How do you handle Separation Anxiety in a 2yr old dog?

I just got a german sheppard not to long ago and she is almost 2years old. I believe she has separtion anixety. Everytime I leave the house she crys even if other people are home and with her. The only way to stop her is if she is pet like the whole time I am gone. When everyone leaves and she is alone she barks,yells,crys etc the whole time and the neighbors are starting to get angry with us. I don't want to have to give her away. I love her but I can't stay home 24\7 or bring her with me. I know this isn't healthy for her. What should I do? Thanks in advance for the help.

One recommendation is that you stand outside and when the dog starts up, you chastise her from outside but so she thinks that you can see and hear her. Do this during a time when you don't have to rush off somewhere. Do it several times per day until she stops.

This can be a really tough situation to deal with but there are xome excellent resources at your disposal. Probably the best one is this article by Dr.Nicholas Dodman who is the head of the animal behavior department at Tufts Veterinary School in Massachusetts.Here are links to some articles he has written about this and some information about Dr. Dodman:http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogger/189 (About Dr. Dodman)http://www.ygrr.org/doginfo/behavior-anxiety.htmlhttp://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-practice-news-columns/pet-projects/spration-anxiety-try-4-step-program.aspxIt may be that your dog's separation anxiety is a symptom of a larger problem - a generalized anxiety and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Yes, dogs who have been abused and neglected to get PTSD and the treatment is the same as the treatment for children.... lots of love and positive reinforcement, firm but kind limits, and medication.After consulting with Dr. Dodman (we live an hour north of Boston), our veterinarian prescribed citalopram for our rescue dog, who suffered severe anxiety, separation anxiety, and severe PTSD. There are several medications that can be used for this in dogs, and this one was chosen for our dog because she has a severe heart condition.The dose is calculated based on the dog's weight and she gets half the dose in the morning, half in the evening. Our vet gives us a prescription for this and we fill it at Wal-mart where it is on the $4 list - we can get 3 moths of her prescription for $10.It does not work overnight - it takes about 4 weeks before you srart to see significant improvement and 6-8 weeks for full effect. But when it works, it is life changing. The dog we adopted is a senior citizen (10 years old when we got her; she is 15 now) and she had been neglected and abused for virtually all of her life. When she came to us it was gut wrenching to watch how she suffered. We tried very hard to work through her fears and anxiety with her but she had to be treated with medication before we could make any real headway. Our only regret is that we spent several months attempting to deal with this until we finally put her on medication.Good luck with it. Follow his guidance and the suggestions he gives in the articles and if that doesn't work, definitely talk to your vet about medication. Your vet can call him for suggestions and dosing.