How can I stop my dog from freaking out when I leave?

I have an adorable 10 month old Bassett, who is trained and very smart. Except when we leave her alone. I am continously working on training (getting keys, sitting back down, etc). She seems to have super bad seperation anxiety. I can handle all of it except the barking. The neighbors dont enjoy it much either. Any proven tips or suggestions? Bark collars?Just read over some of the answers - we do leave the tv on, she has king and numerous toys, a specific routine each time. We moved her from the crate to a 5X4 space because I hate crating.

Put him into a kennel to make him feel safe and secure. You may also consider leaving him with neighbors.

Try leaving the radio or even television on when you leave. The sounds will make her feel like she's not completely alone in the house and may calm her down.

try taking the dog to a doggie day care...they aren't that expensive. a dog is just like a little kid that's all. either that leave the dog in a kennel with an old sweatshirt/blanket inside so he/she smells your scent as being right beside him/her.

train him/her by locking him in a room alone for a few. tell him bad every time he barks. beat him if it escalates.

what kinda dog, if it is a smart dog such as LAB or DOBE, they realize your gone in like 30 seconds, but basset hounds it takes like 6 hours. so if your dog ranks high in intelligence find the shortest time that your dog will go without freaking out and go under the time limit for about 10 times, and then lengthen it in short intervels until you can double that time and then keep doubling it until you can get to hours, as long as you can build without them freaking out it will be able to get longer and longer... keep soothing music or sounds that are soft and subtle

Leaving the TV or radio on, from what I hear, has been known to work. So does placing her in a kennel. Another thing to consider is adopting another dog. Dogs are pack animals by nature and if they get the impression that the rest of the pack is calm, they tend to chill out themselves.

I WOULD TRY A BARK COLLAR FOR THE BARKING THEY WORK GREAT. I WOULD ONLY PUT IT ON WHEN THE PROBLEM HAPPENS THAT IS WHEN YOUR GONE. I THINK YOUR DOING GOOD WITH A SPACE JUST FOR HER OR HIM . TRY LEAVING SOME THING WITH YOUR PET THAT HAS YOUR SMELL , JUST TO COMFORT IT.

If your dog barks or howls when you leave, it is no reason to beat him/her or scream or whatever else some people are advising you to do. The reason a dog does this is because it is a pack animal and as soon as it is alone, it is reasonable for them to feel anxiety and to express this in howling, whining, barking, tearing the house apart e.t.c.Putting him in a kennel when you go out is a good idea (whoever suggested it) because it does offer security to him. Put some of his bedding and toys in it and maybe some things that smell like you, like an old jersey or something. Get him used to being in the kennel (which can shut) for small periods at a time e.g starting off at five minutes then 10 minutes and the night-time. Encourage him when he's quiet and behaving himself in the kennel but ignore him when he starts to whine or bark. Don't even look in his direction. Before you put him in the kennel, try to make him sleepy or drowsy by playing with him, excercising him then feeding him and putting him to bed in the kennel. I wouldn't recommend a bark collar because small sounds can trigger off the shock and then the dog is "punished" without a reason. If you are determined to get a bark collar, get the collars that release a calming scent instead of giving a shock.Let me know if this helps or if you require more help. Good luck

I have a basset too, and faced the same problem as you when mine was a pup (she's 2 years old now). She barks everytime she's in her crate, when I need to go out, or am outside at the yard or porch washing my car..she'll start howling (bassets love to do that!) and barking non stop. My neighbour complained. I tried scolding, light spanking, giving treats..she won't stay quiet for long. Till she's almost 1 year old, she just literally stopped..I guess talking to her, assuring and calming her down before I leave her worked for me. Since you've mentioned your basset is very smart, I believe she could pick up and understand what you're trying to tell her very quickly. Till now, whenever I'm leaving the house, even for just a while, I'll talk to her in a soothing manner, telling her I'll be home soon, and praise her for being such a gd girl for not kicking a fuss. She'll just sleep or watch me leave, and wait till I'm back home again. Good luck!

Don't leave her alone...

My male has VERY bad seperation anxiety, I can't even go into the bathroom and shut the door without him whining and pawing at his crate door. My bf hates it, if I leave the house even to go out and use the grill he whines and acts up. I've started walking him and letting him run a lot more and it seems to help. Wears him out and makes him calmer. I just hope he doesn't drive my bf nuts when I go on my cruise next week, lol. But my female does absolutely fine in her crate.

if it is really out of control you may want to check with your vet about medicine for seperation anxiety. It is called clomicalm and it will help to decrease her anxiety when you leave