Canine Separation Anxiety

Separation Anxiety is a panic response in a dog that manifests in the form of insecurities, fear, or destructive behaviors such as chewing, soiling, or scratching at doors to escape.  It is one of the most common canine behavioral problems owners experience. This escapist reaction usually happens when the dog is left alone in its natural home environment, shortly after the owner’s departure. 

 

There are no known direct causes related to this behavior.   However, it is suggested that early puppy environmental factors may contribute to these traumatic reactions.  Some puppies may have an abnormal predisposition to dependency with either mother or owner.  This could stem from genetics or be established through early puppy development where the mother (or owners) over-protect and coddle the puppy encouraging such behaviors.  

 

Traumatic events are another example of early influences that can trigger separation anxiety responses.  A puppy that experiences early separation from its mother could show insecurities as it matures.  Puppies that are adopted or purchased through pet shops or backyard breeders may also experience traumatic situations.  This may be due to both early separation from mother, and limited human contact and socialization. 

 

The most common behavioral sign of separation anxiety is a dog that is clingy or needy for fear of being left alone.  This dog constantly requires your attention and may attempt to get in your lap repeatedly or lap at your face.  Often, the dog will follow its owner from room to room, shaking and/or whimpering.

 

Over-reactions are another example of behavioral signs.  This includes shaking, whining, barking, excessive licking and aggression towards owner all at the onset of departure. 

 

 

To change or modify a dog’s behavior through specific methods is considered desensitizing.  This involves lessening the anxiety level of the dog by replacing bad behaviors with new behaviors through repeated training and conditioning.

 

Step 1:  Prepare to leave the house.  This may involve getting a coat or keys, putting on shoes, etc.

 

Step 2:  Go to the door (notice but do not acknowledge behavior) but do not leave.  Retreat inside the house and have a seat.  Take off coat, wait a few minutes before proceeding to step 3.

 

Step 3:  Prepare to leave again.  Go to the door, open it for a few seconds, and then close the door and retreat into the house.

 

Step 4:  After a few minutes has passed, repeat the process, but this time exit the house and wait outside for thirty seconds with the door closed before reentering.

 

Repeat this process each day extending the amount of time in between steps until you can stay outside the door for several minutes without hearing barking or having destructive behaviors take place.

 

 

It is important to address separation anxiety issues as ignoring the problem may compound the situation, or may cause a dog to replace one bad behavior for another to overcome anxiousness.  Though the suggestions above are a general way to modify separation anxiety issues, more training may be required.

 

©2008-2009 www.NowLetsTalkDogs.com

About these ads

February | 2012 | The Cognitive Canine

Tags

counter conditioning, desensitization, dog training, patricia mcconnell, positive reinforcement, separation anxiety

I’ve had a recent surge in contacts regarding separation anxiety (SA).  If you’ve followed me for a long time you probably remember my post on SA in my personal blog.  Warning: my personal blog is personal for a reason.  If you’re easily offended, I would skip it if I were you.  In that blog, I covered what the disorder is and what it isn’t, and in this post I will hit on some basics for treatment. If you believe your dog is experiencing SA please find a qualified professional to help you.

What is Separation Anxiety?  The briefest way for me to describe this disorder is this:  it’s an anxiety disorder centered on departures/being alone.  What happens is the dog experiences an anxiety attack (if you’ve ever had one yourself, you can sympathize with these poor animals–if you haven’t, just count yourself lucky) when he is left alone.  After a few of these (or just one) the dog begins to experience anxiety surrounding departures and triggered by departure cues because he is anticipating the horrendous anxiety attack he experiences once left alone.  It’s a vicious cycle because the actual event that caused the first few anxiety attacks (being left) is no longer even relevant because the dog’s anxiety is building long before that happens.

First, identify your dog’s “triggers.”  As mentioned above, dogs with SA begin to experience anxiety surrounding departure cues.  These departure cues are referred to as “triggers” and the first stage of treatment is identifying all triggers.  You must become an avid student of your dog’s behavior and figure out what the specific triggers are that begin the spiral of anxiety that starts with involuntary stress signals and escalates into life-threatening destructive acts.  If your dog has SA, at one point every morning he is calm, and at some point he begins to panic because he knows you are leaving.  It is up to you to identify what that point is.  Some sample triggers are:

• Owner’s alarm goes off (if you don’t use an alarm on days when you stick around, this can be the first trigger–unfortunate because it is how the day begins).


• Owner puts on makeup


• Owner puts on shoes


• Owner picks up keys


• Owner puts on jacket


• Owner puts coffee into travel cup


• Owner loads car

Now that you’ve identified possible triggers for your dog, list them out in order so that you aware of the order of operations.  Each trigger causes more anxiety than the trigger before it, so it is important that we list and rank these triggers.

Then, randomly desensitize your dog to his triggers.  That means repeating the triggers at random times throughout the day when you have no intention of leaving.  If your dog’s first trigger is when your alarm goes off, set your alarm to go off multiple times a day.  If it is you picking up your keys, pick them up and put them down all day long.  Get the point?

Finally, plan a system for counter-conditioning your dog’s triggers.  That means giving your dog something amazing (raw marrow bone, hollow bone stuffed with liverwurst, Kong stuffed with crack chicken*, it has to be AMAZING), waiting for him to get really into it, then engaging a trigger.  Then take away the good stuff and wait a few minutes before repeating the whole scenario again.  Practice this with all triggers until the triggers become less and less anxiety-inducing and more and more pleasant.

The bad news is that while you go about this process you need to keep your dog somewhere else where he doesn’t experience anxiety while you have to be away.  This means hiring a dog sitter, taking him to daycare or a boarding kennel, or taking him with you while you modify how he feels about being alone.  If you go through the process of treating his disorder while simultaneously leaving him alone every day, causing anxiety attacks, your progress will be slowed dramatically.

The good news is that SA can be treated successfully.  Most dogs can learn how to hang out alone if the treatment is done correctly.

*”Crack chicken” is my very special treat for dogs that is chicken breast boiled in sweetened water (I use honey).  Most dogs will do backflips for it.

I would not know what I know about SA if not for the work of Dr. Patricia McConnell.  I highly recommend her book “I’ll Be Home Soon!” on the topic.

Tags

agility, conformation, denver dog show, dog show, dog show spectator, obedience, rally

Most people have never seen the spectacle that is a dog show.  But if you’d like to, and you’re on the Front Range, this weekend is the show you’ll want to see.

I like it because it’s got it all; agility, conformation, obedience, rally, and shopping (the best dog stuff shopping all year!).  I compete in agility every year, because conformation’s not my thing for many reasons, and agility always trumps obedience for me.  My dogs and I always enjoy this agility trial because the arena is big and luxurious with ample crating, and it’s four days of playing in the dirt, not just two or three which is standard.  Lots of competitors from out of state come out to this show and I really enjoy watching all the teams we don’t normally see.

If you want to attend as a spectator, check out this link for information.  They have a list of guidelines to follow at dog shows, but here’s mine:

• If you’re bringing children, keep a CLOSE watch on them.  Talk to them about never touching a dog without permission before you get to the show, and if they are too young to follow these directions, be sure that you are really watching them at all times around the dogs.  A lot of conformation dogs are not socialized to children, and a lot of them are just plain not interested in visiting with you, so look out for your kids’ safety.


• Don’t touch a dog without asking.  This should go without saying, but you’d be surprised!  So, just ask before you pet any dog.


• When visitng the agility arena, stay off the dirt.  As a spectator, you belong in the stands.  The agility dogs are hyped and so are the handlers, so stay out of their way, and enjoy the sport from the stands.


• Hit the Meet the Breeds booth if you want to meeet dogs.  That’s what they’re there for!


• Feel free to ask people questions, but try to only do so when they are not waiting to go in the ring or grooming a dog.

Also, if you go to the show, be sure to say hi to my friend Sasha Foster at her Canine Fitness Zone booth!

As promised, I am going to deliver something important today; a few thoughts on what I feel is one of the most important skills to teach a dog–how to respect the space of others.

Dogs that have no respect for the body space of others (humans or other dogs) are no fun to live with, yet they are everywhere.  I am convinced there are breed tendencies involved, with herding and toy breeds being the most aware of body space (for different reasons–herding dogs deal with body space in their job of moving stock around, and toy dogs work hard to avoid being stepped on) and retrievers being the least aware of it.  There are exceptions, of course, to everything, so please don’t write me a comment about how YOUR golden has more respect for space than your beardie.

First, let’s talk about what I mean by “respect for body space.”  Think of it this way: everyone has an invisible “bubble” surrounding them.  When I move toward my dog and bump my bubble up against his, he should “feel” that and move back.  He should not come into my bubble without permission.  Intrusions of the bubble include; jumping up uninvited, pushing you over on the couch or in the bed, nudging your elbow when you are eating/typing/reading/etc., and it extends into stealing anything (toy, food, etc.) out of your hands.

