Separation Anxiety – Leaving Your Dog Alone
Dogs are pack animals. Your family, and any other pets in the family, are his pack. When everyone leaves for work and school, some dogs get very upset and will often become destructive or aggravate the neighbors with constant barking and whining. What causes this behavior and is there anything that you can do about it?
My Experience
Long ago, I had a dog named Pepper. She was part Australian Sheppard, and was a very sweet dog, although she was also very…ahem….active. I had her for 11 years, and for the first 9, she was an ideal dog. Even as a pup, she never chewed on furniture, shoes, or clothes. Every day, the entire family left for work and school, and Pepper caused no problems. After 9 years, she suddenly became very destructive. It started when she got left in the basement one day, and it stormed. Being deathly terrified of storms, she wanted to get at her usual hiding place – under a bed. So, she dug her way through the basement/kitchen hollow-core door. I came home to find the poor thing hiding under the bed, along with a big hole in the door.
But this was merely the beginning. Over the next couple of years, Pepper dug through doors, walls, and even the front door. She crashed through windows screens and shredded upholstered furniture. We bought her a big crate, and on her first day in it, she broke the thick plastic floor lining, and her even-thicker plastic water dish, into shards. She also broke both of her upper eye teeth off along the gum line trying to chew her way out. We took her to the vet to have her teeth fixed, and I requested a prescription for doggy Valium. The vet explained that, without getting a doggy psychiatrist’s treatment, doggy Valium only works in about 5% of cases. And even with a psychiatrist, they only work in about 15% of cases. I have since heard better numbers than that, but at the time, it left us feeling pretty hopeless.
In the last few months that Pepper lived with us, we moved into a big, brand-new home. Initially, she seemed as happy as we were with our new digs. But before long, she started her destructiveness again. She chewed on woodwork, shredded the carpet in a number of places, and destroyed a few window screens. We finally came to the heart-breaking decision that we were going to have to find her a new home, before she totally ruined ours. At 11 years old, we weren’t sure that anyone would want her. But we did find her a great home, with a lot of space to run, and someone that is home to be with her the entire day.
We never could determine what caused Pepper’s sudden stress and anxiety. Looking back, I think it may have started about the time we purchased a new box springs and mattress. Up till then, Pepper had always slept on the bed – not at the foot of the bed, but right up there on the pillows. It had gotten to the stage that when I rolled over onto my stomach or side during the night, I would get a mouthful of her shed hair. So when we finally got the new bed, I stopped letting Pepper sleep on them. Maybe being alone all day long was ok, so long as she got her cuddle time at night, and all of the destructiveness was her style of letting me know she didn’t appreciate being exiled from sleeping on the bed.
I think Pepper’s case was somewhat unusual, but there are actually steps to help with more “normal” cases of separation anxiety. Here are a few things that can help:
Food and Exercise
Give your dog a lot of exercise. An exercised dog is a happy dog, and is also a tired dog. And also a full belly is a happy belly. A dog that has been on a nice run and gotten his belly full is more likely to take a nap and sleep much of the day away. Ah, the life of a dog 
And of course, you should also be sure that there is fresh water and food available for your dog.
Sights, Smells, and Sounds
Leave the TV or perhaps a radio on. It can be reassuring for a dog if he can hear human voices. Leave a window open. Dogs like the fresh air along with the outside smells, plus they are able to see and hear people and other animals that are outside. You may have to leave it open only a crack, though, according to your dog’s behavior. Pepper would go right through a screen that was open wide enough.
Something to Do
Leave your dog some favorite toys. It will give him something to do. Toys that you and your dog have played with, and therefore have your smell on, can reassure. Ropes, nylon bones (not real ones, they can splinter and cause many problems or worse), squeaky toys, and balls are good. The dog I have now goes out in the front yard on a 20-foot lead. I have seen him play with the lead, as though it were a live person or animal, when there was nothing else to do.
Answering Machines and Web Cams
Set your answering machine to screen calls, so that the caller’s voice can be heard, and call your dog once or twice during the day and let him hear your voice. If possible, set up a web cam in your house and also at work so you can look in on your pup and find out what he is up to. If he’s misbehaving, call the answering machine and reprimand him. If he appears to be getting anxious, call and speak to him in a soothing voice.
Put Your Dog in a Crate
Though it didn’t work with Pepper, it may meet your needs exactly. It may sound mean to confine your dog to this kind of small space each day, but it can actually be reassuring to him. A dog often comes to think of his crate as his own familiar “bedroom”. One Fourth of July, when my current dog, Bo, was just a pup, he ventured outside and heard a huge firecracker boom. He ran back inside, cowering. He came out again, and it happened again. His third time out, several loud fireworks went off at once, and Bo ran back inside, down the stairs, into his crate, and curled up and hid in there. It was his safe place to go. Crating works best if your dog is used to it, or is raised from a pup using a crate.
Stay Calm
When you leave, and when you initially get home, stay calm. Your dog will recognize your vibes, and if you become nervous because he will likely be nervous or upset, your dog will detect it. Make coming and going no big deal.
Interval Training
Leave the house for a few seconds, and then come back in. Go out again, and wait a few minutes and then come back in. Vary the amounts of time you are gone. Get your dog used to being separated for small amounts of time, and gradually increase the time. Go in or out different doors. Take your keys with you one time, and not another. Go when your dog is looking, and when he’s not. And stay calm. Eventually, your dog will not know if you will leave for a long or short time. But he will begin to understand that you always return.
I’m hoping these pointers can help you and your best friend to live in harmony. Love My Dog Blog would love to hear any stories you might have about your dog and separation anxiety, or any other stories about your dog. You can also visit Love My Dog Blog for information and facts, tips, and human dog interest stories.
This entry was posted on Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 at 4:38 am and is filed under Dog Care Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.