Most people try to solve barking and destruction by staying out longer. The dog does not get used to it. Past their comfort threshold, they rehearse the meltdown.

What actually works is shorter, boring departures you can repeat before anything gets wrecked.

1. Note the last time they stayed calm after you left. That number is your starting line, not 90 minutes.

2. Practice just under that duration. Leave, come back while they are still quiet, and stop.

3. Only add time after several calm reps in a row.

If you come home to barking or chewed door frames, you went too far. Drop the duration. The goal is a dog who learns that leaving is uneventful — not a dog who survives a longer panic.