I agree, so many people have problems with separation anxiety and I was so happy to see Cesar show step by step how to address this problem. And it can help everyone, even those with dogs that do not have seperation anxiety. Same principles as always, leave the dog tired! :)

Edie-
The dog can be left in the crate during the time you are gone- Up to 8 hours. You are setting the dog up for success to be left out in the house with the crate door open and still not have accidents or be destructive. Make sure the dog sees the crate as a resting place, not a prison. Walk the dog before leaving it for long periods of time. Good Luck

Hi, I have an 8 yr old Huskie (Karma) who has always suffered from separation anxiety. I recently moved which seemed to make it a thousand times worse. He's a perfectly well behaved dog when I'm with him, but when I leave the house, he becomes Mr. Destructive. I've tried taking him to the dog park before I leave for an hour of exercise, and then feeding him as a reward. I've tried doggie anxiety medication, I've tried Kong toys (they bore him). I've tried pretending to leave so he doesn't associate the keys, etc. as something bad. I make sure he's calm before I leave. I've even waiting until he was sleeping to leave. What else is there? Nothing has helped so far.

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I tried crate training when he was much younger and he actually injured himself tearing the crate apart. I'm hesitant to try that again. Is there anything special about using the crate I should know that would keep Karma from hurting himself while I am away? I'm never gone more than 4 hours (I live close enough to come home at lunch from work).

I cannot exercise him by walking him because I am disabled. That's why I was taking him to the dog park to run. I've seen dogs on TV exercise on treadmills. How do you get him to stay on?

We acquired an injured 16 week old pit bull puppy last Tuesday. Found a knee surgeon last Thursday, he had surgery and came home last Friday (he had surgery to repair his totally blown out knee). In order to keep the puppy and our home safe we purchased a crate ~ he's not potty trained yet and we have a 7 year old 80 lb female pit bull who would not hurt him intentionally but by accident could harm his leg (they want to play!). Unfortunately we did not have the luxury of time to introduce him to the crate slowly and I think the prior owner 'locked' him up in a crate for long hours. For the few days we had prior to returning back to full time work, we fed him in his crate, gave him treats and praise every time he entered the crate on his own, did everything we could think of to present the crate as a safe place. The first time we left him was for a little over an hour and as far as we could tell he was quite. But with each day and the increased time in the crate (not more than 4 hours, average 2 to 3 at a time) he is increasingly making more and more noise (howling, barking, whining, etc.). Any tips on stopping this behavior and obtaining a peaceful home and quiet for our neighbors? HELP!

Here is post from this blog and the response is from Karen Dog Whisperer 2:

re; treadmill

P.L. ’state of mind’ s/b very ‘matter of fact’, no big deal, just another thing/place to ‘follow’ me to…

When I help owners with the treadmill (takes FOREVER for the owners to understand how beneficial this is for their ‘wacko’ dogs….), usually the first time with the dog is simply spent treating the treadmill as ‘just another thing to ‘trip’ over in the house’. I usually take the dog for a quick walk first and when entering their house go right to where the t.m. is (kinda a continuation of the walk?) I DO NOT hesitate or tense or even think about it. I walk over to it, step on it and step off the other side (make sure there is clearance on BOTH sides), turn, go out of the room, maybe go to get some water for Rover and continue the ‘House Walk’—When I’m ‘feeling’ the dog is ready, instead of the ’step on, step off’, I step on, ask for sit and we hang out for a bit (the t.m. is OFF). Or I ‘pretend’ to be looking in my pocket for something (usually have some ‘crinkle’ paper, really gets a dog’s attention—woof, possible treat here, what’s she got there?), and even if the dog doesn’t hold the sit (just so she’s not getting OFF, she’s distracted from it because she is picking up MY energy of: CALM, CONFIDENT, this thing we are on is simply NOTHING. Then we practice getting on and off, on and off. Or, I also step on with the dog, step off first and have them ‘wait’ on the t.m. for a second to become used to being on it alone. (Understand, this is SO hard to explain because I just usually go with my instincts and am not used to breaking everything down in detail with words; like anything, how I approach the ‘intro. to t.m.’ depends on the dog.) For some, that may be it until next time.

The key thing is to not ANTICIPATE that the dog is going to go ‘nuts’….you picture him/her ‘tucking tail’ and running and he/she will!!

When YOU feel ready, the next time the dog is on ’start your engines’ — there might be a quick ‘tense’ w/your dog, (well, gosh the earth is moving here, should I panic?) Oh, Dufus just relax….here ya go…wow, look at you….easy…etc. (For gosh sakes, make sure YOU are familiar with the t.m. ‘keyboard’ first, you don,t want to be fumbling all over pressing and beeping to get it turned on and to the correct setting!) Have a setting which will be a good steady pace for him (a ‘zone walk pace’) and then let him do it and don’t you stand there ‘holding’ him with your eyes….If you are worried he’s going to ‘fall off’, get hurt, be scared, etc. — if you are worried the setting is wrong, the leash is going to get tangled, what if…., what if….. — well, gosh, you are sure a wreck, if this is your energy around the t.m. then this t.m. ‘thing’ becomes a ‘negative’ energy zone (P.L. is a mess when she’s here, I’m getting nervous because of that, hey, I’m out of here!!!!)

