# Separation Issue



## HarryRedDog (Jul 28, 2013)

Hi, I dog sitting a Vizsla for a few months whilst owner manages a serious illness. 'Harry' has separation issues and will whine and howl if I leave him. Any tips? Thank you in advance.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

if you need help quickly... use the search feature on the forum and also compare to what google comes up with.

To get things rolling, the concept of separation anxiety boils down to obedience training and not a medical condition 
The dog needs to understand what it can and cannot do, your rules. In other words, it needs to learn to obey you.
Otherwise, he is training you.

To accomplish this, I use crates, tethers and place markers. 
I tether the dog to my waist with a long leash and take him everywhere around the house I work and train him at the same time. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weCTQc730tg


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

Harry is missing his person. :'(

The antidote to anxiety is predictability. So, what you want to do is come up with a routine that both you and he can quickly adjust to and see as consistent and predictable. So, schedule time in for walks/off lead runs/fun stuff/meals/sleeping/ awake time/alone time/crate time that are all regular and predictable. 

It will take Harry some time to adjust, but he will, just stay with it and try to ignore the howling.


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## HarryRedDog (Jul 28, 2013)

ah...thank you for your replies. I will take all that on board and se how we go. He already seems a little better. I don't think for the last few months he has been exercised more than being let out onto the garden by his owner. So a couple of six mile runs on the beach a day has taken the edge off his behavior.


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