If you’re a dog owner, chances are good you’ve experienced coming home from work to find chewed furniture. Raided food cabinets. A neighbor who informs you that your dog has been barking all daylong.
Makes you feel awful, doesn’t it? Not just for yourself, but for your dog that is clearly not yet adjusted to life at home.
In even more dramatic circumstances, people have returned home to find dogs that have been so stressed that they have injured themselves, leaving trails of blood all over the house.
Why does this happen? Is this what people call “separation anxiety”? Is this a fixable behavior? Let’s look at these questions, one by one.
To answer the question of why this happens, it’s important to remind ourselves that dogs are genetically hardwired to be with others all the time.
They are decidedly social by nature, so being isolated for long stretches of time just doesn’t come naturally to them.
In fact, it’s a testament to the species that they have adapted to our rather arbitrary (and recent, when you consider the 30-40 thousand year relationship we’ve had with them) requirement that they stay inside with little to no mental or physical stimulation, day in and day out, for the duration of their lives.
Rather than regard a dog who experiences distress when you leave the house as a lemon of a dog, remember that this is a very understandable phenomenon and that we, as owners, owe it to our dogs to troubleshoot and address the matter.
Dropping the dog off at the local animal shelter is a failure on our part that evades responsibility and could very well cost the dog its life. Let’s look at approaching things more empathetically. Here, then, are some ideas on how to address separation problems.
First off, know that destructive behaviors, house soiling, attention-seeking barking, etc. are not necessarily signs of separation anxiety.
They may be related to more mild variations of distress; they are almost always due to an oversight on our part. Incomplete training, not adequately dog-proofing the house, inadequate exercise and other easily corrected oversights are more often the culprits than separation anxiety.
If any of these antidotes can resolve the matter, then the dog is probably not one who suffers from separation anxiety.
Full-fledged separation anxiety is usually characterized by the dog’s being in a very panicked state, trying its best to escape, with damage occurring around exits (doors, windows, walls, etc.)
A bonafide case of separation anxiety, replete with injurious attempts to escape and big ticket destruction often requires help from a well versed trainer. The going rate for a good trainer might seem a little high, but consider the fact that the benefit you get from her will last you a lifetime, not just the time she spends consulting with you.
A feature like this one can’t address all potential solutions for separation distress in dogs, but here are the ones most worth considering.
? Exercise. You’ve heard the adage, “A tired dog is a well behaved dog.” This can’t possibly be emphasized enough.
Be absolutely sure to provide your dog with exercise before leaving in the morning and again when you are back in the early evening. Real exercise. Of the nature that leaves your dog feeling too tired to be anxious and destructive.
? Food dispensers. Head to the pet supply store and pick up a Kong. Three of four minutes before you leave the house, hand it to your dog, laced with peanut butter and other yummy edibles.
This will keep your dog’s brain busy for a while. It’s hard to be panicky when you’re busy enjoying a snack.
? Faux Go’s. When you’re home, condition your dog to your departure. Do all the things you normally do when you’re getting ready to go: fill her water bowl, spray on your perfume, walk the path you normally walk around your home, jingle the car keys, etc.
Then, instead of going away, stay put. In other words, show departure cues, but don’t leave. Do this a lot.
? Leave, but be back REAL soon. Run to the store for milk and be back in 5 minutes. Then 10 minutes. Then 20. Keep building this up. Weekends are great for this.
? Music. There are CDs recorded especially for separation anxiety in dogs and the claims are in the nbhood of 70 percent of dogs responding favorably to them.
? Educate yourself. Consider picking up a book like Don’t Leave Me! Step-by-Step Help for Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety, authored by Nicole Wilde.
With the tips above and your enthusiasm going to bat for the dog in your life, it won’t be long before daily goodbyes become stress-free for both you and your pooch.
Hany Hosny shares life with his adopted shelter dog, Stella. He volunteers at animal shelters and shares his relationship-centered ideas on living with dogs, on his popular Facebook page, Smarter You, Happier Dog.
