Pet Corner
Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety occurs when a pet becomes overly anxious when an owner leaves or has become abnormally attached to the owner and can result in a variety of behaviors that can occur as the owner is preparing to leave and/or while they are gone. These behaviors include: inappropriate urination, inappropriate defecation, excessive vocalization, destructive chewing, digging, excessive salivation, fearful behavior, trembling, vomiting, diarrhea, self mutilation, excessive licking, over-active greetings, excessive attention seeking and aggressive behaviors at departure. These behaviors will usually begin within 5-30 minutes of the owner leaving although it can occur in the time leading up to departure if the dog is anticipating the owner leaving.
Therapy is a long, challenging process and requires a patient, dedicated owner due to the fact that these behaviors can take several weeks to months to correct. While drug therapy may provide some help, it is never a magic cure in and of itself and must be accompanied by some degree of behavior modification training.
If your pet is showing signs of separation anxiety prior to your departure there is most likely some aspect of your normal departure routine that is triggering the anxiety; they have come to associate this act with your leaving. In this case it is important for you to determine the specific cue/cues that is/are triggering the anxiety. This could be anything from applying make-up, to jingling keys or picking up a purse/briefcase. When these specific cues are identified they should either be eliminated from the pre-departure routine or repeated frequently at times when the owner will not be leaving. It is very important to also avoid any emotional reactions to departures or homecomings. Punishment for undesired behaviors will not help correct the problem behavior and should be avoided as well.
In mild cases simple corrections +/- medication may be effective. If the pet is focusing on areas where the owner’s scent is the strongest (like the bed or shoes) it may be possible to leave them with a “security blanket” of sorts. After the owner has slept with a blanket, towel or other piece of cloth this can be left by the dog’s bed or in the area where the dog focuses its attention. Sometimes voices from the radio or television or an owner recorded audio tape can alleviate the anxiety.
For the more severe cases systematic desensitization is the most effective way for owners to address the problem. This retraining time can take several weeks and it is helpful if the owner can dedicate a fair amount of time to addressing the problem. Crating these dogs is not usually a short term solution because they may either destroy the crate or injure their mouth or paws in their attempts to escape and will only add to negative experiences away from the owner. Systematic desensitization requires diverting the dog’s attention away from the owner. For this to be effective, the first thing the owner must do is identify an activity that the dog will focus a great deal of attention on for an extended period of time. Food is usually an effective distraction. For some dogs a rawhide chew or bone is effective. For others, filling a Kong or another dog toy with a hollow center with treats or peanut butter may be effective. The goal with these is that it will be something the dog can work on for a long period of time so ideally it will not be something that the dog will be able to finish in a matter of minutes. These are initially given to the dog when the owner is present and should be given to the dog in a “safe place”. After the dog has started focusing on the food/treat the owner should start moving away from the dog. Never move to the point or stay long enough for the dog to become anxious. After the dog learns to continue focusing on the treat while the owner is simply walking away the owner can begin to leave the room, again never staying away long enough for the dog to become anxious. The time out of the room should be gradually increased and eventually the owner will exit the home. In all cases it is very important that the owner return to the room before the dog begins to look for them or starts showing signs of distress. Getting the dog to accept the first 30 minutes is always the most challenging but by the time the dog is comfortable with 90 minutes they will most likely be ok for 3-4 hours. Too rapid an increase in the time away from the owner can cause the problem to get worse so it is very important that the owner understand this is a long process and have patience with the pet.
As previously mentioned, when the dog is first given its food chew it should be done in a “safe place.” All trainings should take place in this safe area, whether it is the dog’s bed, a crate that the dog has never had a bad experience in or a special corner with a blanket. If possible, this should be a place that the dog has a tendency to go to when the owner leaves anyway. Other cues or actions can be incorporated into the training to differentiate it from actual departure time, whether it is key words or something like turning on the radio. Eventually after the training has been successful and the dog can be left alone for hours, the “new” training routine can replace the old problem plagued routine to make departure easier for the dog.
*This hand out was made using Canine Behavior: A guide for Veterinarians by Bonnie Beaver
