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SEPARATION ANXIETY
How do I know if my pet’s problem is due to separation
anxiety?
Separation anxiety describes dogs that usually are overly
attached or dependent on family members. They become
extremely anxious and show distress behaviors of
vocalization, destruction, house-soiling or inactivity when
separated from the owners. Most dogs with separation anxiety
try to remain close to their owners and become increasingly
anxious the greater the separation. They may follow the
owners from room to room and begin to display signs of
anxiety as soon as the owners prepare to leave. Some of
these dogs crave a great deal of physical contact and
attention from their owners and can be demanding. During
departures or separations they may begin to salivate or pant
profusely, vocalize, eliminate, and refuse to eat, become
destructive or become quiet and withdrawn. Most often these
behaviors occur within about 20 minutes of the owner’s
departure. While typically the behavior occurs each and
every time the owner leaves, it can only happen on selected
departures, such as work-day departures, or when the owner
leaves again after coming home from work. Dogs with
separation anxiety are also often quite excited and aroused
when the owner returns jumping, whining, running around for
5-15 minutes when you first come home.
Are there other reasons that my dog may engage in these
behaviors?
Many dogs, especially puppies enjoy chewing and engage in
the behavior when they have nothing better to keep them
occupied. House-soiling may be due to medical problems,
leaving the dog alone for longer than it can control its
bladder, or inadequate house-training. Vocalization may be
due to territorial intrusion by strangers or other animals,
and can be a rewarded behavior if the dog receives any form
of attention when it vocalizes or rewarded by the stimulus
leaving. Some dogs will attempt to escape or become
extremely anxious when confined, so that destructiveness or
house-soiling when a dog is locked up in a crate, basement,
or laundry room, may be due to confinement or barrier
anxiety and associated attempts at escape. In addition,
noise phobias such as a thunderstorm that passes through
during the owner’s absence, may lead to marked
destructiveness, house-soiling, salivation and vocalization.
Old dogs with medical problems such as loss of hearing or
sight, painful conditions and cognitive dysfunction may
become more anxious in general, and seek out the owner’s
attention for security and relief. While giving attention to
help calm your dog may seem to be the best alternative, this
may greatly increase your dogs need to be with you and
around you at all times.
Where do I start?
Before you can begin to consider departure training, you
must focus on developing a routine and training your pet to
settle down and relax before it can earn attention. In other
words you use the very rewards that your dog is seeking to
teach independent behavior and relaxed times away from you.
Until you can get your pet to settle and relax without
attention when you are at home, your pet is unlikely to
settle when you leave.
1. Establish a predictable routine
Since your dog is anxious you need to begin by making his
day calmer and more predictable whether you are home or
away. Establish a daily routine so that your pet can begin
to predict when exercise, attention, feeding, training, play
and elimination can be expected and when it is time to
settle and nap or play with favored toys. Try to schedule
times for object play and naps at times when you would
normally depart.
2. Environmental enrichment – meeting your dog’s needs
While maintaining a regular routine, the pet’s day should be
sufficiently enriched to meet or exceed its needs for social
play, exercise, training and affection. In effect, you
should initiate enough regular interactive sessions and
provide enough play toys so that in between your pet is
ready to settle down and relax. New exploratory and chew
toys should be added in between social play times, so that
the pet can focus on its own toys when it is time to settle.
Feeding toys can also replace standard food bowls to make
feeding time more of a mental and physical effort.
3. Establish a predictable protocol for rewards
If your pet has separation anxiety, it’s likely that your
pet’s favored rewards are the attention and play that you
provide. Treats, food, play and chew toys may also be highly
desirable to the pet. Take each of the pet’s most valuable
rewards and ask yourself: “what behavior does my pet need to
learn” and “what behavior should I never reinforce”. With
separation anxiety the answer should be clear; you must
reinforce the pet for settling down, relaxing and showing
some independence, while attention seeking and following
behaviors should never be reinforced. Therefore, training
should focus on extended and relaxed down stays and going to
a bed or mat on command (see our settle exercises handout).
If your dog seeks attention, your options are to ignore
entirely until your dog settles, or to have your dog do a
down-stay or go to its mat. After sufficient time in the
down-stay or on the mat, give some attention or affection as
a reward. Gradually shape longer periods of inattention
before attention is given. The goal is not to ignore the
dog, but rather to ignore attention-seeking behaviors. You
want the dog to learn that calm and quiet behavior is
desired and the best way to receive attention.
