Hi Rox,
Recently moved house, got a 9yo boxer bitch. In our naivety we thought she'd just settle in to a new routine and adapt quickly to everything. This has obviously been a major upheaval for her and she is suffering from separation anxiety. Tried all the go out for a few seconds and gradually add more time until she gets used to it, having no effect so far.
My first classic question - what do you feed her on? Where do you leave her when you go out, and what does she do while you're out?
We had some dog whisperer woman in, started going on about Amichien! bonding and stuff. Her advice included gesture eating, removing all her toys (including her Kong) if we go out stopping taking my dog for a walk. I thought this woman is talking the biggest load of bollocks I've ever heard. Or was she?
If I had a barge pole, I wouldn't touch that training method with it.
I had someone who follows the same method ring and tell me it works 'across the board' on 'all dogs'.
No it doesn't I said. She said she'd worked with 15 dogs. I told her I've worked with over 800. She still didn't listen.
Taking toys away is a load of bloody nonsense. If you have a bored child, do you give them toys, or take their toys away?
Is it just a case of carrying on with the slow process of increasing the time we are out or is this woman actually talking sense?
Think of it this way; seperation anxiety is a fear of being left - therefore it's a phobia. She's scared of being left on her own. When dogs get stressed, they like to chew stuff...it makes them feel better.
What does she like, what are her favourite things?
And most important question - what's her name?