When Hounds Fly!

What is Separation Anxiety?

Separation anxiety is a condition in dogs where emotionally and psychologically, the dog becomes panic stricken when he's apart from his owner or people in general.  Typically it manifests itself when a dog is left home alone.

Behaviors that occur when a dog is suffering from separation anxiety:

1. Urination (a normally housebroken dog will soil within minutes of being left alone)
2. Vomiting
3. Self-mutilation (licking his/her own paws excessively till the fur is gone and the skin is raw)
4. Destroying objects (pillows, shoes, door trim, trying to eat the door)
5. Barking or howling

Some physiological signs include:

1. Sweaty paws
2. Glazed eyes
3. Panting
4. Excessive pacing

Why does it develop?

It usually develops when a dog never has the opportunity to practice being alone, especially when growing up as a puppy.   It is a major reason why dogs end up in shelter (Beagles howl loudly - if they have separation anxiety, the owners get eviction notices).  It can also develop if a dog is left alone for too long, too often.

Don't confuse Separation Anxiety for Boredom

A dog that chews your shoes when you're gone may just be bored and wanted to chew your shoe.  Similarly, a dog that soils in the house when left alone may just not be housebroken - or you left them at home for longer than their bladder could handle.  Look for sweaty paw prints, drool puddles, glazed eyes, etc. as signs that it is separation anxiety and not a general training issue.  Recording your dog with a camera when you're gone is a good way to tell.

Managing Separation Anxiety

Curing separation anxiety, after its developed, may take months or years.  So you'll need management strategies while you implement treatment strategies.  Here are a few:

1. Confine the dog to a small room, leaving only chew toys and dog items in the room (kongs stuffed with food, hard, safe chew toys, etc.)  This way he can't eat your shoes or destuff a pillow.  He may ignore the kongs when you're gone (too panicked to touch them) but that will change over time.
2. Crate train your dog and create him when left alone - leave toys/chews inside.  Again, this is about minimizing damage to the house and the dog when you're gone.
3. Leave the dog with a friend when you're gone.
4. Have a dogwalker come mid-day to give him a break - have the dogwalker return the dog to the crate or room and resupply with new kongs.
5. Use cures like Rescue Remedy in his water
6. Consider using a DAP Diffuser in the small room (pheromones for calming anxious dogs)
7. Consider prescription anxiety drugs from your vet as a short term solution (to lower the anxiety to a level that treatment strategies become effective)

Treating Separation Anxiety

1. Keep all departures and returns low key.  Ignore the dog for 15 minutes at departure, and 15 minutes upon return.  When you finally do greet the return, keep it as low key as taking him out for a walk (no hugs and cuddles and silly talk)
2. Vigorously exercise the dog before departure (30-40 minutes, offleash, running - playing fetch, etc.)
3. Leave home from different doors, wear different coats and shoes, don't always get your wallet and keys in the same order - mix it up - sometimes put your coat on and go sit in the living room.  You're trying to randomize the predictors of departure so that anxiety doesn't build up as you get ready to leave.
4. Feed your dog when you leave (i.e. give breakfast in a bowl when you leave for work, and dinner in a bowl when you go out for the night)
5. Leave stuffed kongs and toys in the crate or room your dog is left in.
6. Most importantly - practice PLANNED DEPARTURES

What is a Planned Departure?

A planned departure is leaving your home for a set amount of time strictly for the purposes of desensitizing your dog to being left alone.  If you pack up and leave, you may find your dog is silent for 1 minute at first, then the barking or urination starts at 1:01.  If that's his threshold, you leave for 55 seconds, and then return.  Repeat at 56 seconds, then 57, and slowly move your way up.  In half an hour of training, you should be able to leave 20 times and each time ideally your dog remains calm enough not to howl or chew something.

Over days and weeks you'll move from increments of seconds to minutes - over time your dog will be able to tolerate being alone and loose for longer and longer periods.  Once you get up to about the 10 minute mark, it's easy to integrate this practice to your daily life - 10 minutes is enough time to go to the corner store to pick up milk, or walk to the video store to return a movie, go to the bank ATM,  etc.  The more reasons to leave and come back the better.

After weeks and months of work, you'll break the 60 minute mark - at that point you'll be able to leave your dog alone to go to the gym, eat at a neighbourhood restaurant, etc.  By that time your dog should be OK to be alone for 3+ hours at a time.

Just make sure the dog is well exercised, has been opportunities to relieve himself, and you've left lots of chew toys and stuffed kongs (and hidden your prized pair of shoes or other at risk objects) to set your dog up for success.

Here's a video of a beagle that suffers from Separation Anxiety.  Notice that the dog ignores food that is left behind - he is too stressed to eat - a sign that he's really upset (beagles are notoriously food hungry).