My dog has really, really bad separation anxiety?

My Dog loves daycare play time, but hates kennell part! is it really separation anxiety?

• Today I got a call from the doggy day care (first day for my 7 month husky/mal pup) and said that he plays perfect with all the dogs, but when he is placed in the kennell, he shows separation anxiety. Now, I would think this is normal the first time, and I would understand if he shows signs at home. But he doesnt!!! We have left our dog alone for 5 hours max, and we have never heard complaints from neighbors, we dont hear him cry or weep when we leave...he is really awesome about it. We come home and he is waiting in the kitchen (were we leave him, our kitchen is huge so he has space to run play etc) and he calmly greets us. We also dont overly greet him, knowing that this might encourage separation anxiety. Now, keeping that in mind, today we took him to a daycare place where they featured more play time and would only have breaks in between. we would be gone longer than 5 hours so we wanted to give it a try. I did tell them that my dog is not used to a kennel and as long as the breaks are around 30 mins or so...he would be fine. We left and they immediately placed him in the kennell, which I personally did not like and specifically chose a place that featured all day play, but we trusted them and left. I called do double check on him a few hours later, and they told me he is having a great time with dogs-big and little ones. HOwever, that he does get anxious when placed in the kennell and they suggested that we should sedate him when placed in situations like that. I ignored that, knowing that I would never do that since he has never shown problems. I asked how long he was placed in the kennel and she mumbbled and simply said oh around 45 minutes. Now, I understand that our dog should learn and behave properly, but if you place a dog in a kennel, let alone a 7 month puppy for a long time he might get anxious. Anyways, they called us an hour later and said that we should pick him up because he has started howling and his anxiety is extreme for them that they are afraid he might hurt himself. I was worried and also upset, because I heard great things about this daycare, yet they dont know how to handle dogs who dont like the kennell. We went to pick him up, he was salivating, nervous, he jumped in the back car and just laid there. Now, I do want to help him with his separation anxiety, however, what do I do if he doesnt show it at home? Also, I have read that dogs having separation anxiety do not like to play with other dogs, but thats not the case for our dog! He loves to play, ready to mingle, and is fine. He only shows signs of anxiety when placed in the kennell. any suggestions? We were thinking of getting another dog, but we want to make sure we are financially and also time wise ready for another dog, knowing that one dog is definitely already a huge load (we love it, but we want to be responsible). Should I find a daycare where they dont offer kennel boarding? was it separation anxiety or possible neglect coming from the daycare center? thanks for your help in advance!

• Answer:

  Does the doggy day care provide mental stimulation when they put the puppies in the kennel? Since your little guy is used to having a kitchen and probably a lot of fun toys and a soft bed when he is home alone, he was probably upset that this kennel wasn't as comfortable as usual. Next time bring his favorite toy for kennel time. Also, consider that he was in a brand new place for a very long time. It might not have been separation anxiety, but he was stressed. Its surprising to hear that they suggested sedating him. They might not have explained what they meant very well. There are products you can buy that are supposed to calm pets. There are treats, gels, tabs, collars and wall plug ins. Most products use pheromones to calm your dog in a safe way. You could also use a thunder shirt. The thunder shirts put pressure on certain points of your dogs body to calm them. Hope this helps