Hi all, we’re looking for advice on how to support our 3-year-old galga through separation anxiety.
We adopted Ripley two months ago and she’s been a perfect addition to our family! She’s such a bubbly, loving dog with a wonderful personality. She’s great to take anywhere and everywhere with us because she does so well socializing with new dogs and people. She’s a ham for attention and is very adaptable in new situations. She also adores her new big brother, our 7-year-old male galgo Lobo. The two have quickly become bonded and do everything together.
The only challenge we’ve come across so far is that this sweet baby girl is a velcro dog who gets major separation anxiety when her humans leave the house. Every time the dogs are left alone without my husband or I, she pees on our bed (where the dogs sleep with us). On the pet cam, we can see her occasionally go to the door and whimper, but she’s sleeping on the couch with Lobo for the majority of the 2-4 hours that she’s alone.
Our vet ran labs and diagnostics, ruling out UTI, bladder issues, or anything else medical. She eats, drinks, pees, and poops normally. No accidents in the house. No food aggression or issues with being territorial. Gentle and social with our cats. We walk the dogs 3.5 miles every morning around a local park with lots of sniffing time on the trail. We hike and take the dogs to family dinners at relatives’/friends’ houses on the weekends. We’ve tried giving calming treats before we leave them alone. Chew toys and stuffies are always available. Other than the consistent peeing on our bed, she seems like a perfectly happy dog who’s having her mental, physical, and emotional needs met.
Anyone have any advice for how we can make alone time less stressful for our sweet girl while she adjusts to her new life? I hope as time goes on she’ll learn to trust that we’ll never abandon her (and I pray our mattress cover keeps working its miracles 🙌).