Three Ways to Combat Separation Anxiety in Dogs
You leave and he howls. Not just for a moment, but seemingly
forever. When the howling finally abates, it is replaced by a whine.
When you return, you find your home a mess-he has engaged in
destructive behaviour that is completely out of character. Your dog
has a real problem: separation anxiety.
Dogs love their owners and develop a very close relationship with
them. Sometimes the closeness of that relationship can leave them
confused and frightened when the owner is gone. Thy dog may seem
confused, angry or sullen when the owner leaves and may appear to
"lash out" against being left alone by ruining furniture, creating
messes or otherwise acting in ways wholly inconsistent with his
training. Separation anxiety is relatively easy to diagnose: an
otherwise well-adjusted dog seems to transform into a monster when
left alone. Unfortunately, it is not always quite as easy to treat
the disorder.
Helping a dog to overcome problems with separation anxiety is a
process, just like other aspects of training; it takes time and
repetition to be truly successful. The idea of "training away"
separation anxiety seems unlikely-how can you address a behaviour
when you are not present to see, prevent or correct it? Fortunately,
there are actions one can take to decrease separation anxiety and to
prevent your dog's frustrated behaviour from spiralling out of
control during your absence.
Prepare the dog for your departure. Many people have a tendency to
lavish attention on their dog before leaving. They may take extra
time to play with the dog or find other ways to try to squeeze in a
little extra "quality time" with their canine friend. Though well
intended, this only makes the owner's departure even more noticeable
and worrisome for the dog. Instead of petting and kissing the dog
goodbye, owners dealing with separation anxiety should take measures
to correctly prepare the pet for their absence.
This can be done by intentionally decreasing interaction with the
pet prior to leaving. Although one may want to spend extra time with
a pet before leaving him alone, the best practice is to actually
come close to ignoring your pet for several minutes prior to
leaving. This will make your departure less jarring and should serve
to decrease the dog's level of anxiety.
If you are leaving for an extended period and feel the need to
connect with your pet and to enjoy their company, find ways to do so
earlier in the day. Resist the urge to say "goodbye" before actually
leaving.
Provide an immediate distraction for the dog. Right before leaving,
it is desirable to provide the pet with some sort of distraction. A
new toy, for instance, may serve to occupy his attentions, allowing
for a smoother transition to his "alone time." Whatever immediate
distraction is provided, make sure it is something that is likely to
interest the dog for several minutes. The objective, after all is to
maintain his attention on something other than your absence for as
long as can be reasonably expected.
This technique has the added benefit of teaching your pet that his
time alone will result in a pleasurable experience. He will begin to
connect your departure with a fun toy or diversion instead of
feeling it will only bring anxiety and loneliness.
One should also provide a more lasting distraction. Dogs crave human
contact and will unavoidably miss it while alone. However,
maintaining something of a human element to their surroundings can
decrease the separation anxiety the feel when left without company.
Many have experienced success by keeping a radio or television tuned
to programming featuring a great deal of dialogue. The dog will hear
human voices and although he certainly won't be fooled into
believing he is in the company of human friends, the sound is still
soothing and can reduce feelings of stress and loneliness.
Separation anxiety can be an absolutely befuddling issue for a dog
owner.
Even the most well-mannered and well-trained dogs can suddenly
transform into destructive troublemakers as a result of separation
anxiety. Training away this difficulty can be hard, especially when
a dog feels very connected to his owner. However, by preparing your
dog and utilizing appropriate immediate and lasting distractions,
one can reasonably expect to reduce the anxiety experienced by their
dog.