There are lots of good posts on this topic in the archives, but since I've got a pup that's resistant to any of the suggestions offered to date, I'm throwing caution to the wind and risking Ed and Will's ire by helping to beat this subject to death.

The first of the year, I started working at home, which means that my year old GSD hasn't been crated nearly as much as he has been in the past. It also means that he's at my side nearly 24/7. The result is that he's developed severe separation anxiety when I'm away, and in the past two weeks has begun having full blown panic attacks. He started by tearing things up in the crate (blanket, etc.) moved to tearing things up outside the crate (he learned he could scoot the crate around by throwing himself against the sides), then to breaking out of the crate, and now to getting sick and trowing up when he's left alone in the crate. He's too young to keep out of the crate when I'm away.

My reaction to this when it first started was to start crating him more when I'm at home, and crating him again at night like we used to. I've also started giving him a regular bedtime like he had when he was a puppy to try to get as much structure and routine in his day as possible. I haven't made a big deal of crating him, but I will toss a treat in and something to chew on. But as I described, his reaction has been the opposite of what it should be, and he's gotten worse rather than better.

Part of the problem may be that I can't leave a pad or a blanket in the crate with him since he'll tear it up, so the crate's a pretty bleak place. But I'm pretty sure that's a minor part of the problem. I'll add that he's always had a separation problem when put in his outside kennel that I was never able to deal with successfully. The problem was that he was hurting himself pulling on the chain link (torn, bleeding gums) and I decided to just forego the kennel rather than have him loose a tooth.

I still think I'm on the right track with keeping him crated during the day (with lots of exercise between), but I'm open to any suggestion that might help.

Jeff,
This may sound dumb, but have you considered video taping him while you're gone to see how soon he starts this behavior ( or if an environmental factor such as thunder might be a contributing factor )?

I think with a dog that has separation anxiety you might have to go the extra $$ and get an escape proof crate. They get themselves pretty worked up just by getting the crate to move around and makes the problem worse. Maybe one of the metal ones like Ed shows on the site. Inside you could put a cattle mat - if you buy one you could put half inside and put the other half under so the crate won't scoot around. Once the containment is kind of invincible they are more likely to give up some of the behaviour than if they get the reinforcent of some of their escape attempts working. I had a couple of dogs that were pretty similar to the behaviour that you describe and eventually it pretty much died down - didn't happen overnight though.
Same with the kennel - there were some links posted just the last couple of days for the non-chain link type kennels which I think would be a safer choice for a dog that is trying to tear out (and with secure kind of roof, too.)

Will, I was actually able to witness a panic attack in progress a few days ago. I had started to leave, but forgot something and closed the door, but the dog didn't realize I was still there and I could hear him start to panic. He starts the moment I leave. He whined a little, but more of a stressed whine than an attention getting one, if that makes sense. Then he started getting really distressed in his breathing, pawing at the crate, and then working himself up until he was bouncing off the sides, pushing at the door, yelping, etc. It took maybe a minute for him to go from calm to completely distressed. He quit the moment he realized I was still there. I don't know if he has more than one attack or if it's just the one when I first leave. It's kind of scary to witness.

Lynn, I actually went the opposite direction, to a plastic crate since it has a solid floor and fewer places for him to paw at things outside the crate. It's also more enclosed which seems to help a little. I used to put a blanket over his metal crate, but he started to pull it in and tear it up. I drilled some holes and padlock the door to the crate, and so far that's kept him in. Without the locks, he just butts his head on the on the door and pushes until it pops out - he's got a tough little head.

I have ordered a cow mat to try, so that may make things a little better. I'll look for that link to the non chain link kennels - thanks.

http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4148025/page/0/fpart/1/vc/1

Previous thread on the subject, although the problem wasn't as severe.

I will be honest with you. I went through this with my first Rott. There is no decent answer to this. I did the same thing and kept the dog with me all the time. I had the same screaming panic fits, crate banging around all the time. I crated this dog all the time after I saw the fits. Going to train, in the crate. I really cut back on attention that I gave when not training. I put bones in the crate all the time instead of just when I was leaving. I would get ready to leave whether I was leaving or not. I took about two years to fix what I screwed up. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I never could leave her out of the crate. I do know that I was 14 and loved having my dog with me. I would try all the above and adjust as you see that they are or are not working. I really remember being heartbroken for quite a while.

It's still too early to call for sure, but I've come up with a solution that's worked 100% so far. Thanks to all of you who sent me ideas - sorry I didn't get back with each of you individually.

My solution stems from the fact that nothing external was causing the dog's anxiety attacks - they built on themselves, albeit quickly, from simple whining and scratching at the door of the crate. I assumed that if I could stop the whining the moment it started, then he would settle down and go to sleep like he used to. So I altered Will's idea a little and set up a surveillance system with my iSight camera, put the e-collar on the dog, and headed out to the porch with my laptop and the remote to the collar. The moment I heard him whimper or saw him scratch at the door, I'd nick him. Worked perfectly - he would start to whimper, I'd nick him, he'd paw at the door, another nick, again, nick, etc. and then finally he'd lie down and go to sleep. I did this only on six occasions, and each time he was a little quicker to settle down - and on the last two he went to sleep right off the bat. So far he's yet to have another fit, even when I leave him without the collar. I figure I'll have to reinforce this on occasion, but I can't complain with the progress in such a short time.

FYI, I did try just making him think that I'd left, but being really quiet and giving him a sharp "no" when I heard him start, but unfortunately that only worked once - after the first time, he learned to trust his nose.

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