Originally posted by chembear:
<STRONG>My questions are:
1. How do I get my kids trained to ignore the dog when we get home and when we're ready to leave....or is it even important for them to do so?
2. Is this behavior a dominance issue? She listens to me better than anyone else in the household, she sleeps with my son and won't get on our bed unless invited. She does like to sleep on the furniture though.
3. We are planning a big move from Sacramento to Phoenix and I'm concerned about her stressing out over this as well as our being out of the house. What can I do to make the transition smooth and less stressful?

</STRONG>
Hi Cindy, Hopefully your new place has more room for your high energy dog to run. Working off the excess energy is important to the overall health and well being of the dog!

To attempt to answer your questions:

1. It is important for the family to be on the same page in training the dog. At ages 5 and 8 your kids are old enough to understand the dog needs to realize this is not a big thing when we leave or come home. Give them some kind of incentive not to acknowledge the dog. Make it a game of Who speaks to the dog first. The first one too is the loser. Perhaps come up with a different kind of game but don't reprimand the kids or they could begin to resent the dog.

2. While some dominance issues are related to seperation anxiety, I believe the main reason a dog displays seperation anxiety is simply because the dog loves the owner too much and is lacking the independence they need to cope with being alone. You indicated the dog follows you everywhere. This is the typical scenerio of a dog suffering from seperation anxiety. Most dogs that suffer from this have had some emotional trauma in their past. The trauma could be seperation from mom or littermates too early, lack of human contact during the impressionable first 16 weeks of life, or getting attached to someone and having them disappear. In my Dixie's case of separation anxiety the trauma was my husband being hospitalized when she was 12 weeks old. He was in the hospital for 28 days and I was spending a lot of time there. Dixie went and stayed with close friends of ours (they have her littermate) for a week and then came home after the crisis was over. I know she was extremely confused but I had no control over what was going on. I let her get overly attached to me by trying to make up for my extended absenses. I actually was the main contributor to her problem. Therefore, I had to be the main contributor to her healing. It was not easy but we did overcome.

Ignoring the dog before you leave and after you come home for 10 or 15 minutes is a valuable part of the treatment. In addition you need to get the dog to stay in another room when you do certain things. You can give them a stuffed kong, put them on a down stay (you will learn this in obedience classes) or have someone else play with them. When you come back in the room don't make a fuss but calmly acknowledge the dog after you see the dog is calm and not stressed out because you left.

3. I don't see why your move should cause undue stress on the dog if you take certain steps to make sure the dog is safe and secure. First make sure you let the dog have as many potty breaks during the trip as necessary. Exercise adequately and offer water (don't overdo here) and give treats. Traveling always makes our family want to snack in the car more. Take healthy snacks such as carrots, etc. Make sure the dog has enough room to be comfortable and with enough personal space if possible.

In the new home establish the dogs spot as soon as possible. As long as you are there and no major earth shattering thing happens the dog should care less if you live in California or Pheonix. As long as you are there!