severe anxiety

Question
My 3 year old cocapoo has severe anxiety I belive. She will chew on crate bars when crated, but will lay in there by herself with door open. She scratches at the door when I and only I leave. She will sit under my feet in any room and follow me from room to room. She chews on her front feet. I've tried everything from a larger crate to kongs filled with treats, doggie gates, not giving her attention when I leave and return, I want to give her free rein but she has already destroyed one door by scratching...I don't know what else to do and everything I read keeps telling me the same things I've already tried...please help!

Answer
Hello Shelby,
There are a couple of things you can try that may work for your dog.  First off, try sleeping in an old tee shirt for a couple of days to get your scent on it, then leave it with your dog.  This way, she has something that has your smell on it that she can be with while you are gone.  

Instead of putting her in a dog crate, try leaving her in a small bathroom with a doggie gate.  If you have tried this, use an exercise pen rather than her crate.  It is a larger space and will give her more room.  There are sprays that you can put on her feet to keep her from licking her feet so bad.  Its called Bitter Apple and most Pet Stores have it.  

Also, try crating her while you are there in the house.  Put her in the crate for just a short time the first few times, then gradually move the time up.  This lets her know that its ok to be in her crate some of the time when you are there and moving from room to room so that she doesn't feel uneasy about being in it when you are gone.  
Next, make short excursions out while she is in the crate, but come right back; such as when you go out to the mailbox or to get the paper.  

Another suggestion that I have found that works good is to tire her out before you leave her.  Take her for a nice long walk or play ball with her before you leave so that she is ready for a nap.  If you have a regular schedule of when you leave (such as a specific time each day) try feeding her during that time to see if she will busy herself with eating while you are away.  Don't forget the tee-shirt with your smell on it.  This will be very important to her as its all she will have of you while you are away.  

You didn't say if you live alone or if you have someone else in the house with you.  If there is someone else that lives with you, try having them take over your girls care for awhile (ie walking her, feeding her, playing ball with her).  This way, she will focus on them and while she won't forget about you, she will have someone else to turn her affections toward.

If she gets really bad, see if a neighbor or friend can stay with her (or her with them) while you are away.  This will give her someone else to focus on while you are gone.  If it works for you, you might also think about getting her a K-9 buddy to be a companion to rather than you all the time.  

These are some suggestions and you can choose the ones that work best for you.  I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions or concerns, please feel free to ask.  

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim