How To Help A Dog With Separation Anxiety
Its a heartbreaking scene after a short time away from your house, you return to a dog thats wet from drool, trembling and wide-eyed with fear. Theres a mess by the door, and the TV remote and couch cushions are chewed to bits.
Its clear that youre dealing with more than just canine mischief. This is a case of a dog with separation anxiety, which can cause stress for your pup and for you.
Heres how to help your dog with separation anxiety to ensure their safety and well-being.
Before You Leave The House Take Your Dog For A Walk
Start your day by taking your dog for a brisk walk. To make the walk even more rigorous, use a dog backpack with extra weight in it. Then reward your dogs calm-submissive energy with food and water. Some dogs may need to rest before eating, but all dogs can benefit from hydration. The idea is to leave your dog in quiet, resting mode while you are away.
Important Information Before You Begin
The key to curing a dogs separation anxiety is patience. In their time as opposed to your expectations. If your dog is anxious in other situations too, learn how to help anxiety in dogs.
If you fast track and begin with leaving a room, even for seconds at the start, is a step too far and, youll set your dog up to fail.
Did you know, the more anxious you are about leaving your dog, the more worried they are when you leave! The more fuss you give your dog when you leave and return, the more likely your dog will show signs of separation anxiety.
Incorporate the method below into your daily lives. Ensuring your dog is calm between movements and exits is vital. Even if they are munching on a chew, they will clock youve left, so if this helps initially then thats fine. Chewing is a great stress reliever.
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When I Need To Leave What Can I Do Immediately To Prevent Damage
This is an extremely difficult question. The goal of treatment is to reduce your dogâs level of anxiety by training her to feel comfortable in your absence. This can be a long process.
“Most owners will need to deal with the damage or vocalization immediately.”
Yet, most owners will need to deal with the damage or vocalization immediately. During initial retraining it may be best to hire a dog sitter, take your dog to work, find a friend to care for your dog for the day, board her for the day, or arrange to take some time off from work during retraining. Crate training or dog proofing techniques may work for those dogs that already have an area where they are used to being confined. For dogs with separation anxiety, crates should be used with caution because they can promote intense escape attempts and may result in fairly serious injuries. It is important to choose a room or area that does not further increase your dog’s anxiety. Your dog’s bedroom or feeding area may therefore be most practical. Booby traps might also be used to keep the dog away from potential problem areas. For vocalization, anti-anxiety drugs and pheromones may also be useful for short-term use, until the owner has effectively corrected the problem.
Leaving Your Dog To ‘crying It Out’ Means Suffering In Silence
Some dog training guides may suggest letting a dog ‘cry it out’. This technique, whilst practised widely, is neurologically damaging. Here’s why:
- Dogs and puppies left to cry it out will only learn that being alone is terrifying.
- Every time your dog becomes highly distressed, stress hormones occur in the body which can take days to reduce. This can cause negative, long-term effects on your dog’s body and mental state.
- Some will sadly learn that calling for their owner to come back doesn’t work, so they learn to suffer in silence.
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What Are The Signs Of Separation Anxiety In Dogs
Dogs can exhibit stress in many ways, so there is no one defining sign of SA. Instead, there are a variety of symptoms. One or two of them, especially if they only happen occasionally, may not be a sign of puppy separation anxiety. But if your puppy shows multiple symptoms on a regular basis, he may be suffering from SA. Here are some behaviors your dog may exhibit:
- Anxious behaviors like pacing, whining, or trembling while youre gone or as you prepare to leave.
- Excessive barking or howling.
- Destructive acts, such as chewing or digging, particularly around doors or windows.
- Accidents in the house urinating or defecating.
- Excessive salivation, drooling, or panting.
- Desperate and prolonged attempts to escape confinement, potentially ending in serious injury.
Sadly, according to research published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, several of the above symptoms are also some of the most common reasons owners get rid of their dogs. This is especially unfortunate because its an issue that can be treated by implementing a few simple but important tactics.
Don’t Ignore Separation Anxiety
You may have heard that ignoring your dog or letting them cry it out will teach your dog to self-soothe or learn healthy boundaries, but for a young puppy this probably won’t work and may have the opposite affect. “When you’re in need of an attachment figure, you’ve been separated from your mom, lost your litter mates, your new owners should not be distancing you. Leaving a puppy to cry is precisely the wrong approach because, at this stage, newly adopted pups need all the care and attention you can muster,” said Dodman.
