Separation Anxiety in Dogs
As in humans as with dogs, separation anxiety is a symptom of the animal’s inability to believe it can survive alone.
Dogs are pack animals and while wild dogs can survive alone, a lone dog is extremely vulnerable so their instinct is to form packs. When the rest of their pack (whether it’s a pack consisting of just owner and dog, or a whole family) leave, the dog then feels vulnerable. Suddenly he finds himself in a position where he alone has to guard the “den” and dogs with separation anxiety simply aren’t geared to cope with the job.
help dogs with separation anxiety
The first step in desensitizing your dog so as not to feel separation anxiety is to find out what triggers your dog’s separation anxiety. Is it when you pick your keys up, open the door, put your jacket on? Carry out your normal leaving routine while looking closely for signs of anxiety and stress. Once you’ve ascertained the trigger, repeat the action over and over, as often as possible. You don’t need to be going out – just keep putting your shoes on and taking them off at odd times when your dogs around (assuming shoes are the trigger, of course), until he stops displaying anxious signals.
The next step in dealing with separation anxiety in dogs is to leave your dog for short periods of time. If you can take time off work during this period it would speed things up but, of course, not everybody’s able to do that.
Let our dog see you go through your leaving routine and then leave the house for just a few minutes. Do this several times before gradually lengthening the amount of time you spend away from your dog. By doing this you’re giving your dog the opportunity to learn that his guarding the “den” isn’t as difficult as job as his instincts told him it would be.
Don’t make a fuss of him before leaving – just walk casually out of the door. The same applies when you enter again. Walk in with an air of somebody who is confident that everything is well, go through with whatever routine you’d normally have when entering the house and then acknowledge the dog.
Obviously there will still be ripped clothes, chewed table legs or soiled rugs to come home to but these should be ignored. Scolding your dog for something that’s already happened is counter productive – he won’t understand what he’s being scolded for and will become frustrated, a problem that can lead to aggression.
Eventually your dog will learn that being alone can be a relaxing experience but should you experience difficulties, medications such as Clomicalm and Amitryptalline can help calm anxious dogs so may make the learning process easier.
If all else fails and your dog’s separation anxiety doesn’t improve, please contact a canine behaviorist for one to one advice.
Tags: behavior, dogs, separation anxiety
