Canine Separation Anxiety

Signs of Separation Anxiety

When owner is home:

·         Dog gets anxious as owner prepares to leave and greets frantically upon return

·         Dog follows owner from room to room and exhibits constant attention seeking behavior

When owner is gone:

·         Destructive chewing or clawing at doorways, windows, or on owner’s belongings

·         Excessive barking or whining

·         Inappropriate urination and/or defecation

·         Drooling

·         Vomiting

·         Trembling

·         Pacing

·         Self mutilation (for instance: excessive licking)

(A great way to discover behaviors exhibited in your absence is to set up a video camera)

Causes of Separation Anxiety

·         May be breed-specific, certain breeds being more prone to it

·         Learned behavior where certain situations signal long-term absences

·         Changes in the social environment such as a recent move or change in family members

·         Something upsetting occurred when dog was home alone

·         Cognitive changes in older dogs

Treating Separation Anxiety

·         Important! Never punish the dog for behaviors relating to separation anxiety as this will only serve to confuse the dog and increase the anxiety problem.

·         Increase exercise in the form of daily walks or play sessions, preferably off of the property to provide mental stimulation.

·         Try making changes to the dog’s environment such as:

*dog-proofing for items subject to being damaged by dog

*changing the area in the home in which dog is confined in your absence

*if confining in a crate, make sure the dog associates the crate with reward and positivity and never with punishment.             

·         Minimize hyper-attachment behaviors while at home with dog:

*Reward quiet, calm behavior and ignore attention-seeking behavior

*Teach dog to lie down quietly away from owner (for instance on a mat in separate room of the house)

·         Pay no attention to the dog for 20 minutes prior to leaving the house and at the time of departure, and upon returning home, respond in a calm way when greeting dog, almost to the point of ignoring dog. This will minimize the emotions of departures and returns.

·         Give a special treat or toy 20 minutes before leaving and leave puzzle toys with dog such as a Kong stuffed with treats or other puzzle-type treat-toys.

·         Change your departure ritual.  For instance, put shoes or coat on and sit down for a while. Take out car keys, but don’t go anywhere. Change the order of things you do to get ready to leave.

·         Practice graduated departures.  Leave as normal, but return after 1 minute, followed by other absences lasting for several minutes, working up to longer absences. (If signs of anxiety occur, return to practicing shorter absences.)

Additional measures:

·         In addition to behavior modification, drug therapy is often effective and may be needed only temporarily. However, behavior modification should still be employed with drug therapy. Ask your veterinarian.

·         Pheromone therapy may help reduce the dog’s stress. Canine pheromones are natural, safe and available at many pet stores. They came in plug-in diffusers, collars, and room sprays. Look for D.A.P. (Dog Appeasing Pheromone.)

·         The botanical supplement, Harmonease, has demonstrated anti-anxiety properties. Available at harmoneasevet.com.

·         Steady, reassuring pressure on a dog’s body has shown stress-relieving results, especially for noise-related anxiety. Anxiety wraps and pressure-coats are available at thundershirt.com and anxietywrap.com

·         While working on behavior modification and/or beginning drug therapy, a positive alternative to longer absences is to utilize a doggy day-care service, pet-sitter, or family member.