Separation Anxiety

Many dogs, including my own, Coco, suffer from separation anxiety.  There are many remedies and training methods that you can use to bring yourself and your dog relief.  It's not going to be a quick fix, but it does get better if you are consistent.  
Try your local pet store. They have collars and air-freshening type plug-in sprays that imitate the mother's pheromones and help calm the dog down. I have seen a collar that worked fairly well, while I was working in a doggy daycare and I bought the plug-in type for Coco, but I'm not really sure if it helped.

As far as training, you can practice leaving your dog (probably in a confined room), for five minutes at a time.  Prepare to leave as you normally would. Get your jacket, keys, etc., and leave, locking the door behind you.  Don't make a big deal about leaving- no long goodbyes! Just get your stuff say "see you soon" and leave for about 5-10 minutes.  Come back in, say hello, but again, don't make a big deal about coming in. Just put your things down, get a drink, sit down in front of the tv and act like everything is normal, because it is! It's totally normal to come and go from your own home!

Later that day do another 10 minutes and another.  Gradually work up to 20 minutes, try that several times until you are ready to try an hour.  Just make sure that you remain very matter-of-fact about the activities of coming and going so your dog sees it's normal and you will come back!   Definitely don't act overly emotional about coming back!

Don't forget this needs to be repeated quite often. The problem probably won't go away overnight. And consistency is key to training dogs. Even when you are bored and sick of going out for 10 or 15 minutes, keep doing it!  Give him some time in between to relax too!  Training a dog is one of the most rewarding experiences you'll ever have, so stick with it!!

You can also try having your dog sit for a treat just before you leave, to remind him or her that this is a pleasurable activity. 

If you come home to an accident or destroyed property, remember that it was your own lack of planning that caused the problem and do not be angry with your dog. Being angry will reinforce the anxiety. 

I got most of these tips from a good friend, Brittany Magallenas and the book "Little Dogs: Training your Pint-Sized Companion" by Deborah Wood, which is probably available at Amazon.com

Golden Retrievals by Mark Doty (a poem)

Fetch?  Balls and sticks capture my attention seconds at a time.
Catch?  I don't think so.
Bunny.  Tumbling leaf. A squirrel who is , oh joy, actually scared.
Sniff the wind, then I'm off again.
Muck. Pond. Ditch. Residue of any thrillingly dead thing.

And you?  Either you're sunk in the past half our walk,
Thinking of what you never can bring back,
Or else you're off in some fog concerning... tomorrow.
Is that what you call it?

My work?  To unsnare time's warp and woof.
Retrieving, my haze-headed friend, you.
The shining bark, a zen master's bronzy gong,
Calls you here.  Entirely.  Now.


Bow wow.
Bow wow.
Bow wow.