4. Train settle
The goal of training is that your dog learns to settle
comfortably on cue. Focus on having your pet in a settled
down, or lying on its bed or mat (or crate) before you give
any reward. Not only should attention-seeking behavior be
ignored, but all casual interactions should be avoided for
the first few weeks, so that it is clear to both you and
your dog that a settled response predictably achieves
rewards and attention seeking does not. Practice training
down stays and mat exercises (see our settle handout) using
food lures, clicker training or head halter training,
whichever you find most effective. Gradually shape longer
stays and longer times on the bed or mat before attention,
affection, treats or play is earned.
5. Develop an area and mat for relaxation
Having a bed or mat location (in a room, pen, or crate)
where your dog can be taught to rest, nap, play and even
sleep, can provide a secure area for your pet when you are
not home. You can begin by training your pet to go to the
area and gradually shape longer stays and more relaxed
responses in the area before rewards are given. It might be
helpful to have a barricade, tie down or crate that could be
closed to ensure that your dog remains in the area for long
enough at each session before being released. On the other
hand, know your limits for success; your dog must be calm
and settled when released so as to avoid reinforcing crying
or barking behavior. At first your dog can be taken to this
area as part of training routine using a toy or treat as a
lure or a leash and head halter. However, in time a daily
routine should be established where the dog learns to lie on
its mat after each exercise, play and training session to
either nap or play with its own toys. This is similar to the
routine for crate training where the mat or bed becomes the
dog’s bed or playpen. Other than play, exercise and training
sessions, focus on giving your dog some or all of its
rewards (treats, toys, chews, affection, feeding toys) only
in this area. Audible cues such as a radio, CD or TV, odors
such as aromatherapy candles or a piece of clothing with the
owner’s scent, and a comfortable bed, can help to promote a
relaxed response since they are associated with relaxation
and owner presence (non-departure).
6. For some dogs it also is useful to work on responses
to
simple commands and having them earn all things. This can be
as simple as having the dog respond to a command such as
“sit” prior to receiving anything it wants. For example if
the dog asks to go outside prior to opening the door the dog
is given the command to “sit” and once it complies the door
is opened. This technique can be used for anything the dog
desires. See our handout on learn to earn for other
examples.
When I need to leave, what can I do immediately to
prevent damage?
This is an extremely difficult question. The goal of
treatment is to reduce your pet’s level of anxiety by
training it to feel comfortable in your absence. This can be
a long intensive process. Yet, most owners will need to deal
with the damage or vocalization immediately. During initial
retraining its usually best to hire a dog sitter, take the
dog to work, find a friend to care for the dog for the day,
board the dog for the day, or arrange to take some time off
from work to retrain the dog. Crate training or dog proofing
techniques may work especially well for those dogs that
already have an area where they are used to being confined.
Crates should be used with caution however, with dogs that
have separation anxiety and/or barrier frustrations, because
they can promote intense escape attempts and may result in
fairly serious injuries. It is important to choose a room or
area that does not further increase the dog’s anxiety. The
dog’s bedroom or feeding area may therefore be most
practical. Booby-traps might also be used to keep the dog
away from potential problem areas (See our handouts on
‘Behavior management products’ and ‘Canine punishment’).
For vocalization, anti-bark devices may be useful (see our
handout on ‘Barking’), but the dog will continue to remain
anxious, and the motivation to vocalize may be too strong
for the products to be effective. Tranquilizers and
anti-anxiety drugs and pheromones may also be useful for
short-term use, until the owner has effectively corrected
the problem.
How can the dog be retrained so that it is less anxious
during departures?
Since the underlying problem is anxiety, try to reduce all
forms of anxiety, prior to departure, at the time of
departure, and at the time of homecoming. In addition, the
pet must learn to accept progressively longer periods of
inattention and separation while the owners are at home.
What should be done prior to departures?
