[Dailydrool] Separation anxiety

[Pamela McQuade]

Dealing with separation anxiety is a matter of helping a dog to trust that you are not going to desert him. In my experience if often shows up in dogs who have been passed around a bit, even fairly briefly, like our foster Oliver, who was moved a number of times in a short period, then got settled with us for a few months before finding the perfect home.

Our Belvedere came to us after being around the block quite a lot. He took one look at me and knew this was not going to be like the other four or five homes (I estimate) that he'd been in before. Though I didn't know then that he was a keeper, he certainly decided in a moment that he was keeping me. Separation anxiety dogs often attach very strongly to one person, whom they see as their security. They do not do well when that person is not around. Having other animals or humans will not solve the anxiety. They will pine for the missing loved one, no matter how much other security is there.

Separation anxiety shows up in a lot of ways. Some dogs chew everything in sight, including the walls. Others bark incessantly. Belvedere just never seemed to be potty trained. But however it shows it, it's a sign of nervousness. This means you must never use harsh measures. But you may need to use many measures to deal with it.

We tried just about everything. Since I work from home, it's hard not to give out clues that I'm leaving. As soon as I'd do my hair with hot curlers, Bel would know what was in the wind. Picking up a purse or keys was another clue. But changing those is not what really worked for our Belvedere. I followed the instructions for separation anxiety training that told me to leave Bel for increasingly long times (you can find some other descriptions of how this works if you Google "canine separation anxiety"). First, since he seemed OK if I left Bel for ten minutes, I would step outside in my yard for that long. Slowly I increased the time I'd stay out--working in the garden was a good way to spend time away from him yet not waste my day. Over time, I increased the amount of time to an hour, then two, increasing fifteen minutes more at a time, once he got past a half hour or so. If he regressed, I went back to the last time that he'd done well at and increased
 more slowly. Some dogs, at the start, will have to have the time increased in minute increments. Start small and slowly build up the time. If the dog does not do well if you go out of your home, go into another room and be quiet. Return but do not greet the dog or make a big deal about it. Just act calmly, as if it's all just what you expected. Making a big deal of things before you leave or after you get home will just add to the tension. Once the dog responds calmly to your return, you can take him out to go potty or whatever.

The experts say that when you reach about three or four hours, the dog will get the idea and you can stay out longer with no problem. It never worked for us, but since I work from home, it was rare that we went out all that much beyond that time. Going out for four hours and still getting work done was difficult. If you work out of the home all the time, you may want to do this training on a vacation time or over the weekend, though I'm not sure you will get to four hours in a single weekend.

For some separation anxiety dogs, a crate will work, but Belvedere was made even worse by it. The one time I tried it, I ended up with a wet dog and a wet crate. Hardly seemed worth it. But Oliver does well when crated and I have also heard of other dogs who did. I think it just depends on the dog. Most behavior-modification sources seem to discourage crating, though, so I would guess that many dogs don't appreciate the smaller space, which just makes them nervous.

Over time, Bel became secure in our home, and the separation anxiety eased up a lot. He still didn't like our leaving for the day, but at least most days he did fine.

Then I got a part-time job outside the home. Sometimes I was away for longer than a few hours. The separation anxiety returned. When I left that job, I had to start all over again and retrain him. Eventually, it got better, and we were back to where we'd been before.

Now that Bel is nearly blind, the anxiety has returned because he does not feel as secure. For us, a bellyband had solved much of the problem.

One thing that did not work at all for Bel was the DAP plug-ins that are supposed to calm a dog. But I suppose they are worth trying, since I have heard of dogs who really responded.

It is also said that you should leave the TV on to calm the dog when you are not there. I tried this initially, and it seemed to be a bust. But in our second round of training, after he relapsed, it seemed to work. I would leave the TV on stations you frequently watch. I think the dogs get a sense of what your usual viewing sounds like and feel a sense of comfort when they hear that familiar sound while you are away. 

Try many things, and do not give up. Eventually you can succeed.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets