Separation Anxiety
Separation
anxiety is one of the most common problems that dogs
develop. It’s an anxiety disorder, and is defined
as a state of intense panic brought on by the dog’s
isolation/separation from her owner(s).
In other words: when you leave for work in the morning,
your dog is plunged into a state of nervous anxiety
which intensifies extremely quickly.
Dogs are social animals – they need plenty
of company and social interaction to keep them happy
and content. No dog likes to be left alone for long
stretches of time, but some dogs do a lot worse than
others: these are the ones most prone to separation
anxiety.
There are a number of contributing causes to the
condition:
- Some breeds are genetically predisposed towards
anxiety and insecurity, which is something you should
consider when deciding which breed you’re going
to go for (particularly if you’re going to be
absent for long stretches of time). A few of these
breeds include Weimaraners, Springer Spaniels, German
Shepherds, and Airedales
- A significant proportion of dogs from shelters
develop separation anxiety. Most of these ‘shelter
dogs’ have undergone significant trauma in their
lives – they’ve been abandoned by their
previous owners – and thus they have little
trust that their new-found owner (you) isn’t
going to pull the same trick.
- Dogs that were separated from their mothers and
siblings too early have been identified as being especially
prone to separation anxiety. Puppies from pet-stores
are a perfect example of this: they’re usually
taken from their mothers well before the earliest
possible age (which is 8 weeks), and confined to a
small glass box in the petstore for anywhere between
a few weeks to two months. This early weaning, coupled
with the lack of exercise and affection while in the
petstore, is psychologically traumatic for the dog.
- Neglect is the number-one cause of sepration anxiety
for dogs. If you’re absent much more than you’re
present in your dog’s life, separation anxiety
is pretty much inevitable. Your dog needs your company,
affection, and attention in order to be happy and
content.
The symptoms of separation anxiety are pretty distinctive:
your dog will usually learn to tell when you’re
about to leave (she’ll hear keys jingling, will
see you putting on your outdoor clothes, etc) and
will become anxious. She may follow you from room
to room, whining, trembling, and crying. Some dogs
even become aggressive, in an attempt to stop their
owners from leaving.
When you’ve left, the anxious behavior will
rapidly worsen and usually will peak within half an
hour. She may bark incessantly, scratch and dig at
windows and doors (an attempt to escape from confinement
and reunite herself with you), chew inappropriate
items, even urinate and defecate inside the house.
In extreme cases, she might self-mutilate by licking
or chewing her skin until it’s raw, or pulling
out fur; or will engage in obsessive-compulsive behaviors,
like spinning and tail-chasing.
Upon your return, she’ll be excessively excited,
and will leap around you in a frenzy of delight for
a protracted period of time (more than the 30 seconds
to one minute of a happy, well-balanced dog.)
This extended greeting is a source of some misunderstanding:
without realizing that such a greeting actually signifies
the presence of a psychological disorder, some owners
actually encourage their dog to get more and more
worked up upon their return (by fuelling the dog’s
excitement, encouraging her to leap around, paying
her protracted attention, and so on.)
If you’re behaving in this way with your dog,
please stop. I know it’s tempting and very easy
to do, and it seems harmless – after all, she’s
so happy to see you, what harm can it do to return
her attention and affection in equal measure? - but
in actuality, you’re just validating her belief
that your return is the high point of the day.
So she’s as happy as Larry when you return –
but, when it’s time for you to leave again,
her now-exaggerated happiness at your presence is
under threat, and she gets even more unhappy when
you walk out that door.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to minimize
your dog’s tendency towards anxiety. Here’s
a short list of do’s and don’ts:
Do:
- Exercise the heck out of her. Really wear her out:
the longer you expect to be away, the more exercise
she should get before you leave. For example, if you’re
leaving for work in the morning, she’ll probably
be by herself for at least four hours; and, if you’ve
got a dog-walker to take her out mid-day instead of
coming back yourself, she won’t see you –
the person she really cares about - for at least nine
hours. So she needs a good, vigorous walk (fifteen
to twenty minutes is the absolute minimum here!) before
you walk out that door. More is even better.
- Distract her from her boredom, loneliness, and
anxiety by giving her an attractive alternative to
pining, pacing, and whining. All dogs love to chew
– why not play on this predisposition? Get a
couple of marrowbones from the butcher, bake them
in the oven for 20 minutes (so they go nice and hard
and crunchy – and so she can’t smear marrow
all over your furniture), slice them up into chunks
of a few inches long, and give her one about 15 minutes
before you leave. It’ll keep her happy and occupied,
and will act as a smokescreen for your departure.
- When you leave, put the radio on to a soothing
station: classical music is ideal, but any station
featuring lots of talk shows is also ideal. Keep the
volume quite low, and it’ll calm her down a
bit and give her the feeling that she’s got
company.
- If at all possible, supply her with a view: if
she can see the world going by, that’s the next
best thing to being out and about in it.
- Acclimatize her to your leaving. Taking things
nice and slowly, practice getting ready to go: jingle
your keys about, put on your coat, and open the door.
Then – without leaving! – sit back down
and don’t go anywhere. Do this until she’s
not reacting any more. When there’s no reaction,
give her a treat and lavish praise for being so brave.
Next, practice actually walking out the door (and
returning immediately), again doing this until there’s
no reaction. Gradually work up – gradually being
the operative word here! – until you’re
able to leave the house with no signs of stress from
her.
Do not:
- Act overtly sympathetic when she’s crying.
Although it sounds very cold-hearted, trying to soothe
and comfort your dog by patting her and cooing over
her is actually one of the worst things you can do:
it’s essentially validating her concern. Make
sure she can’t tell that you feel sorry for
her: don’t ever say, “It’s OK, good
girl” when she’s upset!
Recommended Reading:
If you’re interested in getting a more detailed
look at how to deal with your dog’s separation
anxiety, you might like to check out Secrets To dog
Training.
It’s a great learning tool for anyone who wants
to learn how to deal constructively with their dog’s
problem behaviors.
All of the common behavioral problems are dealt with
in detail, and there’s a great section on obedience
commands and tricks too.
You can visit Secrets To Dog Training by clicking on
the link below:
Visit
Secrets To dog Training
|