Before any lengthy departure, provide a vigorous session of
play and exercise. This not only helps to reduce some of the
dog’s energy and tire it out, but also provides a period of
attention. A brief training session can also be a productive
way to further interact and “work” with your dog. For the
final 15-30 minutes prior to departure, the dog should be
ignored. It would be best if your dog were trained to go to
its rest and relaxation area with a radio, TV, or video
playing, (as above) as the owner could then prepare for
departure while the pet is out of sight and earshot of the
owner. The key is to avoid as many of the departure signals
as possible, so that the dog’s anxiety doesn’t heighten,
even before the owner leaves. Brushing teeth, changing into
work clothes, or collecting keys, purse, briefcase or
schoolbooks, are all routines that might be able to be
performed out of sight of the dog. Owners might also
consider changing clothes at work, preparing and packing a
lunch the night before, or might even consider leaving their
car at a neighbor's so the dog wouldn’t hear the car pulling
out of the driveway. The other alternative is to expose your
dog to as many of these cues as possible while you remain at
home so that they no longer are predictive of departure (see
below). A few minutes prior to departure the dog should be
given some fresh toys and objects to keep it occupied so
that the owner can leave while the dog is distracted. Saying
goodbye will only serve to bring attention to the departure.
What should I do if I come home to a mess?
Your dog has been extremely anxious during your departure
and presumably this has led to any destruction or
housesoiling. Therefore, anything you might do to increase
your pet’s anxiety can only make matters worse for future
departures and will not do anything to correct what has
already been done.
Therefore both punishment and excited greetings must be
avoided. At homecomings, ignore your dog until it calms and
settles down (this may take 10-15 minutes). Your dog should
soon learn that the faster it settles the sooner it will get
your attention.
What can be done to reduce anxiety at the time of
departure?
As you depart, your dog should be kept busy and occupied,
and preferably out of sight, so that there is little or no
anxiety. Giving special food treats that have been saved for
departures (and mock departure training sessions) can help
keep the dog distracted and perhaps “enjoying itself” while
you leave. Dogs that are highly aroused and stimulated by
food may become so intensively occupied in a peanut butter
coated dog toy, a fresh piece of rawhide, a dog toy stuffed
with liver and dog food, or some frozen dog treats, that
they may not even notice you leave. Be certain that the
distraction devices last as long as possible so that the dog
continues to occupy its time until you are “long gone”.
Frozen treats placed in the dog’s food bowl, toys that are
tightly stuffed with goodies, toys that are designed to
require manipulation and work to obtain the food reward,
toys that can maintain lengthy chewing, and timed feeders
that open throughout the day are a few suggestions.
Determine what best motivates your dog. For example, if a
particular toy is highly successful provide two or three of
the same type rather than toys that do not maintain your
dog’s interest. It may also be helpful to provide some or
all of the dog’s food during departures with a few special
surprises in the bottom of the bowl. On rare occasions a
second pet can help to keep the dog occupied and distracted
during departures. Neither food, nor the second pet is
likely to be useful in dogs that are too anxious.
My dog starts to get anxious even before I leave. What
can I do?
There are a number of activities that we do consistently
prior to each departure. The dog soon learns to identify
these cues or signals with imminent departure. On the other
hand, some dogs learn that certain other signals mean that
the owners are staying home or nearby (inhibiting cues) and
therefore can help the dog to relax. If we can prevent the
dog from observing any of these anxiety inducing
pre-departure cues, or if we train the dog that these cues
are no longer predictive of departure, then the anxiety is
greatly reduced. Even with the best of efforts some dogs
will still pick up on “cues” that the owner is about to
depart. Train your pet to associate these cues with
enjoyable, relaxing situations (rather than the anxiety of
impending departure). By exposing the dog to these cues
while you remain at home and when the dog is relaxed or
otherwise occupied, they are no longer predictive of
departure. This entails some retraining while you are home.
You get the items (keys, shoes, briefcase, jacket etc.) that
normally signal your departure, and walk to the door.
However, you do not leave or exit the house just put
everything away. The dog will be watching and possibly get
up, but once you put every thing away, the dog should lie
down. Then, once the dog is calm, this is repeated. However,
only 3-4 repetitions should be done in a single training
session; it is vital that the dog be calm and settled before
the cues are presented again. Eventually, the dog will not
attend to these cues (habituate) because they are no longer
predictive of you leaving and will not react, get up or look
anxious as you go about your pre-departure tasks. Then, the
dog will be less anxious when you do leave. This often
allows the next step in re-training, planned departures.
What can be done to retrain the dog to reduce the
dependence and following?
The most important aspect of retraining is to teach the dog
to be independent and relaxed in your presence. Only when
you have taught the dog to stay in place in its bed or
relaxation area, rather than constantly following you
around, will it be possible to train the dog to begin to
accept actual (or mock) departures.
