Dog Separation Anxiety - A Growing Problem in Man's Best Friend

When you leave home and you leave your dog by itself have you ever come back to a house that is destroyed? I experienced this when I left our dog Weasel home alone to go to college. My husband was at work, like normal. I did not know what to expect when I came home. She was whining at the door, ready to get out of the house. I was only gone two hours, but knew she probably had to go to the bathroom. I let her out in the front yard and walked in the house to find that my Venetian blinds were shredded into at least a thousand pieces. That was not even the biggest mess I had to clean up. She had also gone to bathroom next to my side of the bed, not my husband's. Weasel had also destroyed many pairs of my panties. At first I thought this was just a way to get back at me for leaving her alone, but it was not. Separation anxiety is a common disorder in dogs.

Separation anxiety can be triggered by many things, such as a family member going to work who has stayed at home most of the time with the dog, the death of a companion, a new home, or even a change in a family member's routine. Anxiety is expressed in many ways such as going to the bathroom in the floor, even though they are potty trained, howling, chewing things up, trying to get out of the house, barking, and whining. You can usually tell that your dog has separation anxiety because they are overly excited when you return home, tear up things while you are gone, and act depressed and sad when you get ready to leave.

You can take steps to alleviate the problem. The ASPCA suggests getting the dog used to being alone for short periods of time. Treating the dog will help them understand that staying alone is not a bad experience. You should purchase hollow toys such as a Kong and stuff them with treats. Before you leave, place the toys around the room. Go outside no more than a minute and return. It is great if the dog is still getting the treats our. You must take the toys away, so they know that it is only for when they are alone. You should repeat this several times a day, gradually increasing the time alone. Occasionally shorten the time so the dog will be hopeful that you will be right back. Remember that this will take time, so only increase the time away by seconds and then minutes. After you gain 30 minutes away, increase by five minutes. When you gain two hours away, increase the time by 15 minutes. When you are away for four hours and the dog is calm, you should be able to stay away for an eight hour period with no problem. Make sure to always leave the dog enough toys to keep them occupied for at least 20 minutes.

If you will be away longer than eight hours it is essential that you leave them with someone, such as a family member, dog sitter, or other trusted individual or the treatment might not stick. If the dog does not play with the toys or eat the treats, remove them ignoring the dog and replace them after 20 minutes. If this does not work skip a meal and then try. If the dog does not eat still, then they probably won't be fixed by this treatment. You might need to seek professional help through an animal behaviorist of dog trainer. You can also resort to drug therapy such as tranquilizers you can get through your veterinarian. Crate training might also be helpful if they are accustomed to one. If they are used to a crate, use the steps that were outlined above.

There are other steps that might be helpful also. When you are getting ready to go somewhere make your routine less predictable by ignoring the dog, telling them to sit or stay, or distracting them with a toy. You can also keep your leaving and returning less obvious, so they are not associated with excitement or stress. You may also use training that is rewarded and also by practicing training throughout different rooms. This means the dog can be in one room and you in a different one and they will still obey commands. Do not leave the dog alone until the problem is resolved. If your dog has learned to gain attention by doing bad things, they will be more likely to do this when you are away too. This means teach your dog to get your attention in positive ways, such as bringing you toys, and following simple commands. If you exercise your dog before leaving for a longer period of time, it will also help.

In training, there are also things that you should avoid doing. Do not punish the dog for anxiety. This will not help; it will only make it much worse. Do not put the dog in a crate or keep it there if it is trying to escape. The dog will get hurt and this is very cruel and will not help the situation. Do not constantly ignore the dog to reduce the anxiety, it will not work. The dog will only become more anxious for your attention and love. Dogs need social contact, so this is abuse! With these steps you should be able to comfort your dog and ease the anxiety. If this does not work, provide them with a baby sitter. One other item that might help ease the alone transition is to turn on the television or radio. This helps because the dog will not be left in dead silence, but might be comforted by the sounds of voices.

ASPCA, "Separation Anxiety." ASPCA. URL: (http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_separationanxiety).