Separation Anxiety in Dogs - 10 ways to help your dog cope
CAUSES
Let me first explain what causes separation anxiety.
Dogs are programmed to be with their pack and to follow. It is natural behaviour. When we domesticated dogs we expected them to be able to stay in the home on their own, and they suffered because it simply wasn’t in their DNA. No-one showed them how to cope and do something that was completely unnatural to them.
Dogs who have never practised separation, are generally no good at being alone. By ‘practised’, I mean they have never been trained to spend small periods of time comfortably by themselves. This is best done during puppyhood. The Covid lockdown periods produced many dogs with separation anxiety. Puppies grew up surrounded by the whole family 24/7, and then a few months later everyone went back to work and left them on their own. They simply didn’t have any tools with which to cope.
Dogs who have been left alone for excessively long periods of time in their past, may have developed an ingrained trauma of being abandoned. A problem I see in a lot of rescue dogs.
Certain breeds may suffer more as they have been specifically bred to be companions. These include toy breeds and lap dogs such as the Bichon Frise, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, or Chihuahua. Large breeds like German shepherds and Border Collies also suffer due to their highly affectionate and loyal natures.
HOW TO RECOGNISE SEPARATION ANXIETY
Is your dog anxious or just bored? Some destructive behaviours can be interpreted as separation anxiety, when the dog just needs something to do. If the energy hasn’t been drained before you leave the dog on his own, the dog can’t relax. The energy has to go somewhere, so often it goes into chewing and destroying things or into barking. A pet cam can be a useful way to see how your dog behaves when you are away. Separation anxiety is normally accompanied with some of the other symptoms below:
Howling, whining and barking
Destructive chewing
Stress panting
Yawning or lip licking as you prepare to leave
Pacing and trying to escape. Scratching at doors.
Loss of appetite. Wont take treats.
Trembling
Drooling (in the absence of food)
Peeing/pooing in the house (often on your bed which smells of you)
WAYS TO HELP
This is by no means an overnight fix. It is often not a ‘fix’ at all, but merely an improvement. It will take patience and time, and will mean moving at a speed your dog can cope with.
1. Build confidence in separation.
Does your dog always need to be touching you? Does he sit on your feet or your lap, or sleep in your bed? If he is never apart from you he will not know what to do with himself when you leave. I suggest beginning by sitting on one side of the room, and put him on his bed the other side of the room. Ask him to stay there. If he gets up, gently lead him back to his bed and ask him to stay again. Reward him for staying.
Gradually over the course of months, ask him to stay on his bed for longer periods, and move further away from him. You can then progress to moving out of the room for 30 seconds as he stays on his bed. Then up the stairs as he stays on his bed. Then out the front door for 5 seconds as he stays on his bed. You are creating a game for him and giving him a task to do, for which he is rewarded.
2. Introduce a crate.
This should be a space where your dog/puppy can relax. It should be introduced with positive association and never be used as a punishment place.
Feed in the crate, treat in the crate, put toys in the crate. Don’t close the door at first. Let the dog go in because he wants to. When your dog is comfortable going in of his own accord, you can put him in there after walks or periods of exercise. He should then be a little tired and in a natural restful state. You can stay in the same room at first, but gradually over time, stretch it to leaving the room for short periods of time.
A crate is also useful to stop pacing. If the body can’t pace, the mind relaxes.
3. Give your dog a long walk before you leave him alone.
This will drain energy and he will be in a more relaxed state. You are setting him up to succeed.
4. Leave him with something to chew on.
Chewing releases endorphins which calm. In the absence of something to chew on, he may chew your furniture, or in severe cases, his own limbs. It’s a coping, self -medicating mechanism.
5. Leave your dog with something that smells of you.
This will provide some comfort for them. Some dogs will seek out dirty clothes you have worn, or go lie on your bed for comfort and the feeling of being close to you.
6. Never make a big deal of coming and going.
Don’t say goodbye with a sad face or come home and immediately run to him with hugs and kisses. We want your dog to learn that you coming and going is not an emotional event.
7. Practice fake goodbyes.
Your dog’s anxiety starts to build the second you get up and head for the door. So grab your keys, put your coat on, then sit down again and don’t go anywhere. We don’t want those triggers to mean anything, so try and be unpredictable about your departures.
8. Add soothing aids to the environment.
There are various plug- in diffusers sprays and collars which claim to help settle your dog by releasing synthetic pheromones. There are also specialised tracks on YouTube compiled to help soothe anxious dogs. I would be wary about leaving on the tv or radio, as you never know what sounds may appear and you could end up doing more harm than good.
9. Leave your dog with a friend or dog walker.
Just a few hours a week. This way he will get used to not always having you around.
10. Give a homeopathic remedy.
Seek out a holistic vet who can prescribe the best remedy for your dog. I have tried Valerian and skullcap with some success.
Watch Cesar Millan explain separation anxiety
CASE STUDY
Mabel is a golden doodle with quite severe separation anxiety. She was not able to be apart from her owners for even seconds.
See in the videos how I assessed her and how we started practising tiny moments of separation. Some weeks later (2nd video) Mabel was able to sit comfortably at the bottom of the stairs, while her owners went up the stairs and out of sight. Previously she would follow them everywhere in the house.
On my latest visit Mabel was able to stay in the house for 5 minutes, her owners having left out the front door. Five minutes may seem like nothing to most people, but for Mabel this is a huge achievement in the space of a few weeks.
By slowly increasing the amount of time they spend out of the house, I hope Mabel will be comfortable being left on her own for incrementally longer and longer periods.
The important thing is to not push her over threshold and lose the trust we have built.
Does your dog have separation anxiety issues?