Dog Training & Behaviour Therapy - Flying Dog - Guelph, ON

Separation Anxiety


What is Separation Anxiety?

Separation anxiety, also known as separation distress, can be mild to severe and is characterized by a dog who becomes anxious of frightened when left alone. The dog's anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways; the most common are housesoiling, barking, howling or whining, escape attempts or destructive behaviour.

How do I know if my dog has separation distress?

Many dogs may engage in barking, housesoiling or destructive behaviour when their owners are not around but it does not mean they have separation anxiety (hereafter known as SA). To tell if your dog truly has SA or if you are simply dealing with owner-absent behaviour problems see if you dog engages in any of the following behaviours:

Some breeds can be more prone to SA that others. Dogs that were bred to have a close working relationship with people tent to be more prone to SA than those bred to work alone. Also, dogs that have gone through a big life change, traumatic event or came from a shelter may also be prone to SA.

Managing Separation Anxiety

When you manage a behaviour you are not attempting to change the behaviour, you are changing the environment to avoid triggering the behaviour. Management and behviour modification go hand in hand to treat SA. The following a some very important management procedures:

No Punishment: Punishment should not be used at all in training and daily life. The dog must never be punished for destructive behaviour found on your return. Punishment lowers the dog's self-esteem, which contributes to high levels of anxiety.

No Freebees: The rule 'nothing in life is free' must be strictly enforced! The dog must not be petted, given treats, or any kind of attention without being asked to perform a behaviour like sit, down, or a trick first.

No Smothering: Do not smother the dog with attention! If you are constantly doting on your dog while you are present it will make your absence all the harder for your dog to endure.

Schedules: Dog's need routine in their life. If you put feeding, exercise, play, training, and departures/arrivals on a schedule your dog will be less stressed.

Departures and Arrivals: You must keep arrivals and departures low-key. Do not pet or fuss over the dog before you leave. Do not engage in an exuberant greeting when you come home. Ignore the dog completely for 15 minutes before you leave and 15 minutes after you get home. Give the dog one of their stuffed Kongs or other sustained release toys as you are getting ready to leave. This will distract the dog from your routine of leaving and keep their stress level low.

Training & Confidence Building: Build your dog's confidence by teaching them new behaviors and tricks. Enroll in an obedience class to stimulate their mind and build confidence.

Supplements to Help Lower Anxiety

Bio-Calm: a supplement high in vitamin B is recommended for separation distress and can be obtained from Guelph Animal Hospital.

Serenity by Herbs for Horses: a supplement containing a variety of high potency calming herbs. Serenity can be ordered fro Herbs for Horses directly (www.horseherbs.com) or Ren's Pets Depot.

Vitamin B: an adult dosage of a high potency vitamin B complex should be taken with meals twice a day. Vitamin B is a water-soluble vitamin: it is extremely safe and very difficult to overdose.

*Always consult your veterinarian when using supplements*

The Importance of Exercise

Your dog must be exercised frequently and thoroughly. Exercise also generates serotonin in the brain, which stabilizes mood and reduces anxiety. A tired dog is less likely to engage in nuisance behaviours like chewing and barking.

Dogs need a minimum of two, 30-minute exercise sessions each day. An exercise session should involve an increase in the dog's heart rate that leaves the dog panting when he stops. For most dogs, a 30-minute stroll on the leash is not enough. Exercise should be in the form of running, with lots of speed changes and stops and starts. This type of exercise burns calories and builds muscle to help support bone structure.

Exercise is particlularly important right before you leave your dog alone. You will have to make time in the morning to exercises your dog so they are tired when you leave them.

A midday walk is highly recommended for dogs home alone all day. Come home for lunch, ask a friend or neighbor or hire a professional dog walker to take your dog out. Not only will this provide your dog with much needed exercise, it will reduce and break up the amount of time she has to spend alone.

Creating a Calming Environment

Creating a safe, calm and relaxing environment for your dog to stay in while you are away is important.

The dog should have a small room to stay in while you are gone. Chose a room that you and your dog spend time in, a room that the dog feels comfortable in. Do not choose a room that you or your dog never spend time in; they will not be comfortable and may become even more anxious.

The room should be free of anything that can be chewed up or destroyed and should contain their bed, lots of interesting toys and a TV or stereo. Using a crate is often not recommended for dog's with SA. Dogs can often feel too confined and they can seriously injure themselves trying to escape. Dogs have lost nails and teeth trying to escape from wire crates.

A TV, stereo or white noise machine should be on while the dog is alone. It will sooth the dog with sounds of people being home and mask outdoor noise that may be causing stress. The type of music being played on the radio or TV can impact your dog's mood. Specific CDs can be bought to help calm nervous dogs. Music for meditation or CDs designed to help children go to sleep are highly effective as well. If you play the radio refrain from selecting a high-energy, rock or heavy metal station as these sounds can over-stimulate your dog.

If the dog is going to a window and barking at things outside cover the windows or deny the dog access to them to prevent barking.

Your dog should have a large variety of interactive or sustained-release toys. When you leave the toys are brought out and when you return the toys are taken away. The dog should be left with at least 2-3 toys stuffed with food and treats. Toys like the Kong, Buster Cube, and others are designed to release treats slowly and make the dog work to get the treats out. These toys will occupy the dog and relieve stress. Try only feeding your dog when you are not there. And instead of putting their kibble in a bowl, fill a treat ball with the kibble so it will last even longer.

Behaviour Modification

The following are three different techniques used to relieve anxiety and teach the dog to be calm when alone. The best program is when they are all used together.

Independence Training

Your dog must be taught to become more independent. They must learn to amuse themselves and not rely on other people for comfort all of the time.

Discourage the dog from following you around the house. Use tie-downs or baby gates if necessary. Use the "go to Your Bed" exercise (taught in Flying Dog's level 1 class) if they engage in this 'Velcro' behaviour.

Only free-pet your dog if they are in their bed and in this case use a relaxation technique like those used in Flying Dog's group classes. This will make your dog associate comfort and relaxation with being in their bed and will go to their bed to seek comfort when you are not there.

You must also try to ignore the dog while you are at home unless you are working on obedience training.

Planned Departures

To teach your dog to tolerate long departures, start off with very short departures: 1-2 minutes or the length of time you know your dog will not be stressed from. Increase the length of time you are gone as the dog remains calm.

Desensitization to Departure Cues

Dogs begin to feel anxious long before you even leave the house because they are in tune to your departure cues. As you get ready your dog becomes more and more anxious. As soon as you leave, your dog is already extremely distraught and begins to perform unwanted behaviors as a stress-reliever.

Desensitizing your dog to your departure cues will make them less stressed when you actually leave and will help them focus on their sustained-release toys.

To desensitize your dog to departure cues you must make them not predict your actual departure: go through the motions of getting ready to leave; clean up, fix your hair, put shoes on, grab keys and then don't leave - sit on the couch and turn on the TV. Or, better yet, take your dog for a walk. On the weekends or your days off set your alarm to the regular time and go through your entire morning routine and then don't leave.

When More Help is Needed

SA can be very difficult to deal with and many dog end up in shelters because their owners could not deal with this very complex behaviour problem. If you would like more information and help dealing with SA please contact Flying Dog to set up a behaviour consultation. An in-depth consultation can give more options and tailor a SA program specific to your dog and lifestyle.