Separation Anxiety

Question
I have a 6 month old male Siberian Husky.  He has always been a little upset when we leave him in the morning, but for the last 2 weeks, since we have had his fixed, he has tended to have more anxiety.  He doesn't eat his moring meal, which worries us, he just grabs his favorite toy and heads for the door he wants to go with us.  He has also started making messes where we keep him in the kitchen.  This is even after he goes the the bathroom out side.  I am not sure how to handle this.  Any advice would be great.

Thanks, Sandra

Answer
Dealing with separation anxiety isn't easy, and this is one that you may want to seek a professional to help in.  Here are my thoughts:

As for him not eating his morning meal - I wouldn't worry about it too much as long as you are feeding him again (in the evening I assume).  Sibes usually go through periods of eating/not eating, and as long as they are drinking frequently enough, I wouldn't worry about a dog who doesn't eat for a day or two - much longer than that and you should worry (or other behavior changes).  Our male will routinely eat only about half of one meal for a few days (like, just his dinner every day), and then after three or four days of this, try to eat everything in the house ;)  You may also want to encourage him to eat it by adding some grease, gravy, or shredded cheese - whatever he likes - just to encourage him to eat.

Grabbing his toy I would take as a good sign - it seems to be more of a play gesture.  The number one rule to owning a Siberian is "A tired husky is a good husky."  Surprisingly enough, 90% of behavior problems in Sibes can be resolved with one thing - physical exhaustion.  My suggestion would be to try to get up a little earlier and spend some quality play time.  If you can take him for a nice long walk/run in the morning, or if you have one of the odd huskies that will actually fetch, a game of tug-of-war -- you know your dog there, but something to get him a little tired.  Make before you leave somewhat fun for him, and that may help.  Also, when you get home, make sure you get some playtime with him for a little bit.  This should help with his energy level which can be a cause of the anxiety.

The messes in the kitchen is a tough one - the only thing I can suggest there is to make sure you are cleaning it with an enzyme based cleaner (like Nature's Miracle).  That will help remove any odors, etc.  I think it may be a reaction to the overall anxiety.  If you fix that, you may be alright otherwise.

Last thing - what does he have to do while you are away and for how long are you gone?  There's a fine balance between letting him know this is time to relax and not giving him anything to do.  A lot of people try to find really good chew toys/bones to keep him occupied, but you can overload him somewhat if he is laying about with a dozen of his favorite toys.  Moderation is key, but find something he really enjoys and might keep him occupied for a while.

Hope that helps and feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.