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Separation anxiety in dogs

BY : Dr Glenn Tobiansky of petbehaviourservices.com.au

In the US, approximately 50% of dog owners consider their dogs to be family members rather than working companions. They are closely attached to their owners. Seldom do we find dogs roaming free – many are left alone, confined to an owner’s property while their humans go to work or school.

Many dogs adapt, settle down and sleep, have a snack or play with their toys.

But not all. For some owners, the first indication that there is a problem is a complaint from a concerned or annoyed neighbour that the dog has been constantly barking. An owner may return home to find urine and faeces around the house, scratches on their doors, holes in the carpet or eviscerated pillows. Dogs can be wet from salivating, exhausted from pacing and panting, hungry and thirsty because they won’t eat or drink while left alone.

Other owners notice that their dog seems a little stressed when the owner prepares to leave – the dog won’t let them out of sight, sticks to them like Velcro and keep getting under their feet. As departure time gets closer, the dog becomes more anxious – panting, pacing, whimpering, and trembling. Occasionally dogs will try to block the owners from leaving. These signs and destructive habits, inappropriate elimination and vocalising are more than a little stress, they are signs of panic.

When the owners return, the animal will greet them enthusiastically, then gulp down the food and water they would not eat or drink while the owners were out.

I use the term – “separation anxiety” in the title. Not all problems associated with dogs being left alone are motivated by fear. Many are a result of frustration – not all dogs can tolerate sitting still and getting bored – if their minds and bodies are not kept busy, they will make their own, often damaging entertainment or try to get out of the property to find some.

Why does this happen?

Firstly – genetics – some dogs are more prone to anxiety thanks to their genes. It is not uncommon for such dogs to have other anxiety problems, especially to noises and thunderstorms.

Secondly – changes in the dog’s environment. A change could be the owner’s work hours (especially during and after Covid), moving to a new home, or a family member leaving home. Some dogs may have had a scary experience while left alone (fireworks, thunder) and don’t want to be left alone again. Dogs that have been adopted may not have not had the opportunity to experience and adapt to being alone. (There is no shortage of people who, to alleviate their own isolation and separation anxiety, adopted a pet.) Now that (covid) restrictions and lockdowns are lessening, the pets are the ones having to cope with isolation and separation anxiety.

Thirdly – there may be a medical issue. Older dogs that develop doggie dementia, or no longer see and hear as well as they used to become more insecure without their owners present. Pain, such as dental disease, arthritis, ear disease, and itchy skin can also precipitate the problem.

How do you treat a dog with separation anxiety?

One of our most important tools in treating separation anxiety is a video camera. Most people do not know what is happening while they are out, and only see evidence upon arriving home. Using a camera allows us to see what progress we make with treatment. It also lets us tell the difference between a dog with separation anxiety and those that have separation frustration or boredom.

Like all behaviour associated with fear and anxiety – we must go through a process known as desensitisation. The dog is having a negative emotional response in anticipation of being left alone and then actually being left alone. Whatever the cause is of this behaviour, it is not associated with any real danger – but the dog’s brain is responding to the situation as though the house is on fire. It’s not possible to sit the dog down and explain this to him – we must show him. This must be done slowly, step by step.

Baby steps

Step one – train the dog relaxed independence. You teach your pooch to relax on a mat while you are present. There are several techniques used for this process. While he is relaxed on his mat – take a step back and then return. Slowly increase distance and then return. Give him a treat. Eventually, duck out of sight for one second and then return. Repeat the process until he can stay on his mat for longer periods with you out of sight. Before we can walk out the front door and leave our dog inside, we first need to train him to be able to stay in one room while you are in another. We keep this up until we can go outside while he is inside.

Step two – we want to reduce his build-up of anxiety before we leave home. This build-up occurs as he sees the triggers associated with our leaving home. If he is less anxious when we walk out the door, he is more likely to tolerate being left alone when we do finally walk out the door. Identify the very first cue that sets off the earliest signs of anxiety. After that – before this trigger is triggered, get him to go to his mat and give him his favourite departure treat. On days that you are not going out, expose him to the trigger while he is on his mat and give him his treat but do not go further. For example – if he first starts to pant and pace when you go to pick up your keys – get him

to go to his mat, treat him, pick up your keys, treat him, put your keys back, and give him a treat.

Should the dog be medicated?

Treating separation anxiety with behaviour modification takes time. It can take weeks to months. Often 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. What do we do about leaving him alone while going through the process of desensitising him to be alone?

If he is severely stressed – such that he panics, causes destruction, or injures himself then he cannot be left alone at all, then he either needs to have company or, if this is not practical, medication is indicated. It may be sufficient to reduce the build-up of anxiety before leaving home so that he is not terrified when everyone leaves. If you are at risk of your neighbours wanting to murder you due to the barking, or the property owner kicking you out, may need to take the above steps.

Many owners have reservations about giving their dogs medication. The concerns are that the meds will turn their dogs into zombies or change the dog’s personalities. With the medications used today, when prescribed by veterinary behaviour specialists, or at least vets knowledgeable in the use of these meds, most dogs will have no adverse changes other than being more relaxed when left alone. If one medication does not work, then another can be tried. If there are unwanted side effects, the meds can be stopped.

How long does it take to successfully treat a dog with separation anxiety?

There is no quick fix for this condition. If the problems developed recently, the dog does not have other behaviour problems and the anxiety-related behaviour is not too intense, then there is usually a more rapid improvement. The longer the duration of the problem, the presence of other problems, the intensity of the fear and anxiety, and a poor response to medication make treatment complicated and need a longer duration of treatment. This can be months or, for some, years. Most dogs with this problem fall into a spectrum between these two. If expectations are realistic – and we can get our dog to at least settle enough to tolerate being left alone, then we have gone a long way to improving his quality of life.

Quality of life is the bottom line for both owner and pet. What I have written here barely touches the surface. Getting help from a behaviourist or a vet knowledgeable in this problem, as soon as possible, is key.

Dr Glenn Tobiansky BVSc MANZCVS(behaviour) TEL 0413 387833