The trouble starts when people do not understand that all of these things are connected.  If you pet your dog when he nudges your arm but get upset when he jumps on you upon arrival, you are contradicting yourself.  Understand that you must either tolerate physical pushiness across the board, or you must be the “pushiness” police and never allow any form of it to occur.

On the topic of police, using physical corrections on your dog to try to eliminate body space issues is the most counter-productive thing you can do.  Dogs that are manhandled are the pushiest of all the dogs I have met.  I can instantly tell upon meeting a new dog is he is being physically corrected at home, and almost all cases I see of over-the-top body space issues (this usually looks like this: dog not only jumps on the person but bites at her and gets wildy–but aggressively–playful without solicitation) the dog is being physically, sometimes harshly, corrected.  I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: getting physical with your dog only invites him to become physical with you.

So how do you deal with this?  First, take a good manners class that focuses on impulse control.  Most dog training classes do not teach any sort of impulse control, so the ones that are focusing on it will advertise it up front.  When your dog learns how to control himself around things he wants (like food and toys) he can start to learn to respect your space, too.  But this won’t happen overnight.  This is a video of Patricia McConnell (one of my earliest influences in dog training) teaching “stay” using body blocking.  I do not teach the stay cue this way, but this is how I introduce dogs to body-blocking.  I do exactly what you see in the video, I just don’t ask for a sit or a stay, in fact I don’t use any words at all.  Once your dog gets the concept you can start to use body blocking when your dog pushes into your space in any way.  As soon as he backs out of your space, reward him with praise or, preferably, the thing he was seeking in the first place (like attention).

This was just the tip of the iceberg on body space.  For a deeper understanding of body space and dogs, sign up for my Fido Focus class at Loveland Dog Club.  Not sure how to sign up but want to?  Leave me a comment and I will contact you privately!

Jaci’s Cleveland Canine Corner: Thunderstorm Anxiety - Cleveland"s New 102

Sookie, one of Jaci’s dogs.

From Jaci Fox – Evenings 7:00 – 12:00

Filed under

Shows

Related tags

Canine Corner, Cleveland canine corner, Jaci’s Cleveland Canine Corner, Pet tips. Pet advice, Thunderstorm fear, Thunderstorms

Everyone who loves to watch storms got a special treat last night. The constant lightening was a pretty awesome display, and so many stayed up all night (willingly) to watch the storm. But what about your dog? Do you think he/she thought it was so great? I know my pups weren’t all that impressed.

In fact, Hey Jude thought it was pretty awful. Sookie (the sweet girl pictured above), who is fairly easy going and un-phased by, well, anything (even being corrected when she’s getting into trouble), thought nature’s display last night was a bit much. She hid in the master bath all night – which is where she felt safe, and I left her to it.

So how do you cope with a pet who is afraid of storms? I believe it’s a delicate balance, and I believe you can prevent your dog’s anxiety from becoming out of control. The key thing to remember here is that your reaction and patience is of vital importance. For me, I never coddle too much; being overly emotional with your dog does not provide them with the comfort it provides the human, in many cases, too much frantically emotional “it’s ok, it’s alright, calm down, calm down,” makes the situation worse and can cause the anxiety to spiral out of control. What they need in that moment is calm reassurance – not an anxiety driven helpless wave of emotional soothing. That’s not too say it’s ok to go to the other extreme and be too harsh or scold their behavior during a storm either – that creates equally undesirable results and teaches your dog not to trust you.

Many dogs sense the storm is coming well in advance. This could be from drop in air pressure, Hey Jude became jumpy yesterday afternoon – long before the storms arrived. Sookie couldn’t have cared less – until the storm actually got here.

My method for my pups is simple, it’s a formula of safe exercise (so they are worn out by the time a storm comes. ALWAYS be sure to keep your pet leashed and make sure he/she is wearing identification, especially before severe weather. If your dog is too frightened when a storm is coming, exercise him in your home/enclosed yard only). Then, it is about maintaining the norm. Hey Jude paces when he is anxious (which is pretty typical of German Shepherds), and when he gets a little too anxious – I tell him to go lie down, calmly. Giving your dog a task such as a down stay, sometimes helps. Giving your dog something to do is far more effective then focusing on what you don’t want him or her to do. Sometimes a smart dog chew toy filled with peanut butter or treats is the answer. If it really gets bad, my guy heads into his crate on his own, which is his safe place. It is important that your dogs feel safe, and allowing him/her to be in the space that makes them feel safe (within reason that is). I always provide some sort of white noise to distract from the storm. I’ll close the windows, and turn on the AC unit (even if it’s just on the fan setting), and my fur kids do just fine.

