Separation Anxiety & Doggie Cold?

Question
Hi, I have two questions but didn't want to take up another one of your question slots.

I just adopted a 2 year old male boxer about a month ago from the rescue i volunteer for.  He has pretty bad separation anxiety, probably due to the fact he was starved and abused as a puppy.  I am a student and have to leave for classes during the day.  I am gone from 7:15am to 11:30am 5 days a week.  During that time, if i don't crate him he will defecate and pee all over the house, when i know he can hold it in for that long.  He becomes excessively nervous when i am getting ready to leave, he will whine and start to drool, and pace back and forth.  Because of his going to the bathroom everywhere i have started to crate him.  In his foster home he was crated for 8hrs a day.  When i crate him, he gets very upset, i have to cover the crate with blankets so he can not see me leave.  Very often when i come back he has shaken the crate into the middle of the room!  He drools a lot in his crate and creates a puddle around the crate but has yet to pee or defecate in his crate which is a plus.  What tips do you suggest to help him battle his anxiety.  I have even purchased a plug in pheromone thing from petsmart, i don't know if this actually works?  I have tried desensitizing him to my leaving cues, but he still becomes upset.  Any tips or ideas?

The second thing i was wondering about, is can dogs get small colds like people?  He has been sneezing a lot lately, and he seems to be sniffling like a person would.  Sometimes he even will spit up a little bit, not food but just water.  Can this have anything to do with his food, i know boxers are sensitive to what they eat, i have him on Timberwolf Organics dry and wet.  Or could it be allergies?

Answer
Please forgive me for taking so long getting back to you. I've been seriously thinking about your problem, and even talked to  few people to see what they thought. One of them is an obedience trainer friend of mine.

My trainer friend, of course :-), suggests that you take your boy to a good obedience class. He says that it will help boost his self esteem, and will greatly help his seperation anxiety. You're only gone for about 4 hours a day. You're right, he should be able to hold it that long. I definately suggest crating him until you can get this under control. If he gets all excited before you leave, just ignore him. That way, he's not getting any attention for his behavior. When you come home, take him for a walk, or to the park. He will eventually learn that you will come back, and that he gets to do something fun when you leave and return. He will put good things happening with your leaving. This is just going to take time, and patience. Obedience training will greatly help him. It will give him a chance to be taught what's expected of him, and will make him more comfortable. This is my best piece of advice for this problem. A trainer will be able to give you much better advice on how to deal with your boy's problems.

No, dogs don't get colds like we do. Your boy needs to see a vet. It may just be allergies, but it could be something maybe a little more serious. Usually, if a Boxer has food allergies, he will have diarrhea, vomiting, or itchy skin. I'd just take him in for a check up to be on the safe side. I hope that I have been of some help to you! :-)