“They should be kept as close as possible, spoken to kindly and have all their needs met.” That being said, Dodman continued it’s important to strike a balance between loving them and being matter of fact, especially when it comes to departures. Being overly emotional when you leave will make them feel like it’s a big deal and that they should panic.
To help find that balance, Basinger suggests thinking about it as “coaching them on how to learn how to self soothe and self pacify.” If your dog is in their crate or in another room and starts to get upset, get closer to them, allow them to see you and talk to them. The key is to address it, not ignore it, because your dog’s separation anxiety won’t get better on its own.
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What Can Be Happening For The Child
Fears of Being Alone
e.g. I canât handle being on my own, but I can be in control if I am around others
Fears of Abandonment
e.g. The parent is abandoning me if I go to school I will never see Mum again if she goes out!
Fear of Physical Illness:
e.g. I feel awful when Mum goes out, I could be getting sick, and that would be BAD!
Worry about Calamitous Events
e.g. I could get kidnapped if Mum is not there OR Dad could die if he goes out!
Overall, the child feels the world is a dangerous place, which they risk facing alone while they feel physically awful. To try and cope with this danger, the child will be using a lot of âsafety signals.â Safety signals refer to people, places, objects, and actions that help the child feel safe. Unfortunately, with separation anxiety, these safety signals become too strong and serve to feed the separation anxiety.
Examples of safety signals include: calling out for a parent and having them respond getting parents to make specific promises about when they will be back having to have a safety object only going to familiar places, or requiring a parent to attend an activity such as school camp.
Why Do Some Dogs Develop Separation Anxiety
There is no conclusive evidence showing exactly why dogs develop separation anxiety. However, because far more dogs who have been adopted from shelters have this behavior problem than those kept by a single family since puppyhood, it is believed that loss of an important person or group of people in a dogs life can lead to separation anxiety. Other less dramatic changes can also trigger the disorder. The following is a list of situations that have been associated with development of separation anxiety.
Change of Guardian or FamilyBeing abandoned, surrendered to a shelter or given to a new guardian or family can trigger the development of separation anxiety.
Change in ScheduleAn abrupt change in schedule in terms of when or how long a dog is left alone can trigger the development of separation anxiety. For example, if a dogs guardian works from home and spends all day with his dog but then gets a new job that requires him to leave his dog alone for six or more hours at a time, the dog might develop separation anxiety because of that change.
Change in ResidenceMoving to a new residence can trigger the development of separation anxiety.
Change in Household MembershipThe sudden absence of a resident family member, either due to death or moving away, can trigger the development of separation anxiety.
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The Steps You Need To Follow Are:
1. Establish a predictable routine
Since your dog is anxious, you need to begin by making his day calmer and more predictable whether you are home or away. Establish a daily routine so that your dog can begin to predict when he can expect attention and when he should be prepared for inattention . Try to schedule these times for object play and naps at times when you would normally depart.
2. Environmental enrichment – meeting your dog’s needs
During the times when you are interacting with your dog, make sure that you are meeting all of his needs for social interactions, play, exercise, training, and elimination. In effect, you should initiate enough regular interactive sessions and provide enough play and attention so that when each session is over, your dog is prepared to settle down and relax. At this point, new exploratory and chew toys can be given so that your dog has novel and motivating toys on which to focus when it is time to settle. Feeding toys can also replace standard food bowls to make feeding time more of a mental and physical effort.
3. Establish a predictable protocol for rewards
If your dog has separation anxiety, itâs likely that your dog’s favored rewards are the attention and play that you provide. Treats, food, play and chew toys may also be highly desirable.
“What behavior does my pet need to learn and what behavior should I never reinforce?”
4. Train âsettleâ .
5. Develop an area and surface for relaxation
How Come My Dog Gets So Anxious When I Leave Home But Is Just Fine When I Leave The Car
Many dogs that destroy the home when left alone will stay in a car or van without becoming anxious or destructive. This may be because your dog has learned to relax and enjoy the car rides without receiving constant physical attention and contact. When you do leave, the departure may be quite short. You may then occasionally leave the dog in the car during longer absences. This provides a degree of proof that your dog can learn to relax if he is used to being ignored, has a location where he feels settled, and gets used to departures gradually. This is similar to the way in which your dog should be trained to relax in your home and accept gradually longer departures.
