Sudden dog fear/anxiety attacks

Question
Hi -
My 9.5 year old Chihuahua Paco is suddenly terrified of me being in my upstairs office - he has never jumped on my lap or climbed on my desk ever - now, he pants, and almost climbs over me - then sits on my desk and looks at me -
He has had a couple of life changing things going on - first, his companion of 5 years died of a stroke at age 14 just last month, then his companion of 8 months moved out with my daughter to their new home.  My daughter and her dog Tyson visit often, and we visit them, but Paco has never done this - he seems a bit depressed, and then when I come in here, he won't leave me alone - (I need to mention that my office used to be my daughter's bedroom, but until this week no problems) - suddenly, yesterday and today, he is driving me crazy every time he comes in here - I am very worried because he is old, and I can't lose him to a heart attack or stroke - what is happening - my friend thinks he sees the ghost of Lassie, or he is lonely - my husband and I talked about getting another dog as his companion, but we like to travel, and it is easier with one small dog then two small dogs - and we thought he would love having 100% of the attention since he went from being the dominant over the 14 yr old female then became the dominant to the un-neutered male dog of my daughter. Help!!! I don't know what to do - if I call the vet, they will just put him on medication!

Answer
Hi Chris,

It sounds as though your dog has an awful lot on his plate, so to speak, given the loss of his animal companion, and your daughter moving out in close proximity. Dogs do go through a period of grief after a loss, but perhaps the changes in your home have just been too much for Paco to process.

Even though you are home, and only in a different room, it sounds like Paco is having some separation anxiety.

I'd recommend a veterinary exam, and to speak to your vet regarding the use of anti-anxiety medication for Paco. Medication isn't a bad thing, it's not going to "dope" him up, it will only help manage his anxiety. It's also not forever, it's for the time period that's needed to help Paco get over this.

The most effective approach in using medication is usually a combination of training, or "behavior modification" exercises paired with the anti-anxiety medication. In Paco's case, that means getting him used to calmly spending time by himself.

You can read about training your dog out of this here:

http://www.canines.com/library/sepanxiety.shtml

http://www.petlibrary.co.uk/dog-training/separation-anxiety-in-dogs-how-to-treat...

Another component of behavior modification that may help your dog to be less anxious is increased exercise. Exercise has mental as well as physical benefits for dogs. Given your dog's age, an extra walk or two each day, if he can't tolerate more intense activity, can help an awful lot.

The next best step is consultation with a veterinary or certified animal behaviorist, if possible. Your veterinarian may be able to refer you to an experienced animal behaviorist or trainer in your area.

If you want to save medication as a last resort, you can try using dog pheromones to help calm Paco.  You can read more about this here:
http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/behavior/a/dogbehaviorprob.htm

Getting another dog can help, or it might be another not-so-positive event in Paco's life. If you decide to get another dog, try to "borrow" a dog to take home for an afternoon and see how your dog reacts. In some cases, the new dog will "energize" the resident dog. In other cases, the resident dog simply won't tolerate the changes made by another dog in his home.
If Paco seems to miss the dog that died, this can be a very clear sign that it is right to get another dog right away. Keep in mind that a dog closer to Paco's age is a better adoption choice because he is likely to be more compatible with the new comer.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,
Patti