Attention-getting behaviors must not pay off. Any attempts
at attention must be ignored. On the other hand, lying
quietly away from you should be rewarded. Teach your dog
that it is the quiet behavior that will receive attention,
and not following you around, or demanding attention. Teach
your dog to relax in its quiet area and to accept lengthy
periods of inattention when you are home. You may have to
begin with very short periods of inattention and gradually
shape this to 30 minute periods or longer. Training can
progress much quicker if you teach the down stay and go to
your mat command so that you “tell” your dog what is the
desired behavior (see our settle exercises handout). Be sure
to schedule attention, interaction and play sessions that
you initiate and develop a routine while you are at home
that incorporates play and attention sessions followed by
sessions of inattention (for napping or playing with toys).
Your dog should get use to this routine so that you can
depart while the dog is calm.
How can I teach my dog to accept my departures?
Formal retraining should be directed at teaching your dog to
remain on its mat, in its bed, or in its crate or den area,
for progressively longer periods of time (30 minutes or
more). You may need to begin with food lure exercises,
starting with a down-stay and gradually increasing the time
and the level of relaxation at each session. Once the pet
will stay in your presence, begin to walk away and return
beginning with just a few feet for a few seconds and
progressing over time to leaving the room for 30 minutes or
longer. Reward with a play or attention session, perhaps
coming back and giving a gentle massage or tummy rub. In
this way the desired behavior is being shaped and reinforced
with the very attention that the dog craves. Remember
however, that attention at other times, especially on
demand, encourages the dog to follow and pester rather than
stay in its bed and relax. A head halter can be particularly
useful throughout this training to insure that the pet
remains in position and immediately responds to the command.
From this point on, your dog should be encouraged to stay in
its bed or crate for extended periods of time rather than
sitting at your feet or on your lap. If your dog can also be
taught to sleep in this relaxation area at night rather than
on your bed or in your bedroom, this may help to break the
over-attachment and dependence more quickly. During these
training exercises use as many cues as possible to help
relax the dog. Mimic the secure environment that the dog
feels when the owner is at home. Leave the TV on. Play a
favorite video or CD. Leave a favorite blanket or chew toy
in the area. All of these cues may help to calm the dog.
How do I progress to leaving the house?
Finally, practice short “mock” departures. During “mock” or
graduated departure training, the dog should be exercised,
given a short formal training session, and taken to its bed
or mat to relax. Give the ‘down-stay’ command, a few toys
and treats and leave. The first few "mock" departures should
be identical to the training exercises above, but instead of
leaving the room for a few minutes while the dog is calm and
distracted, you will begin to leave the home. The first few
departures should be just long enough to leave and return
without any signs of anxiety or destructiveness. This might
last from a few seconds to a couple of minutes; however, the
hardest part and most critical part may be to merely get out
the door without the dog becoming anxious. . Gradually but
randomly increase the time. As the time of departure
approaches 10 or 15 minutes, begin to include other
activities associated with departure such as opening and
closing the car door and returning, turning on and off the
car engine and returning or pulling the car out of the
driveway and returning.
How come my dog gets so anxious when I leave home, but is
just fine when I leave the car?
Many dogs that destroy the home when left alone will stay in
a car or van without becoming anxious or destructive. This
is because the dog has learned to relax and enjoy the car
rides, without the need for constant physical attention and
contact. And, when the owner does leave this relaxed dog in
the car, the departures are generally quite short. The owner
may occasionally leave the dog in the car during longer
absences. The owner has trained the dog using inattention,
relaxation and a graduated departure technique. The dog has
learned that when he is in the car, the owner returns
quickly and he can be good and not be anxious. What is very
important is to progress slowly through the series of
departures. If when you return, the dog is anxious or
extremely excited, then the departure was too long and the
next one should be shorter. This is an effective technique,
but very slow in the beginning. The goal is to teach the dog
“my owner is only going to be gone for a short time; they
are coming right back; I can be good.”
Is drug therapy useful?
Drug therapy can be useful especially during initial
departure training. Tranquilizers alone do not reduce the
pet’s anxiety and may only be helpful to sedate your dog so
that it is less likely to investigate and destroy. Often the
most suitable drugs for long-term use are anti-depressants,
anti-anxiety drugs or a combination. Drugs alone will do
little or nothing to improve separation anxiety. It is the
retraining program that is needed to help your dog gain some
independence and accept some time away from you. Pheromone
therapy can also be useful for diminishing anxiety both
while you are home and when you are away.
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