When we brought our Maltese mix into our lives we were prepared to make her life as full and happy as we could. She was a rescue dog, after all, and she needed to know that she was now in a home where she was loved!
From the beginning, she showed signs of being a very needy puppy. She was extremely attached to me, following me around from room to room continuously.
The worst part was when we had to leave her at home for any length of time.
As we’d leave our apartment, we’d here scratching at the door and whining and barking.
Our neighbors told us that she’d keep this up continuously whilst we were out. She would often have urinated whilst we were gone, too. On returning, she would be overwhelmed. She’d run around in circles barking, jumping up and extremely needy for attention.
Unfortunately, she was clearly suffering badly from separation anxiety, either from her time at the shelter or from abuse she’d suffered with her previous owner. Something had to be done, and we looked at various solutions that were recommended to us by friends and our vet, including giving her clothing with my scent on it.
It was only when I came across that we got results.
On this website, they offer a CD or MP3 download of soothing harp music, Chill Dog, especially designed to calm anxious dogs. I was a little skeptical at first, but when I sampled the tracks, I felt straightaway that this was a possible solution. She is used to music being played in the home, and we often snuggle together whilst it’s on.
It’s only been a short time, but there’s already been a marked improvement in her behavior. She’s calmer when we’re about to leave, and when we return. Music is soothing for us humans, and it seems for anxious dogs, too!