Dear Cathy, We have a four-year-old male Havanese who is very loving and intelligent. His only problem is that he is extremely attached to me and my husband. When I am home, he follows me from room to room.
If someone is home with him, he is fine. But if we go out together, leaving him alone, he becomes very anxious and barks continuously – so our neighbors tell us. I hired a home trainer when he was a puppy and that helped with all the basic commands.
Then I went to classes with him, which also helped. But I couldn’t get him to stop barking when we went out. Finally, on a friend’s recommendation, we sent him away for training for two weeks.
He came home and was still barking. I sent him back for another two weeks, and he was better for a short time. Then he started all over again.
Our vet recommended a citronella collar, which I bought, but the collar only works manually, so that’s not much help when we go out. Any suggestions? – Suzanne, Woodbury, New York Dear Suzanne, Yes, I have a few more suggestions for you. My regular readers already know what I will recommend first – a canine pheromone collar.
These collars don’t stop barking, but they can reduce anxiety and make it easier for a dog to relax (see next letter). You might also try canine pheromone plug-ins for certain rooms of your house. When you’re at home and your dog barks, call him to you, ask him to sit, then give him something to chew or a puzzle toy to keep his mind busy.
Start with a simple puz.
