I will be right back.. Love you... How to deal with dog separation anxiety. It’s normal for your dog to be sad or lonely when you leave. You are, after all, the most important thing in their world. It’s our job to make sure that they can handle your leaving without barking, whining, or destroying your couch. I once had a dog chew right through a wall at my board and train facility. I’ve even seen dogs push and chew their way out of metal crates and jump through windows. Some dogs will go to any length to not be confined or be left alone. Dog Separation Anxiety Photo I classify separation anxiety into three categories: mild, moderate and severe. Although certain breeds like Weinheimers, Vizslas, and Pit Bulls are more prone to S.A., it can happen with any dog. Mild separation anxiety can manifest itself in barking, whining , tearing up toilet paper, chewing a shoe, or digging up the sprinkler system (this is also common puppy behaviors as well, not S.A.). Moderate or Severe S.A. is a serious mental condition in my opinion. He’s not just sad that you’re gone; it’s much more complicated than that. Moderate or severe S.A. is sometimes caused by jumping around from home to home or foster to foster. “Time outs” or using crates as punishment as a puppy can also cause S.A. If this is the case, being alone (Pavlovian conditioning) will be paired with negative feelings or anger from the owner, so the dog starts to “hate” being alone. I see so many articles, blogs, and posts on S.A. and they are all the same. It’s as if all trainers have read the same books and been to same conferences and seen the same presentations on how to deal with S.A. The problem is that these methods rarely work and focus too much on the less important aspect of the solution. For the sake of not writing a small book I’m going to quickly list some ideas to help S.A. Desensitize the dog to “triggers” that you are leaving i.e. keys, putting on shoes, etc. Conduct training sessions where they go to the bed and do stays for progressively longer, so they can deal with being away from you or you being out of sight for short periods of time. Play classical music when you leave. Leave a smelly piece of clothing around. Don’t get too excited when you come home and don’t let your dog constantly be all over you when you are at home. If you really want to eliminate S.A. do these few things religiously: Dog Separation Anxiety 101 Exercise before you leave- take them for as long a walk as your schedule will allow. Their pent up energy will come out in a negative way if not released. Chew “toys”- Food filled frozen Kongs is my favorite. They last a long time and are safe. Also bully sticks, Himalayan dog chews, “Beams” dried fish skins, or anything else that is long lasting and safe will work. If the dog is not interested in these types of products then I would cut their base diet a bit until they are into it (this is a separate issue for another day). All the above products are sold at Kahoots Pet Stores. Games when you leave- leave treats all over the house or yard. Hide the food filled frozen Kong and bully stick. Do these games while you are home so you know that the dog understands how to play. Basically you want your dog to be thinking, “Bye have fun today, I’m tired and hungry and have plenty to keep me busy for the next hour! After I find and eat all this good stuff I will be exhausted and it will be time to nap. See you in when you get home!” Separation Anxiety is a serious condition and can take years to work through. A combination of dog training classes at Kahoots and private in-home training is very useful. Joel Beckman
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 15:21:44 +0000
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