To get the top info out of the way:

I adopted a dog which is mostly yellow lab (not sure on rest) about 4 weeks ago. We believe he is about 1.5 years old. The dog weighs about 80 pounds. Another important part, I live with my wife and we both love dogs to death, but she's currently on a trip (she left about a week ago, has another week to go).

OK, so onto the separation anxiety. He always has had it, but ever since he saw my wife packing her bag a week ago, he's been seriously regressing. When we were both home, we could leave the house by calming him down and then throwing him a kong treat and leaving. He would still be a little destructive while we were gone (and really jumpy when we got back) but he seemed to be getting some better.

But a couple of days ago, my wife left for a trip, and the dog has went nuts. His separation anxiety is through the roof. First, trying to leave. The kong treat doesn't distract him enough to allow me to leave. He's so fast and strong, that when I open the door, he bolts to it and forces his way out. I can sometimes trick him with playing fetch or a squeaky toy, but this morning, for instance, I literally had to give him a tug by his collar and while he was trying to turn around, slip out the door. I feel horrible about both of these methods. I don't want to trick my dog into thinking fetch is something I do to trick him, and of course I don't want to physically "toss" my dog, especially since there is no way my tiny wife could do it.

When I get home this evening, my dog will be so jumpy. He doesn't try to be hurt people, it's not like he's biting. But his paws hurt us, and sometimes his teeth (again, not biting) hit us. He'll calm down in 30-60 seconds, though.

The worst part of all, however, is that even with me home the dog is on edge. When my wife and I are both home, he does spend most of his time with us, but he wanders. He'll go from my room to hers, he'll go to his bed, he'll play fetch with himself (which is so adorable), etc. But now, he is by my side. He will sometimes appear to be asleep near me, but the moment I stand up, even just to grab some water, he snaps to attention to watch me. And if I leave the room, he follows. If he thinks I'm walking towards the door, he bolts to the door to block it. His breathing is elevated all evening. He doesn't play with his toys. He's just on a hair trigger all evening. I took him to the dog park, and that was the happiest I've seen him all week, but the calmness didn't transfer to getting him home.

I just feel so bad for my pooch. He seems to be stressed out beyond any reason. I also can't keep up with the fight to leave the house. I wanted to go to the store last night, but knew it wasn't worth the fight. So, I was late to work this morning, stopping on my way in.

I have an in-home dog trainer coming over tonight to help me. So, I am trying to get help. But I guess I'm looking for tips, or even just someone saying "it gets better." He was in the pound 2 months before we got him, so I know we've had him less time than he lived in the pound, so I heard it might still be a bit before he starts to trust us. But I just want to know my playful, happy puppy will come back.