But what about the rescue who has already developed severe thunderstorm anxiety? Trust me when I say I’ve dealt with dogs so terrified of storms that I’ve woken to them shaking and trying to crawl underneath my pillow. How you react is even more important in cases like these. You can try a Thundershirt, and The Humane Society Of The United States has some great solutions for helping you and your dog cope with thunderstorm anxiety.

In the most extreme cases, if your dog is a danger to himself during storms, then ask your veterinary about more options.

July | 2012 | The Cognitive Canine

Today, the Fourth of July, is a favorite holiday for many humans.  Unfortunately, it can be a very bad day for dogs.  A huge amount of dogs are afraid of fireworks, and I will address things you can do for those dogs here, but there are concerns for the dogs that are OK with loud noises too.

Dogs that have anxiety and fear surrounding fireworks are often the same dogs that struggle with thunderstorms, but not always.  Many of the same techniques used for thunderstorms work well for fireworks.  I recommend a Thundershirt and a natural anti-anxiety drug, like Melatonin.  If your dog’s anxiety is really severe your vet might prescribe a one-time medication for the fourth.  A benzodiazepine or buspirone class drug is best, and though many vets still prescribe Acepromazine (a common sedative known as “Ace”) for these times, that drug is NEVER appropriate as a treatment for anxiety or fear.  If your vet is only comfortable giving you Ace, say no thank you and go see someone else.  In addition to the Thundershirt and whatever drug you choose, it is best if you can give your dog a quiet and calm place to hang out.  Set him up with a comfy bed, a raw bone to chew, some music playing (something soft like classical or string music, but loud enough to drown out some of the noise) in the quietest room of the house.  If you have a basement area that your dog is comfortable in, that’s usually best.  A lot of dogs feel more comfortable with confinement, some dogs less so.  Use a crate or ex-pen if it makes your dog feel better, leave him loose (if he is in a safe space where he can’t hurt himself) if that’s what he prefers.

What about the dogs that aren’t bothered by fireworks?  The same general holiday rules for dogs apply here, and if you haven’t done so you should read my blog about advocating for dogs during these times.  In short, it’s probably best for all dogs, even if they aren’t afraid of fireworks, to be left at home in a quiet space that’s set up just for them.  Just because your dog is allowed at an event (most events for this summer holiday are outdoors, and so often welcome dogs) doesn’t mean your dog should go to that event.  Seeing dogs at parks where there are bands playing, huge crowds, and fireworks shows makes anyone who understands dogs cringe.  You can just see the stress building on their little faces.  Even if a dog is not afraid of loud noises, no dog enjoys them.

As for my dogs, one is severely afraid of fireworks and one couldn’t care less. Kelso (the fearful one) will be Thundershirted and dosed with Melatonin, given a delicious chew bone, and will be allowed to hide under a desk, where he feels safest.  Idgie, who isn’t afraid of fireworks, will not be attending any events.  She will also be given something to chew, and will be kept separate from Kelso because she is still young and impressionable.  It is not uncommon for dogs that are not afraid of loud noises to become sound sensitive if they are exposed to an older dog that has noise-related panic attacks.

Take care of your dogs, and happy Fourth of July!

Canine Anxiety

If your dog is “anxious,” it means he doesn’t know how to relax on cue. Anxious isn’t just fearful or nervous. Anxious dogs aren’t simply reactive to certain scary things, but they seem to be anxious much of the time. You can’t just take a break from the anxious dog when you need a break, you can’t just let your dog go spend the night with the neighbor. Anxious dogs might bark incessantly, pace around. S/he might follow you constantly, they won’t let you out of their sight, or the opposite –they head for the hills and never look back. Anxious dogs often seem to have “butterflies” in their stomachs, manifesting either in very picky eaters who won’t take food reinforcements (making it difficult to train) or in dogs who can’t stop eating, who wolf down all their food and then go on to eat socks, rocks, toys, sticks, and drywall. They often drink a lot of water. Anxious dogs tend to get gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhea, throw-ups). They react to different things — some dogs are very storm phobic, others are fearful of people or other dogs, and some just can’t be left alone in their own house (or in a boarding kennel!). A whole lot of people seem to have anxious dogs lately, but there are some simple things you can do to help your anxious dog:

