There are several types of separation anxiety. Pat Miller has separated them into ''isolation'' (dog is distraught about being left alone, but can be soothed by the presence of any other friendly person or even a companion animal) vs. ''separation'' (dog is distraught about being separated from one particular person and is not consoled by anyone else's presence) and differentiates "distress" (less severe) from "anxiety" (more severe). If your foster pup suffers from isolation distress, it may be sufficient to have another dog around in the house to help her feel safe. But if she has full-blown separation anxiety, you have a harder road ahead.

There are several types of separation anxiety. Pat Miller has separated them into ''isolation'' (dog is distraught about being left alone, but can be soothed by the presence of any other friendly person or even a companion animal) vs. ''separation'' (dog is distraught about being separated from one particular person and is not consoled by anyone else's presence) and differentiates "distress" (less severe) from "anxiety" (more severe). If your foster pup suffers from isolation distress, it may be sufficient to have another dog around in the house to help her feel safe. But if she has full-blown separation anxiety, you have a harder road ahead.

Mild separation distress, which is what most foster dogs will manifest, can be successfully addressed by general relationship- and confidence-building coupled with "tincture of time." As the dog becomes more comfortable in your home and more secure in the knowledge that the daily routines include you returning predictably every day, her distress vocalizations and panting/drooling should taper off.

'''Mild separation distress''', which is what most foster dogs will manifest, can be successfully addressed by general relationship- and confidence-building coupled with "tincture of time." As the dog becomes more comfortable in your home and more secure in the knowledge that the daily routines include you returning predictably every day, her distress vocalizations and panting/drooling should taper off.

Moderate separation distress can be remedied by a program of desensitization and counterconditioning. Essentially, you want to get the dog used to your comings and goings bit by bit, starting with the very first departure cue that puts him on edge, and teach him to associate those Not-So-Bad Things with Really Great Treats until he's not only accepting of them, but actually sort of looking forward to them. Then move on to the Kinda-Bad Things, then the Really Bad Things, working patiently to change his negative emotional associations via lots of awesome treats and games.

'''Moderate separation distress''' can be remedied by a program of desensitization and counterconditioning. Essentially, you want to get the dog used to your comings and goings bit by bit, starting with the very first departure cue that puts him on edge, and teach him to associate those Not-So-Bad Things with Really Great Treats until he's not only accepting of them, but actually sort of looking forward to them. Then move on to the Kinda-Bad Things, then the Really Bad Things, working patiently to change his negative emotional associations via lots of awesome treats and games.

So you'd pick up your keys, give him a treat, put down your keys. Put on your shoes, play a few games of fetch, take off your shoes. And so on, gradually building up to brief periods and then longer periods of actually leaving his sight (and then the house). This will most likely take several weeks or months to resolve, and will require considerable patience and consistency, but it can be done. Patricia McConnell's booklet '''I'll Be Home Soon''' is a good resource, as is Nicole Wilde's '''Don't Leave Me!''' Randy Grim's book '''Don't Dump the Dog''' has a good (and very funny) outline for treatment as well. Dr. Karen Overall's [http://dogscouts.org/Protocol_for_relaxation.html| Protocol for Relaxation] ([http://championofmyheart.com/relaxation-protocol-mp3-files| free MP3 files for download]) is another extremely helpful exercise to practice with an anxious dog.

So you'd pick up your keys, give him a treat, put down your keys. Put on your shoes, play a few games of fetch, take off your shoes. And so on, gradually building up to brief periods and then longer periods of actually leaving his sight (and then the house). This will most likely take several weeks or months to resolve, and will require considerable patience and consistency, but it can be done. Patricia McConnell's booklet '''I'll Be Home Soon''' is a good resource, as is Nicole Wilde's '''Don't Leave Me!''' Randy Grim's book '''Don't Dump the Dog''' has a good (and very funny) outline for treatment as well. Dr. Karen Overall's [http://dogscouts.org/Protocol_for_relaxation.html| Protocol for Relaxation] ([http://championofmyheart.com/relaxation-protocol-mp3-files| free MP3 files for download]) is another extremely helpful exercise to practice with an anxious dog.