Separation Anxiety in Dogs
While all pet owners enjoy being loved and needed by their pets, when a dog develops separation anxiety it can make leaving the house a chore. This may not only be a stressor for you — but quite possibly for your neighbors as well. They’re the ones who will have to listen to the howling and whining when you’re away from the house.
Most dogs would prefer that their owners stay with them all of the time — this is just the social nature of canines. Although I’m sure many of you would love to have your best friend go with you wherever you go, this obviously isn’t possible. Naturally you’re going to have to leave your dog home alone for some hours during the day. So let’s explore some of the possible causes, and more importantly ways to confront and stop dog separation anxiety for good.
How Can You Tell if it’s Dog Separation Anxiety?
- Dog becomes very agitated anytime he or she thinks that you are getting ready to leave the house
- Dog whines or barks incessantly while you are away
- Dog destroys items in the home while you are gone
- Dog eliminates in the house while you are away
A Few Tips to Help Ease Separation Anxiety in Dogs
1. Plenty of exercise
Take your dog for a daily walk! Stress from pent up energy and being inside too much is a big factor in causing stress for a dog when they are left alone. This is true not only for dogs dealing with anxiety, but for most other behavioral problems as well. A 30-45 minute walk can do wonders for a problematic dog.
2. Ignore your dog
Don’t make a big fuss when you come home or leave the house. We all love it when our dog is beaming with excitement every time we come home, but it needs to be communicated that it’s no big deal when we leave and return. In fact, you’ll want to make a habit of completely ignoring your dog until things calm down. When all the energy has died down, a quick hello and pat on the head will be fine. Not to mention, this communicates alpha dog behavior.
3. Say your goodbyes long before you leave the house
Some people may have trouble ignoring their dog when they leave. Many times the anxiety builds when a long and dramatic goodbye happens right before you leave the house. Get in the habit of saying goodbye 30 minutes to an hour before you leave. Then when you do leave, ignore your dog, don’t even look her in the eyes.
4. Be the alpha
By following the above steps of ignoring your dog when coming and going plays to a dogs instincts of the pecking order. The leader of the pack doesn’t make a fuss when they come and go from the den. When your dog begins to understand her place in the pecking order, and sees you as the calm and assertive leader, she’ll be able to feel more calm when left alone to take care of the house.
5. Take baby steps
For more serious cases try leaving for only short periods of time at first. Start with 5 minutes, then 20, extend it to an hour and keep prolonging the duration until you’re able to leave for a full 8 hours.
Rescued Dogs
A dog that has been neglected or abused during his or her life, or that has spent time in a dog shelter, is at a higher risk for developing separation anxiety. The fear that they will be abandoned or that you will never come back may still be in their psyche.
This shouldn’t deter you from adopting a dog from a shelter, but it’s something to consider. Try to understand a bit about the dogs behavior before you bring her home if you’re concerned.
Crate Training
If you can crate train your dog who has separation anxiety, that can help to alleviate the condition. A properly crate trained dog will see her crate as a place of safety and comfort when left alone.
Medication
Your vet may recommend anti-anxiety medication to ease the dog’s anxiety. This does not have to be a permanent solution. Instead, consider the use of medication just during the time that you are working on other treatments for dog separation anxiety.
Behavior Therapy
For more severe cases you may want to consider going to a dog trainer that has dealt with dog separation anxiety before. Your dog trainer will work with you and your dog to slowly get the pet used to the idea that when you leave, you will return.
This typically involves you leaving for short periods and then slowly increasing the amount of time that you are away.
Again, if the symptoms are too much to bear while you work on correcting the problem, medication can be given during the process so that you can still go to work without worrying about your pet.
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