Our new addition

One word - crate!

A crate isn't a solution for an adult dog (he's about 4) who didn't grow up with a crate and hates it. I can't do that. We're going to replace the door with one with a metal kickplate, and use a gate to keep him from the door when we leave, and see if he gets less anxious about us leaving as he gets used to our schedule.

He's a total sweetheart otherwise.
Erica

OK - I just got the same great suggestion from my boss (who leads a pit bull rescue) and my dogsitter. Over the next few days, leave many times and come back after a few to maybe 15 or 20 minutes. So he will see that I leave but I also come back. I'll try this, it sounds like a really good idea.
Erica

Wasn't he crated where he came from? I'd be afraid he'd start on something other than the door. Poor guy.

He was crated in his foster home (just a month or two) and he hated it every day.

Yes he might start on something else, we hope not! I think the door was what he thought was the way to get to me. We will try the de-sensitizing.
Erica

Well poor Reggie, he has abandonment issues. While reading your post about him and the door my thought too was to ease into being gone - as you said, leave for a minute or 2 the first time and work your way up. Breaks my heart, the sweet thing! Hope the de-sensitizing works!

Well the door guy just left, Reggie is officially our most expensive dog if you look at one episode only - but on the other hand we really did need to replace that door anyway. Should have a new door in a month.

Went out this morning and drove around the block and came back. Then an hour later, went out for coffee and came back. Now headed out to get lunch and bring it home to eat. So far so good, and I'm using a baby gate to keep him away from the front door. He could demolish the gate but hasn't yet.
Erica

Your Boss must watch Caesar Milan. That's what he does with dogs. I should have thought of that. We use a lot of his techniques. He will actually start desensitizing by having the owner leave for 2 minutes and come right back a few times. They usually just stand outside the front door.

I have crate on the brain because of the puppy. Obviously, we are using one now. Snickers, our 5 year old, hasn't been crated in years and never gets into anything. We accidentally left a honey bun on the coffee table a few weeks ago and left for 5 hours. It was still there when we got back.

He's still freaking out when we leave, but I guess most problems aren't cured in one day. We also gave him a Kong with peanut butter in it when we left but he ignored it as soon as he saw we were leaving! We'll keep up the regimen.

I bought a gentle leader today to work on the leash manners.

I don't know what's worse, a puppy or a grown dog with issues. We almost took a 7 month old lab a few weeks ago (before the puppy), but the dog had been crated it's entire life and had no manners. She was also destructive. She had not yet been spayed and had worms to boot. The owners brought her to our house and she stunk to high heaven. I felt bad but said no, thank you. The poor dog had so many problems and I don't claim to be a dog trainer, so I didn't think she'd be much better off with us. We can train a puppy, but cannot train and undo bad habits.

You have your work cut out for you. Hats off!

This is probably going to sound nutty, but if you're desperate.....:laugh: We actually use h-pathy with our animals - all of them (16 chickens, dog, and 3 cats). While there are specific remedies you can give to dogs to calm them down from the stress of being alone the thing that came to the top of my mind is cell salt #6. They call it "homeopathic valium." It doesn't drug like valium, it just calms the nerves and it works REALLY well. I wonder if you gave him 6 pellets 15 minutes before you leave and then right as you walk out the door if it would help calm his nerves enough that he can relax while you de-sensitize him. They dissolve as soon as they hit the mouth so it wouldn't be a problem giving them. They are cheap and might be worth trying. Vitamin Shoppe and most health food stores carry them and Hylands is the most common brand.

www.petcomfortzone.com/dogs/how-it-works.html
"Comfort Zone® with D.A.P.® (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) products mimic the “appeasing” pheromones secreted by nursing mother dogs, sending a signal of comfort and safety to her puppies."

To go along with the leaving and coming back technique, Ceasar says to ignore the dog when you come home. Make it seem like no big deal that you are back, like you never left. Pretend you are just walking from one room to another when you come in the door and ignore your dog until he calms down.

I got my Lab from animal control, which is death row for abandoned animals in my county. I wish I could have saved them all, but I am very glad I picked the one I did. She was already trained and does nothing but sleep right by the door when I'm gone. I've had her 4 years now and she is my best friend, along with my other dogs. When I was in the hospital with ITP, my biggest motivation to get better was to get home to my dogs.

How true is that! Since my kids grew up, our dogs are our life. Not to say that my kids aren't, but we focus more on the dogs because they are here every day.

Reggie had a close encounter with a very impertinent squirrel.

He's doing better with the separation anxiety. No new damage.
Erica

Okay, I know this is corny, but I have a FB page for my dogs. I did it so the breeder could follow Bailey...I promised her updates. Anyway, anyone on FB can view:

www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003252926589&sk=wall

Hey, Sandi, I just tried to bring that page up, but couldn't find any results. I copied and pasted the info you posted.

www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003252926589&sk=wall

I don't know why it's not working. Search 'Snickers Bailey' on FB and you should find it.

Copy the whole thing - from www. to wall - and paste it, the page will come up.

Cute Sandi

Snickers looks very happy in the new home and if Mark Zuckerberg's dog can have a facebook page why not Snickers.
Cindy
Make sure you are logged on to FB.

Well, I just tried to copy and paste the whole link and still didn't find it. I'm always logged in to FB. I'll try searching for snickers bailey.
Thanks, all.

Ok, found them! Makes me remember when Sasha was that old! Cute pic's.