Hi, my name is Susan. My dog is Shatten. He is a blue heeler that I got when he was 8 weeks old from an animal rescue shelter. I am unable to figure out another way to reach your organization. How much would it cost to have my dog rahabilatated at your center. When Shatten was about 10-12 weeks old he had a bad experience and I have never been able to get him over it. He was not an agressive puppy, however he was a very active puppy. He is very smart. I talk to him in both German and English and he seems to do well with both. He can identify different people by name and knows the difference between different toys. He can catch in the air. He knows most commands, sit, stay, heel, shake, lay and roll over. Alll this, he does pretty well. He will not come when I call him off leach and he is out but I think I can be taught to deal with this.

The big problem is men with caps. He hates men with caps. When he was about 10 weeks old, I had a guest at my home. Shatten was just being a puppy and started barking at the guest when the guest arrived and the guest barked back and stomped his feet at him and then growled at him. Shatten started yelping and crying and has never been the same since. My son in law has been bitten by him once because of his fear. He lunged at a small two year old one time. He is unpredictable. He tried to bite a neighbor. Much of the time is very good and does not exhibit any of this behavior and then all of a sudden out of the blue he will get aggressive. One day I had him at the post office. He was just standing by my side, when all of a sudden he saw a dark haired young man that he didn't like and he lunged at the guy. It was very disturbing. Can you help me with Shattens problems.

Elsa,

In the winter, walk him at a pace that your dog chooses, and make sure it isn't too slow. The pace will be a little slower, so walk him for a longer time.

Hi everyone, this was one of the few episodes we missed and really needed. We have a 10 month old German Shorthaired Pointer, Chloe, who is quickly learning she is no longer the leader of our pack (thank you Cesar!) Most of her undesirable behaviors that WE created have subsided since implementing Cesar's philosophy.

However, there's a big problem we can't figure out how to fix. She came to us from the breeder crate trained, but somehow we screwed that up because she paces, drools, cries and bites at the wires when in the crate. So we let her have free reign when we leave the house, but she has chewed rugs, couch arms, curtains, door jams, etc. But then other times, she doesn't touch a thing. Any suggestions on reintroducing the crate or desensitizing her to our leaving are truly appreciated. Good luck to all of you!

I have a problem, however, it's not with my dog, it's me. Let me explain..... My fiancee and I adopted a Beagle/Border Collie mix from a rescue shelter a little over 2 years ago. We love him very much and he is such a great addition to our home! However, ever since then I have become anxiuos, constantly worried about him, and have developed OCD only when it comes to the dog. He does great in our apt. when we are at work during the day. We allow him to run free in our apt. The reason behind that is he has tried to tear apart his crate with his teeth and has hurt himself before. He has not had any accidents, no barking (that I am aware of). However, my maternal instincts go in overdrive, we do not have any children yet. I imagine every possible thing that could happen to him when we are gone. Such as the front door opening and he running away, a fire starting and he would be stuck inside, the list goes on. It's driving me nuts that I think of these things and is putting a real starin on my fiancee and I. I realize this is not a typical question, but if anyone has any suggestions or advice...it would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi Kaleen,
My puppy used to do that when someone new would come over. With her, it was a matter of her being shy and overly excited. I would suggest ignoring him (and having others do this as well) until he is able to calm down. If he is allowed to greet a new-comer in a normal (for a dog) way, he should overcome this fearful/submissive urination. Just tell your guests: I'm sorry, but he gets too excited if you talk/pet/look at him right away. Hopefully this will work for you! Good luck!

We have a 1 year old Shar Pei/Yellow Lab mix who is untrustworthy to be off a dog run in our yard. She will dash and visit all our neighbors. So my problem is if we put her on the run and ignore her by doing chores inside and out she will go into the garden and dig a hole. We are not sure how to stop this behavior. Any help would be appreciated

Hi Sportsterguy,
This type of behavior is natural for such a young pup. Give him some time to adjust to not being with his litter mates and I'm sure the behavior will lessen. Just make sure to not give any affection to him when he is carrying on. You can give him a few light verbal corrections, such as "No" or "Shh", but just keep in mind that he is trying to acclimate himself into a new situation. I would definitely suggest crate training, if you haven't started already. When introduced correctly, they can be a life saver!

To introduce the crate, make sure it is always a positive experience and do not shut the crate door right away. Make sure he is comfortable and chewing on a yummy treat and once he has settled, then close the door. It can be frightening at first since it is closed in and they can't get out, but if done slowly, they can learn to LOVE their crate.

Good luck with your little pup! I know how exciting/exhausting this time can be! :)