Marcia asked for help about her 6 month old Labrador:

“We think our 6 mos old lab is having separation anxiety. Every morning when it is time for the last person to leave the house we go outside with the dog to walk around so that she can take one last “pee” break. She will not go to bathroom (just sniffs around) and as soon as we get back in the house she will either run away from us and immediately urinate on the floor (or the couch as it was this a.m.) or she will wet in her kennel as soon as we put her in. On weekends or other times when someone is home, she does not do this. Help please! Thanks.”

This could be mild separation anxiety, but could equally be a reaction to your “leaving the house” routine.  When you return after leaving her, do you notice any evidence of other destructive behavior (chewed chair legs, scratch marks on the door or walls etc..)? If so, then it is more likely to be a more difficult separation issue to resolve and it would be best to consult a dog behaviorist for one on one help.

My guess, though, is that your routine for leaving the house is to give her as much attention right up to the last minute you walk out the door (because you feel bad about leaving her).  Unfortunatley, this gives the wrong message to the dog, who is left feeling that it is not normal for her to be on her own!  Labradors, especially, are very people oriented.  If you bring a Lab into your home, you either need to be prepared to spend most of the day with them nearby, or manage the alone time so that it does not feel like a big deal to them.

I go into more detail about managing the going out routine in these two earlier posts: Jack Russell Separation Anxiety and Boston Terrier Chewing, and would suggest you follow the guidance detailed in them with your Lab.  Some additional advice I would offer here is to get up a little earlier, so that you can fit in a decent walk with a small amount of play to burn off some energy and a chance to pee/poop. Then just follow the information in the earlier posts about avoiding interaction and fussy goodbyes- her last toilet break should be about 20 minutes before you leave.  If she hasn’t already got one, I would also suggest you get her a kong toy to chew on through the day (stuffed with her favorite treats), which should give her some mental stimulation and take her mind off the fact you are not home.

Another common piece of advice is to leave a radio playing softly when you are not there.  I used a variation of this idea once with one of my own dogs, who was fine being left through the daytime, but tended to be a little destructive if we ever went out without her on an evening.  One weekend, I set up the microphone on my laptop and recorded the family going about our business, chatting etc.. for an hour or so, then burned it onto a CD, which I played on a “loop” while we were out and it did the trick.