Being alone is okay: how you can prevent separation anxiety in your dog.
If you have a dog and you have to leave him alone, you may be concerned about him developing separation anxiety. There is an excellent booklet by Dr. Patricia McConnell titled I’ll be home soon! How to prevent and treat separation anxiety. Below is a summary of this wonderful booklet. If you would like to read more about separation anxiety, I would highly recommend picking up this quick read.
Golden retriever sadly looking out a window.
What Is Separation Anxiety?
Separation anxiety happens when your dog becomes panicked when you leave and stays that way the whole time you are gone. Some of the signs include seeing your dog start to look terrified when you are getting ready to leave the house. He may bark, dig, chew and destroy the house the entire time you are gone. He may make desperate attempts at escaping through the door or window. When you get home, you find him in a state of panic. Some of the other symptoms include the following.
Whining and pacing as you prepare to leave
Dilated pupils
Panting and/or drooling
Sweaty pads
Trembling or shaking
Non-stop barking or howling while you’re gone
House soiling despite being house trained
Destructive chewing or digging, especially around doors and windows
Decreased appetite
Dog excessively drooling.
True separation anxiety is actually quite rare. Most of the issues such as inappropriate chewing or barking while we are gone are just normal dog behaviors that we are not there to stop!
What Causes Separation Anxiety?
As with most things in life, there is not one simple answer to this question. There are some things that seem to increase the likelihood of developing separation anxiety.
Personality. Some dogs are more clingy than others which may predispose them to separation anxiety. These “velcro” dogs never want to leave your side and may find it harder to be apart from you.
Traumatic separation. Dogs that have experienced some type of trauma when they were left alone are at an increased risk of separation anxiety. That may explain why dogs in shelters may be more prone to this problem. If dogs have been left alone in a house for days on end with no food, they may have experienced this type of trauma.
Trauma while alone. If a dog was at home alone and something scary happened on a random day, they may go from being perfectly fine alone one day to have separation anxiety the next. A burglar trying to get into the house, low flying jets that rattle the windows and shake the walls, stray voltage during the day are all examples.
Having never been alone. Dogs that are used to always having their human home may panic if all of a sudden they are left alone. This is where you can make a difference!
How can you prevent Separation anxiety?
Below are some tips on how you can start working with your puppy or dog to prevent future issues with separation anxiety. Even if your dog has some separation anxiety, these tips should help.
Low key arrivals and departures. Being overly dramatic or loud when you get home only increases your dog’s arousal level. It’s easy to want to excitedly squeal your dog’s name and hug and kiss him when you get home, but resist the urge! A quiet, calm hello is a much healthier approach. A relaxed departure is also key. If you are highly emotional about leaving, your dog may pick up on that emotional energy and have a hard time settling while you are gone.
Teach patience. Some dogs never learn frustration tolerance. It is an important skill to develop in order to have a well-behaved dog. A dog that does not know how to handle delayed gratification will struggle with being alone. If your dog is used to getting what he wants when he wants it (by barking perhaps?), he will struggle with being alone without you there to cater to him. Working on cues such as settle down, stay, and leave it are all ways to increase frustration tolerance.
Housetrain your dog. Make sure to go outside with them and treat them for going as soon as they come up from that squatting position. Keep them confined or constantly supervised in order to prevent accidents while inside.
Teach your dog what he should be chewing on. Dogs don’t instinctively know the difference between your slippers and a plush dog toy. And they have the instinct to chew. So they are in need of something to chew and you need to teach him the difference between a chew toy and the coffee table leg.
Crate train. Crate training is a great way to teach your dog how to be home alone. The crate provides a confined space where your puppy can learn to be alone without causing destruction to your home while still learning their manners! When the crate is introduced correctly, your pup will see it as their “safe space”. In order to create positive associations with the crate, it’s important to only use the crate for good things (don’t use it as a form of punishment!).
Physical and mental stimulation. Make sure your dog is getting plenty of enrichment during their day. Otherwise you have a bored dog looking for something to do and you may not always like the choices they make while you are not around. A walk around the block may not be enough for some dogs so make sure you give them things such as fetch where they can run or a playdate. Mentally, use things such as treat puzzles, working on training, or other mentally stimulating games (such as hide and seek, and this is great for recall too!).
How Can The Ruff House Help?
Here at The Ruff House, we introduce and work on crate training in our puppy daycare! We create positive associations with the crate so your pup will enjoy the time they spend in there. We use crate training not as punishment, but as a tool for potty training, learning to relax, and management while your pup is still learning their manners! The Ruff House daycare is also a great way to add both physical and mental stimulation to your dog’s life. Both group and private training is available if you have further questions or need more help with your pup.