SEPERATION ANXIETY
Behavioural problems are
common in dogs from all walks of life. This could be attributed to the fact
that more and more dogs are being left at home whilst we are out at work. Or it
may be because they are being treated as family members rather than just
workers or Pets. In the past a dog with an aggressive problem was more likely
to have been destroyed. However in modern times more and more owners are
turning to ‘professionals’ to seek help and give the dog a chance to work
through the problems before turning to rescue centers or worse putting them to
sleep.
Problems occur for a
variety of different reasons. Each issue can be different because dogs are
different, from very simple issues too much more complicated. These problems
can manifest themselves for various reasons;
Lack of socialisation
Boredom
Excess energy
Owner behaviour
Unrealistic owner
expectation
Breed specific traits
Diet
Inadequate or incorrect
training.
Medical conditions or
illnesses
The list is not exhaustive.
Generally speaking these
behaviours are a symptom that something is not quite right and the behaviour we
see is the how the dog is trying to cope with the situation. There is usually
some sort of motivation or cause that has the dog acting in this way.
For example:
Motivation - Fear
of being grabbed, hurt or pulled of the sofa.
Behaviour - bite,
to protect itself.
Motivation - Fear
of being left alone
Behaviour - Panic,
home soiling, destructive behaviour.
The behaviour can also be a
learned behaviour. That is, if the dog learns that a particular behaviour removes
the threat or danger then it will learn to use that behaviour the next time it
finds itself in that situation. So if snapping or biting makes you back off,
then the dog will learn that every time it does this you will retreat.
The problem here is that
punishment for this behaviour will only exacerbate the problem by increasing
the fear in the dog and thus intensifying the behaviour.
The
behavioural problems associated with separation anxiety are the second most
common reason dogs are euthanized or put into rescue centers.
What is Separation
anxiety? Separation anxiety is the “fear and apprehension caused by separation from
familiar surroundings or familiar people”. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/separation+anxiety
In this article I will
look at the signs, causes, a possible cure and what could have been done to
prevent this behaviour becoming a distressing situation for both dog and owner.
Rosie Barclay BSc (Hons)
MPiL CCAB Animal Behaviourist writes in her book Good Dog? Bad Dog?
Dogs are sociable creatures and naturally live in
groups, which work together to secure territories in which there are important
resources such as food, shelter and water. Intruder dogs are chased away and
there are plenty of dogs to warn others against predators. Dogs, therefore, are
likely to feel safe within their group and will probably not feel so secure
when left on their own. It is not natural for a dog to be ‘home alone’ and it
is no wonder that some domestic dogs show anxiety behaviours when left.
Rosie Barclay goes on
however to suggest that in most cases dogs seem to cope very well when left
alone and can settle down quite happily. The reason she suggests is that “all
dogs are different”.
They have all had different upbringings They have all had different experiences They all have different genetic characters They all have different owners
Just the same as some
humans are more insecure than others so are some dogs.
Some of the reasons why a
dog might show anxiety are as follows;
It may have suffered a traumatic event, a huge
thunderstorm, building works next door. There may be a change in its routine. Owner
working longer. There may be a major life change, new home, new
baby. There may be an underlying medical condition. They may just be easily bored
What are the possible signs
of separation anxiety?
The dog follows the handler Pacing up and down Excessive salivating Destructive chewing Excessive barking and whining Home soiling Self harm Digging and scratching at the door to be with
the owner.
Ok so what can we do about
it? One method that is suggested is that owners should reprimand their dogs
once they come back to the house. Show them the damage and give the dog a
telling off. Traditional trainers would often say that you should rub your dogs
nose in any mess that it has done upon your return. However modern thought is
that punishing the dog upon your return will only serve to teach it to expect
to be punished every time you come home making the dog even more anxious as it
anticipates your arrival making the problem worse. Dogs have no concept that
making a mess on the floor or digging up the shag pile carpet is what causes the
owner to be angry. Al they know is that when you come home they will be
punished. They have learned this. It is also known now that most of the
destructive behaviour is usually carried out in the first 20 – 30 minutes of
the owner leaving. They settle down after that because their exhausted with all
their hard work. J. Other things that
owners do to ‘cure’ the problem may see them taking the dog everywhere they go.
Which is great if you have a very understanding boss. I wish I could bring my
dogs to work. Or they could hire a dog sitter, arrange a dog walker or put them
into day boarding kennels. None of these are particularly bad suggestions but
they can prove to be expensive. However you may decide that the alternative is
costing you more in replacing the Persian carpets.