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What Should I Do If My Dog Displays Separation Anxiety Signs
- Desensitizing her to leaving cues Your pet learns quickly that you are preparing to leave, when you put on your shoes, and pick up your keys. Perform these activities often without leaving, so your pet dissociates these cues with being left alone.
- Ignoring your dog when you return home Although ignoring your pet may seem counter-intuitive, if you fuss over your dog when you return home, you portray the impression that reuniting is a wonderful end to her solitude.
- Saving high-value treats and toys for when you leave Your pets favorite toys and treats, such as a food puzzle, or peanut butter-filled Kong, will distract her while you leave, and keep her mind off your absence.
- Ensuring she gets adequate exercise A tired pet is a happy pet, and if your furry friend receives plenty of physical and mental exercise, she may be too worn out to stress while you are gone.
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How To Help A Dog With Anxiety
If your dog seems to worry when you’re heading out, destroys stuff when you leave the house, follows you from room to room when you’re home, goes berserk when you come back and seems to be eyeing you suspiciously even before you leaveyou may be dealing with a case of separation anxiety.
Dogs with separation anxiety exhibit distress and behavior problems when they’re left alone. Some of the most common ways they do this:
- Digging and scratching at doors or windows attempting to reunite with their owners
- Destructive chewing
- Urination and defecation
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Signs Of Separation Anxiety
A dog who has it shows a lot of stress when they are alone. They might:
- Howl, bark, or whine to excess
- Have indoor “accidents” even though they are housebroken
- Chew things up, dig holes, scratch at windows and doors
- Drool, pant, or salivate way more than usual
- Pace, often in an obsessive pattern
They likely won’t do any of these things to an extreme while youâre around. A normal dog might do some of these things once in a while, but one with separation anxiety will do them almost all the time.
Dog Separation Anxiety At Night
Even the calmest and sensible dog can become a nervous wreck if expected to sleep alone at night. Again, this depends entirely on your particular dog, and their personal experiences.
- If you have taken a puppy home, its a lot to take in for them not only are they in a new home, but theyre used to sleeping in a pile with their siblings, possibly snuggled up to their mum for extra warmth. Suddenly theyre supposed to sleep entirely alone when theyre at their most vulnerable?
- If you have adopted a dog from a shelter, they may have spent every night sleeping beside or at the feet of their previous owner. If you have a strict no dogs policy in your own bed or bedroom, they may find it very distressing to have to sleep alone.
- Likewise, your dog may also have been stray at some time in their life if you have adopted them from a shelter. This would mean they would have formed a pack for safety, and been forced to stay very alert throughout the night. Forcing your dog to sleep alone may contradict every instinct and learned behavior they know of.
It can be tricky to conquer separation anxiety at night with a new dog, especially if they are not yet housetrained, but its very important. Having said this, bedtime routines may be the one occasion that you can cave into a dogs demands for your company. It may be better for all concerned that way.
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How To Prevent Separation Anxiety In Dogs
Active, stimulated dogs may be less likely to develop separation anxiety. Keeping your pet active can help, and regular training sessions even for well-behaved dogs will reinforce positive behaviors. Routine exercise and training also provide structure. Sometimes, relaxing a training routine can actually lead to separation anxiety, which is another possible cause to consider when you speak with your veterinarian.
Discouraging certain behaviors can also help prevent separation anxiety from developing. Needy behaviors like scratching or excessively seeking attention may seem cute but could be a sign that your dog does not know how to comfort themselves. You can help them become more self-sufficient by gently discouraging or ignoring these behaviors.
Consult With A Trainer Or Animal Behavioral Specialist
If a veterinarian has determined that your dog has no underlying health issues and may have separation anxiety, Basinger recommends consulting with a trainer “so that they could have a consultation that’s based on the specifics of their lifestyle, where they live, and their dog’s specific behavior.” There’s a lot of information out there, so rather than having to parse through all of it, she said, “Find a person that they trust to talk through it and come up with a plan. That way, they’re really getting the attention that they need for their particulars.”
While the pandemic may have contributed to a rise in separation anxiety, it doesn’t have to inhibit its treatment. “Many professionals are still offering services virtually during this time,” said Loyer, “and luckily separation anxiety is one behavior challenge that lends itself well to virtual coaching.”
There’s no legal requirement for dog trainers to be certified, but there are several highly reputable qualifications that can help you parse out the good from the bad. Listing all the different certifications here would be like alphabet soup, but as a rule of thumb, look for a trainer that is certified in canine behavior consulting or has a good track record with testimonials from clients.
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