We were told that both of our dogs howl when left. This came as a surprise as we thought we were over that stage. I was wrong.

I hate being the neighbour with the noisy dogs. At first it really got to me, it was all that I could think about. Mentally I was a wreck as it was something that seemed to be out of my control to a certain extent. I didn’t know what to do. So I did some research and made some changes and some purchases of products that could help.

I bought Tilly a Thundershirt. I am sure she starts it all. I have proof she does as I have a webcam set up and can access it on my phone. She starts whining, then starts howling then Tyson joins in.

I have bought an Adaptil diffuser. Apparently that can take a month for it to work.

A stuffed kong is given when we go out or a treat for them to chew. They expect a treat now, not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing as this means that they know that we are going out. I am not sure whether this is making them howl.

A radio and the TV are left on. We are a noisy household I am sure. We have two children under 6 years. They don’t make tonnes of noise but there is some singing, some screaming, some crying and some laughing. I am sure it is perfectly normal for a family with children. I bet the dogs miss it when we go out.

I am taking them both out for a walk in the morning instead of the evening. My goodness Tilly is so energetic in the morning, no wonder she was howling.

Is it all working? I think so. We were specifically told that they constantly howl. Now, they howl about 10-15 minutes and sometimes when something upsets them but again only lasting 10-15 minutes at a time. Still way too much for my liking. I wish they would stop completely.

I am trying to teach Tilly some tricks, she doesn’t know how to sit, paw or lay down like Tyson does. She does know a few commands but not a lot. Also I am trying to teach her to calm down. This is proving to be difficult. She is a jack russell. One with a kind heart. She is loving and caring. I love her, love them both. However she is noisy especially when there is a knock on the door and she passes dogs while walking.

I think the next thing to do is to buy her a crate, she had a fabric one but destroyed the front part, however she did seem more settled in there. A metal one next time, I think. Perhaps with a blanket over it…think she liked the darkness and security.

Any tips on how to rectify separation anxiety in dogs would be most welcome.