the blog of Dog

It goes like this: your dog follows you around looking worried as you get ready for work in the morning. The closer you get to leaving, the more intense her worry seems. She may whine and cry. When you finally tear yourself away from your puppy and shut the door behind you, you can immediately hear her yipping in a panic. When you get home, the garbage is overturned, and maybe there is a shredded pillow and the eviscerated fluff all over the living room.

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).

Dogs are pack 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.

Why is my dog so anxious when I leave the house?

Some breeds of dogs 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.

Puppies 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 puppy.

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. Let me spell it out for you: 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 much longer than seems appropriate. A well-adjusted dog will be happy to see you, but will settle down in about a minute.

Now look, I know having an ecstatic dog celebrate excessively when you come home is very flattering, but it’s important to understand this point: Encouraging the extended celebration can reinforce your dog’s anxiety! Your excitement tells your dog that your leaving is significant, and your return is a huge relief for everyone. It also amplifies the significance of your absence- it’s sooooo fun when you’re here! It’s soooooooo fun! Oh no! you’re going! It won’t be fun anymore! What if it’s never fun again!? Don’t go! Baroooooo! If you are calm when you come and go, you dog will see that you don’t think coming and going is a big deal.

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:

- Give that dog of yours some exercise! I mean really wear her out: the longer you expect to be away, the more exercise your dog 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 your dog from her boredom, loneliness, and anxiety by giving her an attractive alternative to pining, pacing, and whining. You can give her a special, long lasting treat that she gets only when you’re leaving: 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 your dog 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 for your dog: talk radio or classical music work very well. You want avoid a lot of bass or harsh guitars and voices. Keep the volume lowish; your dog hears better than you do so a little is enougy. A little backgorund music will give your dog the feeling that she’s got company, just like it does for you!

- Make sure your dog has a window. Being able to see out will give your dog mental stimulation and something to occupy her mind with other than your absence.

- Get your dog used to a calm goodbye routine. 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. I know, it sounds very cold not to give your dog comfort when she’s upset, but as they say, “you get what you pet.” If you pet a nervous dog, your dog will be nervous!