Separation Anxiety in Dogs
Lucy Daniels FdSc Canine Behaviour and Training MAPDT 01091
Many people describe their dogs as suffering with separation anxiety, however true separation anxiety is not that common (it is thought to affect approximately 14-17% of pet dogs) and other causes are commonly found to be the underlying problem.
How do you know if your dog really has separation anxiety?
If true separation anxiety is the problem, your dog would be displaying some of the following symptoms:
- The main symptom is over attachment, usually to one person, which leads to great distress in the dog during even brief absences of that person, or if that person is in the house but the dog is unable to gain access to them
- Over attachment behaviours include – anxiously following the significant person everywhere around the house, constantly trying to maintain close physical contact with that person, repeatedly seeking reassurance from that person, displaying increasing signs of stress and anxiety as that person prepares to go out
- Immediate and continuous signs of distress whilst that person is absent including long periods of hysterical barking or crying, urinating and/ or defecating, destructive behaviours particularly around exit points focusing on escape attempts – i.e. frantically chewing or scratching at door or window frames, excessive panting and salivating, continuously pacing back and fore or licking at windows or licking own body to the point of self-mutilation
- Over enthusiastic and over prolonged greeting to the significant persons return.
True separation anxiety is of great concern both in terms of the dogs welfare and of the impact is has on owners lives e.g. neighbours’ complaints, destroyed furniture/fittings, soiled carpets etc. and can be a nightmare to live with. Dogs most at risk of developing separation anxiety are rescue and older dogs.
What else could cause separation related problem behaviours?
Other causes could include:
- The dog has not been taught how to be left alone
- Anxiety about the owners return (if for example the owners have previously punished the dog on their return home, say for a toileting accident)
- Opportunistic destructive behaviours due to boredom and/or loneliness
- Phobias
For example, if your dog has certain noise phobias, say thunderstorms or fireworks, he/she may urinate or defecate in response to fear during such events, which has nothing to do with separation anxiety. Another example would be a dog that is bored and/or lonely, and barks continuously or intermittently either in response to some external noise or to try to call for attention. Another dog may destroy a door as a result of territorial aggression when the postman delivers the mail. All of these things could be misdiagnosed as separation anxiety, when in fact there are other completely different reasons.
By far the easiest way to find out exactly what is going on while you are out, and what the cause is, is to video record your dog when you go out. Obviously you need to leave the recording equipment out of harm’s way, but in a location where most of the dog’s activities can be seen. In this way it is possible to determine exactly what behaviours are being performed, and for how long, and to attempt to accurately determine the cause.
What can I do if my dog has separation anxiety?
If you think your dog really has separation anxiety then you will need professional help to resolve the problem. Treatment will include a behaviour modification training programme, as well as reducing the level of attachment to the significant person. Severe separation anxiety cases often need psychopharmacological interventions, such as anti-anxiety drugs, as well.
Be aware that there are many people out there calling themselves dog behaviourists. Unfortunately the industry is not yet regulated, so anybody can advertise themselves as a canine behaviour advisor/counsellor etc. However, there are many qualified, certified and experienced behaviourists – the best place to look for somebody local is the website of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors – www.apbc.org.uk. You will be asked to obtain a veterinary referral; this is very important as it is always necessary to firstly rule out any underlying physical causes.
Things you can do yourself
- Try to move over to other members of the family or household undertaking more of the daily care of the dog, i.e. feeding, walking, grooming, playing, training etc. which will help reduce the over attachment to one person.
- Make departures and arrivals really low key; don’t make any fuss of the dog at all, just walk in, casually say hi, then get on with making a cup of tea, getting changed, whatever, just don’t interact with your dog until he/she has calmed down completely.
- Don’t pay attention to your dog all the time; he/she needs to learn that your attention can’t always be on them. Train your dog to go lie on a bed or mat when you’re around, and make sure something nice happens when they do, a chew, stuffed Kong or bone.
- When you do go out, make sure you leave something really tasty, again a stuffed Kong, raw bone or chew.
- If they do have a toileting accident when you are out, don’t tell them off or pay any attention to them when you get home, just quietly clean it up.
- Practice things like picking up house and car keys, or putting your coat on, but without going out. Just casually put them down again, and carry on with something else, not paying any attention to your dog.
- Think about using a pet sitter, dog walker, or taking your dog to a day care facility. Make sure these are experienced, insured, and if coming to your house; police checked.
If you have a puppy, make sure that you teach them how to be alone. Dogs should never be left alone for long periods of time (the RSPCA recommend a maximum of 3-4 hours for adult dogs); however they do need to learn that it is ok to be alone for a few hours. Teaching your puppy this when he is young will help prevent lots of problems later on.
Copyright of Daniels Dogs 2012
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