My dog has really, really bad separation anxiety?

How do I deal with a dog with separation anxiety when separated from my other dog?

• I have a little hyper (and bossy) female dog, she is sweet but she is the boss when it comes to my 120lbs male golden retriever. They love each other but he is more laid back and doesn't really care if she isn't near him because he is probably happy she isn't jumping all over him. Well If i take my big dog for a walk my little dog goes nuts and basically is having an anxiety attack running through the house looking for my big dog. She has to go where he goes. If he goes outside she always goes with him. I usually walk them separatlely because she is a barker and i like to walk her at night or early when no other dogs are around to bark at. She always has to cuddle up to him whenever he is sleeping.etc.. How do I deal with the separation anxiety when he is not around? When he is not home, she runs throught the house for hours staring out the windows and looking for him. I just hope the big dog doesn't pass on first because she would be a reck if he passed on and she was left with out him. Any tips?Advice?

• Answer:

  There are a couple of things you could do to make it easier for her while he's away: 1) take him away for little stints at a time and bring him back. This will start of being you step out the door, close it, and come straight back in. After a few tries of this she'll relax and realise he's coming back. Slowly (minute by minute) increase this time. Stay on the same time until she's relaxed with that level of separation, then add one more minute until you've built up to the time he'll be away on a walk. 2) make sure she has something special while he's away. Buy a toy she really loves or a kong filled with a treat but make sure she ONLY gets it while he's away, not as a reward for anything else. This should help ease her pain and keep her occupied while he's out rather than obsessing about his whereabouts. Hope this helps you!