Hi Heather,
Yes, it’s very possible that your dog developed problems from being at the doggie daycare facility. I prefer a dog walker coming to the house versus leaving the dog at an all day daycare facility. Many problems can occur in these facilities. If the handlers knew more about canine behavior, then they would probably be dog trainers, right? I recommend looking at how the dogs are interacting. It is much better when a staff member is interacting with the dogs and encouraging the dogs to play with toys. Bad things happen when doggie daycare facilities allow their dogs to play fight and wrestle with the other dogs. Play fighting becomes real fighting. And this is what I suspect occurred at the facility you went to.

Hi Karen,
The first thing to do: you have to move the dog’s sleeping place outside of your bedroom. The first night, move her bed towards the doorway and restrict her from getting closer to your bed. The second night, put up a pet gate at your bedroom door, so that she can see into the bedroom, but she is on the outside of your bedroom. The third night, move the pet gate so that she is now sleeping in the living room (or the kitchen).

Yes, the dog will cry for not being able to sleep in the same room as the owner. I recommend increasing the exercise during the bedroom removal phase. Take your dog on hiking trails. Or take the dog swimming. These type of activities will make the dog tired and cry less at night when being removed from the owner’s bed. Note: I do not recommend taking the dog to the dog park or wrestling with other dogs to make the dog tired. This will only increase your dog’s chance of acquiring a new behavioral problem: dog to dog aggression.

It’s very important for dogs with separation anxiety to not be sleeping in the same bed nor the same bedroom as the owner. This increases the bond between the dog and the owner to such an extreme level that it makes it difficult for the dog to be left alone.

After you are able to have your dog sleep calmly in a different room, then you are ready for the dog training lesson to solve separation anxiety. The lesson takes approximately five hours. The cost (at the time of this writing, 7/8/2019) is $450 dollars.

I’ve had several people contact me after they’ve gone to other dog trainers to solve this issue. Many of these dog owners complain that they already spent $500 dollars and they did not get any significant changes to their dog’s separation anxiety. Do not expect that any random dog trainer will be able to resolve separation anxiety in your pet. Most dog trainers are bad at solving separation anxiety. My own teacher (an international lecturer and author of eight books on dog training) had ineffective strategies on solving separation anxiety. This inspired me to create my own plan at resolving separation anxiety in dogs and puppies.

I’ve tried different methods with varying times to teach her to be alone eg. step out calmly to take the trash out and come back, go do laundry in another area of the property and come back, step out of the car to pick up take out or coffee and come back, go to a one-two hour appointments and come back, have her stay with my co-worker and boss while I go get lunch for myself or runs errands for the company and come back (she’s totally fine with being left with them!), I leave her at the groomers for a few hours and come back, I board her overnight at the vets office and come back. It isn’t working…. In the beginning it would be hit and miss, either she waits and does nothing (no barking or crying), or I come back and there’s a puddle of pee or pile of poop by the door. Now, I can’t take her in the car and step out for a few minutes at all without her being spiteful and smearing poop or pee on the seat (I’ve resorted to covering the seats and not leaving her behind).

As of the past couple of months, I’ve noticed that she started barking/crying as soon as I leave the apartment without her and she would pound on the door for a few minutes then stop. When I walk down to my parked car which is a few floors right below my current apartment, I can hear her barking softly over and over again in between another unit’s puppy’s barking (walls are concrete except for the lanai which I keep the windows open for her to let the fresh air in; she has water and toys and a couple of snacks to keep her busy).

My new place is a little more closed quarters with the other tenants and has jalousies. My new job doesn’t allow me to take her to work with me like my old job. I’m worried since its a new place she’s unfamiliar with in a slightly busier neighborhood that she’ll make a fuss while I’m gone and that the noise will travel more. She’s not a furniture destroyer thank goodness. Her mode of revenge is leaving pee and poop by the door. If she’s really upset, she’ll smear poop by the door (rarely smears at home, more inclined to in the car). I just don’t like that she started to bark/cry and pound on the door now when I leave now. I’ve have other dogs of the same breed before for many years that were all well behaved even when they were puppies but this one is a real handful. Of course every dog is different. …so, what is the best course of action to minimize or cure her of this separation anxiety?

Hi Darlene,
Congratulations on your new family addition! I’m available to help you with dog training in Oahu. I understand that many people are working with a limited budget for dog training lessons.
My approach is to help you with the most urgent matters first. Regarding the issues that you described, I can provide you with valuable help within one session that lasts two to three hours. I look forward to meeting you.