A
Conversation About Separation Anxiety
Separation Anxiety is probably the most misdiagnosed of all
common dog behavior issues. Many other behavioral issues can
appear to be Separation Anxiety... ranging from confinement
issues, boredom and just plain lack of housetraining. One of our
jobs at Trainers Academy is to make sure that the right
behavioral issue is being addressed.
Below is an e-mail conversation
between Trainers Academy, LLC president, Lisa Patrona,
Dip. CBST, CPDT-KA, ACDBC, AABP-CDT and a concerned puppy owner.
Suzanne writes concerned about separation anxiety in her pup:
My adorable and sweet 7 month old Shepard mix that I have had
since she was 1 month old. She suffers from more than one
symptom of separation anxiety. I blame myself for some of it
because I am currently working a lot of long hours. My parents
stop in to check on her & play for a little while when I work
extended hours. But she still cries, destroys and just looks sad
when I leave her. I am very impressed with your website,
especially with Lisa L. I would like to be contacted by her. I
am very concerned I love my pooch, my family is very attached to
her as well, I do not want to get rid of her & I refuse to
medicate her!!! Please Please Please Please help me help my
puppy.
Lisa responds: I needed more details so I contacted her
for more information. Here are her responses, and my answers to
them.
Suzanne wrote: I attempted to crate train her when I
first got her but my roommate would let her out at night when
she would cry (I work midnights so it was hard to enforce it) I
tried to use it only when I was gone from the house & not at
night but as she got bigger would become a little escape artist
& get out. I just recently gave up hope on the crate, she would
bend the bars & squeeze out, I am too concerned for her safety
now.
Lisa's Answer: Ok Suzanne, I understand. Crating is
probably not the solution for her. Although I think that she
could be taught to like the crate (believe it or not!) the rest
of your letter leads me to believe that there are other viable
(and easier) options that should
be simple to institute.
Let's continue.....
Suzanne wrote: Most of the "destroying" is puppy things,
low candles or papers & stuff on kitchen counter tops. The
biggest & most expensive thing was my brand new Berber carpet
(which is why I work 2 jobs) she tore a hole down to the
padding. Since that, what I like to call "the incident" she
hasn't messed with anything to that degree.
Lisa answers: I have good news! I do not think that your
dog has separation anxiety. I think that she is simply bored,
and not completely housetrained. The behavior you describe and
the things she destroys are things that are accessible to her
that she finds interesting, - including the carpet. Young dogs
are very curious and exploratory, whatever they find that's
interesting (new and different smells, textures, etc.) become
prime targets for chewing. Dogs have an enormous amount of
energy, and if they are left to find an outlet for it
themselves, their first choice will almost always be to chew on
something!
Suzanne wrote: She is fully housebroken. The only time
she messes in the house is if I'm not home for an extended
period of time or if I'm gone and my roommate doesn't wake up (a
bomb could go off in the house and she wouldn't budge). But it
is always right next the the back door. To my knowledge she has
never vomited and has never had a problem with diarrhea.
Lisa answers: Fully housebroken means no accidents. The
dog will "hold it" until it gets to the right place...which is
outside. Separation Anxiety is commonly misdiagnosed, often
times it's a house breaking, or a chewing problem (or a
combination of both) instead!
Dogs have to develop the physical ability to "hold it" for
longer and longer periods of time. The fact that she eliminates
by the door means that she clearly understands that she needs to
get outside, but she simply can't hold it. You need to ask (beg
if necessary!) your roommate or parents to help you and your dog
out here. She needs to get out more often, for now.
I strongly suggest that you cut back on her water intake when
you're going to be gone for a long time if no one is available
to tend to her. Water left down to be taken freely by the dog
that hasn't fully learned to "hold it" yet is not a good idea -
no, she won't dehydrate, so don't worry ; )
**See "Housebreaking Myths" on the Woofology website for more
helpful information on the topic of housebreaking**
There's another key in this that disconfirms a separation
anxiety diagnosis. The elimination would be far more frequent
and most likely not by the back door. Understand that the
disorder creates stress levels that are so intense that the dog
literally has no control over it's bodily functions - diarrhea
is a big indicator of a stressed state in the dog.
Suzanne wrote: Sometimes, rarely though if I don't gate
my bedroom off (no door) she would pee on my bed when I'd leave
her alone more than normal. I thought it was because of my
scent.
Lisa Answers: It was more than likely the result of
incomplete housetraining. I assume from the way this is written
that simply gating her out of the room has taken care of the
problem?
Suzanne wrote: The destructive behavior would vary. It
used to be after 5 hours, now it could be as short as 1 hour or
not even at all. When she used to get out of her crate it would
be 9 out of 10 that she wouldn't even touch anything.
Lisa Answers: If this were separation anxiety, it would
not be an "every once in a while thing", and the destructive
behavior would more typically be directed toward entry/exit
points (doors, door jams, windows and window frames, door walls,
etc.)
Suzanne wrote: When I prepare to leave she follows me
from room to room whining and just looks so sad.
Lisa Answers: I'm sure that she's not thrilled when you
leave, but I don't think she's that worried/anxious either.
You've felt convinced that she has SA and as a result, perhaps
you feel "guilty" about your impending departure, so you
probably pay a lot more attention to her as you go through your
routine. Ignoring her more as you prepare to go will help a lot,
simply carry on with what you're doing as if you didn't hear
her.
In addition to the suggestions already given, I believe that all
you need to do is
-
Get her some exercise before you go
-
Prevent her from chewing what you
don't want her to chew
-
Provide her with plenty of "her own
stuff" to keep her busy while you are gone
-
Work more diligently on
housebreaking
Aside from solving the inappropriate chewing, the following tips
will help her to look forward to your leaving! The idea is that
when you leave, the environment becomes a treasure hunt. In no
time, she'll be excited that you're leaving soon - oh boy!
Here we go:
-
Get her some exercise before you
leave - say 45 minutes before you prepare to go, get her out and
run her ragged. The motto "a tired dog is a good dog" is very
true!
-
Be sure to prevent her access to
things she "shouldn't" chew, like the candles and things on the
counter. Put them up! If she can't get them, she can't chew
them!
-
Stuff a Kong with some squeeze
cheese, or canned dog food, or peanut butter. Hey, why not make
a parfait for her *lol*! Give this to her a few minutes before
you go, and remember not to make such a big deal about the fact
that you're leaving!
-
In addition to the Kong, stuff a
hollow bone too (stick a hot dog in there!) and leave it
somewhere that she can easily find it, so when she's done with
the Kong, she'll have something else fun to chew on!
-
Leave some dog treats sprinkled
around here and there for her as well. If you have a rope toy,
soak it in some sodium free chicken broth and leave that too
(maybe in the kitchen on a tiled floor) so that when she's done
with the other goodies, she'll have yet another yummy to tackle
- if she's still awake!
Notice that all of the suggestions
involve very safe toys that you stuff or soak to make interesting on your own. DO NOT leave rawhides, pig ears or any other digestible type products for her when she is going to be
alone.
One final note: Dogs can not associate their behavior with a
punishment that is administered after the fact. If you ever come
home and find that she's gotten a hold of and chewed something
she "shouldn't" have gotten, getting angry at her will do no
good. In fact, she will associate whatever she is doing at that
moment (laying on the living room floor, sitting by the door,
etc.) with the punishment - not what she did earlier.
I hope that this is helpful to you Suzanne. Thanks for writing.
Best of Luck,
Lisa Patrona, Dip.
CBST, CPDT-KA, ACDBC, AABP-CDT
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