Can anyone give me advice on how exactly to handle this? I have had my Akita for about two weeks. She is beautiful, well behaved, amazing with kids, great with other dogs and cats, but she struggles with separation anxiety to the point where she is hurting herself. As crazy as it sounds, we bonded right away and she is attached to my hip. Will not leave my side. I get awesome greetings from her when I get home from work everyday with her "where have you been? I have missed you" bark. On the other hand, the first day I left her alone I did not crate her because she was so amazing I didn't feel the need. Got a call from a neighbor, left work to find she had eaten all my blinds, found the only unlocked window, opened it with her teeth, and jumped out through a screen. Ahhh. So I crated her, but turns out she is an escape artist. After the first day I ended up putting ratchet straps on the crate and she still got out. So then I put zip ties an inch apart all the way around and she got out still. She has eaten my trim, boots, and carpet and just freaks when I leave. I love her to death and refuse to give up on her, but because she has tore her nose up and hurt a paw I don't want to put her back in the crate. At the same time, I don't want to come home to a hole chewed through a wall either. Ahaha. Does anyone have any solid advice on how I could make this easier for us? I guess she was raised with other dogs and now she is an only pet which could have something to do with it. Plus its still a new place for her.
You have only had her for two weeks and everything is new to her, she needs time to adapt to new home/owner. You really need to build up her confidence at being left, leave the room and shut the door, after a few seconds come back in don’t make a big fuss of her just praise calmly repeat until she is ok with this, then gradually build up to going out the front door and coming back in, Gradually increasing the time you stay away, don't make a big deal over leaving or coming back. In addition, you could leave her some old clothes with your scent on, and a radio playing in the background. There is no quick fix, and will take time, consistence and patience.
This does sound a severe case, has she come from a Rescue organisation? If so, there may be a behaviourist that you can discuss her training with. If not, there are some very good articles on SA online. What is she like in the car? My girl has slight SA, - she will bark if we leave her for more than about half an hour - but she is fine when left in the car with a hoof to chew. More of a management method than a cure! I agree with the advice that GsdSlave has given you, to start by leaving the room, and try to return before she has chance to panic - so you are not rewarding her hysterics. Only gradually increase the time that you are away, and only move on when she is remaining calm. When you have mastered this stage, you could begin opening and closing your external door. At first, remaining inside to monitor her response, but using the same process as before, work towards being able to go outside and monitor her from the garden. I am glad that your Akita has found such a committed owner. Best wishes.
If this is true separation anxiety (and it could well be), I'd recommend finding a vet behaviourist to help. They can prescribe, if necessary, medications that may smooth the process of training out which will help both you and your dog. I don't know where you are, but if in the UK, Daniel Mills at Lincoln University may be of help. There are others around the country - your own vet should have a list
I have a team mate now. Ahaha. My babysitter is also my neighbor. For the next week while I am at work she is going to run over every 30 minutes to let her out, praise her if she is not barking, and what not until I get home. Then we are slowly going to increase the amount of time between the visits so that she knows that someone will always be coming back for her. She also has a vet appointment next week and I reached out to a behaviorialist in my area. Just waiting on a response. My sitter may start babysitting at my house as well, but I want to correct the SA instead of blanket it. I think it has a lot to do with being with someone most of her life then when they had to rehome her no one would keep her. When I took over they didn't tell me about the separation anxiety. They just said she was not a good fit for their family.
