Dog bark when out

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I have a 12 year old dog and recently he has been barking when I leave him alone at home, he does stop, but it maybe after half an hour to an hour of barking. And after which intermittent barking till I comes home. What should I do?

ANSWER: Hi, Ophelia,

Thanks for the question. It sounds like your dog has developed separation anxiety/distress.

What kind of dog is he? Has your schedule changed recently? Have there been any changes in the household within the last 3-4 mos.? How much hard vigorous playful exercise does he get before you leave him home alone? Do you have a crate for him? What kinds of games and activities does he like?

I look forward to hearing back from you.

LCK

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: He is a maltese and has always been having separation anxiety, would follow me whenever I go to in the house. His barking has always been an ongoing thing but he does stop... but recently his barking has been very consistent instead. We walk him twice a day morning and evening for about 10 to 15mins... He loves to play fetch. And he does not have a crate, when we are away we will leave him to round around the house but he does have a pee tray, which he uses but he doesn't poop on the pee tray, if he is unable to control his bowel movement, he will do it on the carpet instead...

Answer
Hi again.

Since he's 12, you might want to speak to his vet, to rule out a medical cause for the increase in barking.

From a behavioral point of view, more outdoor exercise would be very beneficial, particularly playing fetch and tug-of-war outdoors. If I were you I'd give him a very long walk (maybe an hour), or a hard vigorous play session (about 15 - 20 mins.) before leaving him home alone. I'd also purchase a toy to keep him entertained on his own while you're gone, the kind where he has to work at getting food out of it (there are various brands of these).

Here's a link about separation anxiety: http://www.tiny.cc/sepanxiety But since he's 12, and this involves training him to hold a long down/stay (which isn't impossible, but can be a bit more difficult with an older dog) I'm not sure how helpful it'll be.

You can also try a Bach's flower essence called "Rescue Remedy." It's a homeopathic treatment, which means it has no side effects. It doesn't always work, but it might be beneficial.

Best of luck!

LCK