1. First, go and visit a veterinary behaviorist, such as Dr. Nicholas Dodman at Tufts University, and get the right prescription medication. Unfortunately, most veterinarians are still prescribing acepromazine for canine anxiety, which stops immediate symptoms but can make canine emotional anxiety and behavior prognosis worse (google acepromazine and Dr. Karen Overall, or go to http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=136493&sk=&date=&pageID=3 ). There are better drugs today available, which address the dog’s anxiety, not just the dog’s muscle function. The correct drug can make it far easier for dogs to practice relaxing. For most anxious dogs, medication is only necessary during the learning stage. Medication makes it easier to break the habit cycle of anxiety, and dogs typically don’t need the medication once they have new “relaxed” habits in place.

2. Crate train your dog. A crate is not a cage, it is a conditioned relaxation cue — or at least it will be. How? Have your dogs practice eating treats and meals in the crate, and then build up to eating treats and meals with the door closed, and close the dog out of the crate just before he’s completely finished, then let him back in to finish later, also chewing on a bone for a few minutes in the crate. I’ll put more articles on crate training on my www.wholedogcamp.com site soon, and there are many other good web articles on the topic. Crate training teaches your dog to TRUST you and to TRUST confinement. It teaches dogs to enjoy a bit of alone time. Anxiety in the crate is a learned behavior, but so is relaxing and feeling safe in a crate. To teach a dog to feel safe in a crate, use food , but also reward dogs with an open door. Crate dog, and close the door. Cue the dog to “down.” When the dog lays down, open the crate door. If he starts to stand, or bark, close the door. When he lays down again, open the door. Use a release cue (“ojkay”) to signal the dog that he can exit the crate. All dogs have a natural inclination to den up. The more your dog practices laying down, eating breakfast, chewing dog bones, taking naps in his “den,” the more you’ll be able to use the crate to calm your dog whenever he displays anxiety, or demands attention. I apologize for the audio in this video clip. My husband was drilling a hole in a piece of plexi-glass in the background, so this dog was being a very good girl, staying quietly in the crate, even during an obnoxious sound.

Canine Anxiety – Can allergies…or their cure be the cause? – Animal Spirit

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Recenty I read this article by Dr. Nicholas Dodman about the possible link between food and aggression in dogs. In one of the cases he mentions, a food allergy was the culprit behind an onset of aggression. Although there is no scientific data to support this theory to date, one really only need be aware of effects food can have on the body to understand the wide ramifications that nutrition can have on a myriad of conditions, including behavior.

Looking further, it’s important to understand how allergies and drugs used to treat them can also affect behavior. Late this summer I got stung by a bee and accidentally consumed fish tainted with shellfish – both of which cause severe allergic reactions in me. I wasn’t aware until recently that panic, along with an upset stomach are classic symptoms of severe allergic reactions. (I am aware that allergies more often (but not always) manifest themselves in digestive disorders in dogs.)

This experience made me wonder about how dogs and other animals react when consuming foods or being exposed to severe allergens. Digestive upset often goes ignored and gets chalked up to sensitive stomach, but digestive disorders caused by allergies, unfortunately, left untreated can lead to inflammatory bowel disease, a serious condition that can be life threatening. But what about anxiety and panic? Both the sting and the shellfish caused severe anxiety and panic in me.

I’ve always used a homeopathic remedy for my bee stings in the past – and always with good resuts. This time, however, I didn’t have the remedy with me and I was unnerved enough to seek help at the ER. A dose of Prednisone and Benadryl was prescribed.

The following week, on the first day of vacation, I consumed the shellfish. Once again, I wound up in the emergency room, and this time was prescribed a much higher dose of Prednisone. On vacation and without access to alternative solutions, I did as the doctor ordered, and took the Prednisone, this time along with Zantac, a stomach medication with antihistamine properties. I did not want a delayed reaction and flare up of the potentially fatal allergy.

Fortunately, I’m still here! But along the way,. I developed a case of vertigo, experienced lightheadedness due to the effects of the Prednisone on my blood sugar levels, had to eat constantly in order to combat the fluctuations and gained weight, because of the food I was consuming and the water weight gain caused by the drug.  I also experienced more anxiety – another symptom caused by the medication. I started to wonder about the many, many animals I’ve seen and cared for, being treated with Prednisone, and wondered how they experienced these possible side effects, and what effects these had on their day to day quality of life.

When behavioral issues manifest themselves in our dogs, we need to take a really close look at not only what we’re feeding them, but all aspects of their environments.