Anonymous wrote:I have an anxious dog. He hasn't been left alone much due to COVID. But we are going out now without him to get him used to the day we all go back to work. I subscribe to DogTv. And leave it on for him, low volume, but where he can see it easily. It's a godsend. Completely calms him down. You could try that.

Personally, I would try doggie day care at least a couple of days a week. It will run him ragged so that he doesn't have a lot of energy the next day and will be happy enough sleeping.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bark collar will rapidly fix the behavior with a marginally bright dog.

Do NOT use a bark collar. As others have said, your dog is scared/anxious. Using a bark collar will only exacerbate that. There are lots of ways to work on separation anxiety - medication, working with a trainer, distracting/keeping the dog busy with a frozen Kong. I know it’s hard and frustrating, but realizing that it’s the dog being scared may help with your patience. Good luck, you can definitely do this!

Anonymous wrote:OP back again. Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. I was at a really low point when I wrote this. I would NEVER get rid of my dog, and i (oddly) think that’s where some of my concern stems from. If I had a SFH and he was barking, I’d obviously try to resolve the issue for his benefit but wouldn’t worry so much about it myself. Since I live in a condo, I don’t want to be insensitive to my neighbors or get complaints about this (worried they’d evict the dog even though I’m the owner) so I basically just don’t leave. Sigh. I’ve signed us up with a trainer which will hopefully help.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get rid of the dog. Pets are there for enjoyment not to make your life harder. Get rid of of it and get a different one if you really want a dog.

You’re a shitty person.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is your schedule and how much time are you expecting him to spend alone?

I should note that pre-pandemic - he regularly was alone 8+ hours a day (with a dog walker) with minimal issues. These days, I work from home FT - so honestly, majority of days I’m out 1-2 hours (throughout each day) for errands, etc.; few times a week I’m gone for longer stretches (4-5 hours) for social stuff. I don’t think it’s excessive at all.

I haven’t been doing the above due to his issues but this is what I did before they started.

Anonymous wrote:What is your schedule and how much time are you expecting him to spend alone?

Anonymous wrote:I wanted to make you feel better by saying I've yelled at my kid (human person), and told them they were a brat in a low moment.

You aren't a horrible person, it happens and you are trying to make it better. I just wanted to make you feel better by saying that pretty much all parents out there have done this to their human children. Which is certainly even worse than yelling at a dog, since even though your tone might have scared your dog I'm not sure of the total cognitive awareness and/or memory of content.

And I mean I did feel bad when I yelled at my kid. That one time. lol.

You are okay, you are a good pet owner. Hugs to you.

Anonymous wrote:Get rid of the dog. Pets are there for enjoyment not to make your life harder. Get rid of of it and get a different one if you really want a dog.

Anonymous wrote:OP back again. Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. I was at a really low point when I wrote this. I would NEVER get rid of my dog, and i (oddly) think that’s where some of my concern stems from. If I had a SFH and he was barking, I’d obviously try to resolve the issue for his benefit but wouldn’t worry so much about it myself. Since I live in a condo, I don’t want to be insensitive to my neighbors or get complaints about this (worried they’d evict the dog even though I’m the owner) so I basically just don’t leave. Sigh. I’ve signed us up with a trainer which will hopefully help.