Separation

Question
Hello I have an 11 month old cocker spaniel, Axl. As puppies go he is well behaved in his training and lives with me and my boyfriend. Axl used to jump up and interrupt if me and Ollie ever shared a hug or kiss, but he's grown out of this now but I've noticed a new problem. Ollie works night shift and at 11pm he'll get his jacket from the cupboard and Axl  will start jumping up, grabbing the coat and acting very distressed, panting and being wild. Then when Ollie leaves the house Axl  will bark really loud and scratch the floor to get to him. I stopped letting him outside as Ollie leaves but now he just does it at the back door.


Do you have any explanation for this and maybe any tips to overcome Axl's distress? He is fine at other times, such as when I leave the house or if Ollie goes out at another time and fine if we both leave..he just goes and lays down.

Answer
Hi Laura.  It sounds like Axl has developed a superstitious behavior chain that kicks off when Ollie prepares to leave for work.  I'll bet the first couple night he did this, you both paid a lot of attention to him when he was fussing about Ollie leaving.  

Tonight (or the next time Ollie leaves for work), vary the routine.  Have Ollie put his jacket somewhere else (in the car or front doorway area) a couple hours before he has to leave.  If Ollie typically puts a special pair of work shoes on, have him do it earlier in the evening and wear them around the house.  In other words, break of the routine of Ollie's departure sequence.  When Ollie leaves, be sure it's very low key.  No attention to the dog, no goodbye scene.  Any fussing from Axl gets TOTALLY ignored.  Pretend there's not even a dog in your house.  See if this makes any difference.  

Additionally, you can change Axl's routine.  Put him (and yourself) to bed before Ollie leaves for work.  Be in another room so Axl doesn't witness (or hear) Ollie leaving.  Put on the TV or radio to block the sound of the door.

If you're in a neighborhood that you can do this, take Axl for a short walk before Ollie leaves and come back after he's gone.

I hope some of these ideas help. Let me know if you need clarification on anything I've recommended or have additional comments or questions.  Good luck.  I'd love to hear back from you on how it goes.