Dog won't eat without me & barks when left alone. What can I do?

Question

Hi! Recently we had to change Sugar’s diet to prescription food so we have to feed her separately from the other 2 dogs we have. The issue we have is that she seems to only eat when we are in the room with her. If we leave her alone and close the door she will cry and won’t eat her food. She also barks a lot when we leave her alone. What can we do to fix what seems to be separation anxiety? Thank you! Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund | Female | spayed | 9 years and 7 months old | 11 lbs

Jeffrey Milner · Accepted Answer

This doesn't necessarily sound like a separation anxiety to me. Some dogs (and cats) are just what I call "sociable eaters"; they don't like to be alone when they are consuming their meals. Some even want to be pet or talked to when they are eating. As long as she is eating her entirely meal in one sitting, I would say that your best solution to the problem is simply to continue sitting with her for the duration of her meals. As far as barking when she's left alone, I might recommend crate training her if she isn't already. Giving her a place to call her own that is like a den might make her more comfortable in situations that may ordinarily be uncomfortable. There are many training videos and books on crate training that will get you started on how to do it and what you will need. In more serious cases, there are medications that can be utilized to address these types of problems, but are not typically recommended until other options have been exhausted. There are some natural options such as the Adaptil collar that I have seen some dogs with similar problems succeed with. Here's a link to read all about it : https://www.adaptil.com/us#redirected Anyway, I hope this makes sense. Best of luck.

Dog won't eat without me & barks when left alone. What can I do?

Most Helpful Answer

Related Questions

What fish dog food helps dry skin if my dog eats Science Diet?

What's the best way to feed my hamster when I'm going on a trip?

Can chickens eat bell peppers daily and what about veggie salads?

Is Purina Layer Pellets good for chickens? What other feeds exist?

My newly adopted pet won't eat hay. What can I do to encourage it?

My mice eat all their food together from one bowl. Is this normal?

Share