppies but she is getting worse and worse only yesterday I entered the room and she was in such a state of agitation drank all her water, her kongs, buster cubes or toys had not been touched. I have consulted a behaviour counsellor who did a stand-off but all this did was make the situation a lot worse. I have also tried anxiety drops, bach flower rescue remedies but they do not help the situation. I was thinking of crate training her to see if a movable safe area will help the situation but I would appreciate any other ideas as I have honestly tried most!

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