What is it?
You leave your dog at home and return to a house that has been
destroyed. The dog has ripped down your curtains, eaten your
couch, and scratched the door beyond repair. You decide to leave
your dog in a crate. Immediately the dog starts to whine, bark,
scratch and jump uncontrollably. The dog may even drool or foam
at the mouth and urinate/defecate. The dog looks frantic and
crazed. This is most likely separation anxiety.
Separation Anxiety is a disorder which, in its severe from,
can consist of panic attacks: urinating, defecating, frantically
scratching and chewing, barking and crying whenever the dog
is left alone. It is usually triggered by either a high contrast
situation - months of the owner home all day followed by sudden
long absences - or some sort of life change - rehoming, a stay
at a boarding kennel, the death of a key family member or major
change in routine.
What to do for Separation Anxiety
First of all, it is very important to know that your dog is
not misbehaving out of boredom, spite or for fun. The dog is
acting this way because of a severe anxiety over being separated
from you. Try to think about how your dog feels and recognize
that their anxiety is not something they can control easily
and that is not a feeling they like to have!
Puppies and newly adopted dogs are at high risk to develop
separation anxiety if they are smothered with constant attention
their first few days home. It is much better to leave for brief
periods extremely often so the dog's early learning about departures
is that they are no big deal and predict easy, tolerable lengths
of absence: "whenever she leaves, she comes back."
Give you dog both physical and mental work to do. Not only
does such work increase confidence and independence (which helps
an anxiety-ridden dog feel safer and more confident about being
left alone), it is mentally fatiguing and so increases the likelihood
that your dog will rest quietly when he is left alone. Teach
him to play "hide and seek" with toys and treats,
have him go through a series of commands every time he goes
anywhere or wants anything. Enroll him in an obedience class
and give him lots of socialization with people and dogs to help
him get his mental/physical exercise and to build confidence.
DON'T MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT LEAVING!! When you make a fuss
every time you walk out the door, the dog feels that energy
and then sees you leave. If you practice leaving and coming,
making no fuss and doing so repeatedly for short periods of
time, the dog will be desensitized to your absence after a while
and grow bored trying to figure out whether or not you're coming
back. Also, if your dog does show anxiety over your leaving,
consider altering your routine. Many dogs start to feel anxiety
because they are aware of their owner's routine: you shower,
you drink your coffee, you get your keys and you leave. As soon
as the dog sees you put your coffee cup down or reach for your
keys, he knows you're leaving. The anxiety can start already.
Try picking up your keys and then putting them back down or
simply walking around with them for a while and not leaving.
Altering your routine can throw the dog off and help alleviate
the anxiety that kicks in as a result of your routine leaving.
A dog with severe separation anxiety can take a lot of work
- but it's worth it! You will have to build time into your day
to alter your routine, leave and come back numerous times, and
exercise your dog. You may have to employ a doggy daycare or
dog sitter if your dog has a severe case of anxiety. There may
be times where the dog cannot be left alone while you start
the process of getting the dog through this.
Do NOT buy into the advice that medication will solve the problem.
In some severe cases, medication can help but it always must
be used in conjunction with a plan to work on the behavior.
By taking the steps above and making sure you are helping to
build the dog's confidence and independence, medication may
not be necessary. In any case, always seek the advice of a qualified
trainer and veterinarian before taking this on yourself.
This information was compiled in part by information
provided by the San Francisco SPCA Behavior and Training Department.