There are however some
things an owner can do. Firstly we have to make sure that what we are seeing
is separation anxiety and not some other reason for the behaviour. For example
a dog might chew your favourite slippers because he’s just bored. He may be
urinating in the house at the point your are walking up the path or at the
sound of the key going in the door. This may be because he is over excited to
see you back and just wee’s the floor. Before any behaviour plan is put into
action the first thing that should be done is the dog be taken to the Vet for a
proper examination to rule out any medical reason for the behaviour. There may
be some underlying illness or pain that the dog is suffering from, that the
owner has not picked up on. Once the Vet is satisfied that the dog is ok then
the owner can look to working on modifying the dogs behaviour.
One way to do this is to
use a process called ‘counterconditioning’. Counterconditioning is a process
that changes the dogs fearful, anxious or aggressive reaction to one that is
pleasant and relaxed. Basically, countercondition helps the dog associate being
left alone with goods things. We have to remove the fear of the dog being left
on its own. First thing to do is to try and recognise the triggers that start
the process of the dog getting anxious. In her book Good dog Bad Dog, Rosie
Barclay writes “Dogs are god at learning
triggers that alert them to you leaving”. Things like putting on a certain
pair of shoes, or putting on your coat, lifting your car keys is a classic. At
this point the pacing might start or the low whining of anticipation. Its
important then to stop performing these triggers as soon as possible. As part
of the curing process we could use these triggers to desensitise the dog, by
picking up the keys and then sitting back down again. Rewarding the dog when it
calms back down. Or we the owner might put on our coat and then go and make a
cup of tea, come back in and watch some TV. Other things owners maybe guilty of
is making a fuss of the dog both when they leave and when they come back. Dogs
have little concept of time and saying things like “I’ll only be twenty
minutes” does nothing for them. Owners should also begin building up the dogs
confidence of being left alone by practising leaving the dog for very short
periods of time and then coming back again. Rewarding the dog if it remains
calm. For example they might walk out the room and then come straight back in
again. If they did this repeatedly over and over again, the dog would eventually
become bored. At that point the time out the door may be increased by a few
minutes and the process repeated. This process can be repeated over and over
and each time the dog shows signs of not being interested the time out can
increase. Obviously this is a process that is used for severe cases of
separation anxiety. And as such it is important that during this period of
practise that the dog is not subjected to a full blown long period of time were
it is left alone. The result of that would be to set the dog back again. There
are some other simple things that owners can do to help their dog settle
quicker and get them past the crucial first 20 – 30 minutes were most of the
‘damage’ is done.
Taking your dog for a long
and energetic walk prior to be left alone will help to tire the dog out. Change
the feeding time to just prior to you leaving. A dog with a full stomach who
has had an hour long walk will be more likely to settle down for a nap once you
are gone. Leaving a radio or the TV can mean that the dog is not suddenly left
in a house where the silence is deafening once you and the kids have left for
work and school. Leaving chew toys can help a dog that is a bit anxious. And it
saves the furniture. There are many good quality chew toys on the market that
can be filled with your dogs favourite food, which takes them some time to
empty. Burning up their energy, making them use their brains and tiring them
out. Owners should also start to make less fuss of their going and comings. As
stated previously saying to your dog that you wont be long does nothing for
them. When leaving your dog to go out an owner should just leave after putting
on the TV or radio, filling the toy and just walk out the door without saying
goodbye. Similarly when the return they should ignore the obvious greeting they
will get for at least five minutes. And only when the dog has again calmed down
and appears to be ignoring the owner would they then call the dog over and give
them a pat.
As the saying goes
prevention is better than a cure. By far the best way to avoid your dog having
‘Independence
In her book Jan outlines
seven key steps which will ensure the puppy gets the best possible start.
1. Before you leave the pup for a time, feed and
toilet it first, and then play with it for a short while. Chances are it will
be ready for a sleep after that.
2. Put a radio or TV on at low volume so that the
room wont be plunged into silence as soon as your gone.
3. Bring the playtime to a close, close the gate or
door to ensure the puppy cant follow you.
4. Stay away for between 10 and 30 minutes. At
first remain in the house, using the time to do a household chore, take a bath
or mow the lawn.
5. When you return the dog will probably be
overjoyed to see you but you must not make any fuss or bother. Don’t interact
with it for five minutes or so or until it has calmed down. Be careful not to
make direct eye contact during this time.
6. When the five minutes have elapsed, play with
the dog for a good ten minutes, cuddling it and generally making a fuss of it.
7. Repeat this process on a regular basis, slowly
extending the period of time that you are separated from the dog.
By adopting this method the
puppy will learn two things.
Firstly, it will learn that
long periods without its owner are a normal part of life.
Secondly, it will learn
that, long periods on its own is nothing to get distressed about and it
shouldn’t fear them. Both of these lessons are extremely important in
preventing your puppy developing separation anxiety in later life.
See you soon........
P.S......please let me know what you think by dropping me a comment....
P.S......please let me know what you think by dropping me a comment....
Comments
Post a Comment