# Badly behaved poodle?



## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

This is NOT separation anxiety. Dogs with true separation anxiety are eating their way through doors and walls in a panic. There is a whole range of behaviors, I wanted to demonstrate the severity of it.

You have a very smart dog.

You have a dog that we would call a "velcro dog".

Your dog has a tendency towards these problems, and you have made it worse over time. (Don't feel bad, most people do the same!)


But there are solutions. I have a huge list of exercises and ideas because my puppy tends towards the same behaviors. I am working on these behaviors pretty intensely because my dog could end up just like yours if I don't do anything about it.

I don't want to overwhelm you or this thread with suggestions, so I will just talk about a little bit.

Start re-introducing your dog to periods of separation. Use clicker and treat training to teach your dog to go lie on a bed. Put the bed at your feet today. Tomorrow 1 foot away. The next day 2 feet away ... soon your dog will be happy laying across the room for periods of time. Do the same with the crate, and crate your dog when you leave. Put trash bins in dog-proof locations.

There is no need for her to interact with or like other dogs. Don't worry about it.

Work on the clicker training, it's loads of fun for you and your dog. It will build confidence and help you teach separation in a pleasant way.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Good idea from Tortoise - Clicker training is great fun, and can be a very good confidence builder. I would also practice ignoring her, not all the time, but don't constantly reward her clinginess. Praise and treat her for being brave; toss treats away from you, so she has to explore a bit to find them; do everything to reinforce her for being brave enough to leave your side, and be just a bit boring when she is clinging to you. A group class would be a good idea, but make sure it is one based on rewards, rather than forceful methods - you don't want to do anything that might make her more anxious.


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