Tag Archives: separation anxiety in dogs

What’s Wrong With Leaving Dogs Alone?

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A fantastic 76 percent of American animal owners feel guilty over leaving dogs alone, according to a recent American Animal Hospitals Association report. Not just that, the report also implies that staff can be too worried about their dog home alone to fully concentrate on the job, which is not great for business.

In some offices the solution has been to permit dogs to commute to work alongside their owners and the report goes on to assert that these employees put out their best performance with pets by their side. Sadly , as attractive as that option may appear, very few office employees are likely to be given that privilege; while for many others it simply wouldn’t be practical.

Why is it so Difficult to Leave Dogs Home Alone?

Many of us are very attached to our dogs, so it’s easy to see why we wouldn’t want to leave them home alone, but all that guilt highlights something more than just missing them. Guilt comes from feeling like we are getting it wrong, so do most dog owners essentially feel that it’s a bad thing to leave a dog alone? And are we presuming that our dogs aren’t happy when we cannot be with them?

Dogs are pack animals and naturally understand they are safer when they are with the rest of the pack, but that doesn’t suggest they cannot spend some time alone without getting stressed or concerned.

Problems Caused by Dog Separation Anxiety

Some dog owners have no issues leaving dogs alone for quite lengthy periods of time and report that they return home to content and relaxed dogs, while others struggle to leave their dogs for even 10 minutes because their pooch suffers with dog separation anxiety.

Separation anxiety in dogs causes all kinds of behaviour issues from barking and whining non-stop, to chewing everything they can get their teeth around, or pooping and urinating in the house. Some dogs can become extremely destructive when experiencing anxiety and their obvious distress can be heart-wrenching when it’s time to leave.

The Best Way to Approach Leaving Dogs Alone

If you’re going to be away all day, make sure you’ve provided for your dog’s basic needs by giving them access to water and to the outside so that they can relieve themselves when necessary. Prepare for neighbours, family or a chum to come in halfway through the day to let them outside if possible.

If you’re anxious about what your dog is intending to do all day, it’s good to bear in mind that a dog can spend as much as 18 hours per day sleeping. Many dog keepers will also leave toys which make their dogs work to get to the treats inside it and can keep them busy for lengthy amounts of time.

The right way to leave your dog and to return is to not make an enormous fuss about it. Pay them no attention in the time leading to your departure and when you return pay them no attention until they relax and leave you alone. This gives them the message that there is nothing significant about your comings and goings and thus nothing for them to stress about.

How to Eliminate Dog Separation Anxiety

If your dog is suffering with separation anxiety, you will need a good dog anxiety training program and a little bit of patience to eliminate it totally. Usually pack leadership is the issue with an anxious dog and you will need to make sure your dog knows that you’re pack leader and they can trust you, before they will relax.

Leaving dogs alone is an individual choice and if you do it the correct way and know that they’re contented and relaxed when you’re gone, there’s no need to feel guilty.

About the Author: Venice Marriott faced anxiety problems with her own rescue dog Sherlock and is now owner of a Dog Anxiety website, where you can get free video training on dog anxiety, and more information on leaving dogs alone when you visit the site.

How To Stop Dogs Barking Excessively

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Dog barking is a contentious issue and frequently a massive source of stress between neighbours. For any of us, a dog barking is an unpleasant noise to listen to for even the shortest period and you can understand that when the dog next door barks off and on for hours like a defective car alarm, it will try anyone’s patience. What we frequently overlook is that the dog will be barking for a good reason (as far as they’re aware) and it’s probably just as unsettling for the dog who is experiencing the fear or anxiety.

Finding out what causes your dogs barking could be the hardest part of the issue as dogs can bark at the smallest of things. External noise,eg someone walking past your home will start some dogs barking , although, even within the house, some dog owners find that they can’t leave their dog in a room on their own without them becoming hysterical and barking the place down, and the door bell or telefone is commonly the cue for an outburst of barking.

Anxiety regularly lies behind a dogs excessive barking, although on the face of it, it can look more like aggression. So to stop dog barking we need to beginby dealing with any anxiety problems, which will automatically reduce our dogs need to bark.

Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Separation anxiety affects more than 15 percent of dogs (and some reports suggests as much as 50%). The anxiety creates a number of behavioural symptoms from a dog pacing the floor, to chewing everything in sight as well as other destructive behaviour. Dog separation anxiety is almost always the root of a dog barking excessively when left home on their own.

Reducing anxiety in dogs could be a lengthy process, depending on how bad the symptoms are and will require both time and patience on your side. Once you’ve worked out the triggers that set off the anxiety you’ll be able to use desensitisation training to help your dog.

Leading the Pack

Closely connected to separation anxiety is pack leadership. As a pack animal, dogs know there has to be a pack leader, one who is answerable for the safeness of the remainder of its clan. If one of its charges goes missing, barking is one method of helping them to find their way back. Clever stuff, but then if we stop and realize that the dog could believe itself to be the responsible member of the pack, what does it feel when everyone goes out, locks the door and leaves them in the house alone?

Excessive barking in dogs is very similar to any worried parents reaction to a child which has gone missing. In our anxiety we would bellow at the very top of our voice in they hope they can hear us and come running back, so too a dog will attempt to let the missing pack members know how to find their way back to the house. This is also why dogs will scratch wildly at the windows or doors, because they want to get out and come and find you.

How To Stop Dogs Barking

One of the best ways to stop dogs barking is to remove the responsibility for the pack from the dog by showing them you are the pack leaders and the ones to be trusted.

That does not necessarily mean using gadgets like the shock collar each time your dog is barking (why punish a dog for doing what it thinks is its job?) or removing its vocal chords (does it change the dog’s mind about its responsibility?) Neither does it mean you’ve got to dominate your dog by pinning it down or pushing it around. Leadership can be established by showing your dog you’re the decision maker, as an example by always making them sit and wait for their food and only begin to eat when you give the go ahead.

It could appear like an indirect way to stop dog barking, but by coping with both dog separation anxiety and leadership problems you are much more likely to bring peace to the household and the neighbourhood too.

Author Venice Marriott is a writer, rescue dog owner and runs a Dog Anxiety website, which provides help and information for dog owners dealing with dog anxiety. Get more information about how to stop dogs barking, when you visit the site.

Patience Is Essential In Helping Your Dog Overcome Separation Anxiety

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Separation anxiety can be one of the most frustrating, agonizing and conceivably helpless situations a dog owner can experience.  A lot has been written about it and there are certainly ways to help lessen your dog’s extreme anxiety, but I feel it is important to keep emphasizing the fact that you CAN help your dog.

Maia, my lab/pit bull mix, came into my life with this condition.  At least she doesn’t destroy anything if left alone, but some dogs will literally destroy furniture if left alone for any length of time.

Usually, separation anxiety appears to flare up in dogs who are rescued from a crowded shelter or have been totally deprived of any attention or bounced around from one family to another. An additional way separation anxiety can come about is when a dog is left home alone and something terrifying happens, such as a a natural disaster or even being harrassed by neighborhood kids throwing rocks or sticks at your dog.  This type of trauma will then be connected with being left alone and could manifest itself as separation anxiety.

I was given my dog Maia to me by a couple who were moving into a home that was not compatible to keeping a dog.  Maia was very bonded with this couple.  Maia ran through the house to each window after they left her with me, expecting them to return to her.  In time she realized they weren’t coming back and became totally bonded with me.  She is the most wonderful dog, but I think she is now afraid that I will abandon her also.  She goes almost everywhere with me since I have my own mobile dog grooming business. 

Here are a few signs of possible separation anxiety:

1.  barking or howling when left alone
2.  scratching at door frames, window frames or walls
3.  annihilating furniture or anything within reach
4.  urinating or defecating in the house even though they are house-broke
5.  tearing through the house

Outside dogs may even escape from an “escape-proof” yard.

Being pack animals, dogs feel the necessity to be with other animals, whether it is other dogs, humans or even another species.  However, to a dog suffering with this overwhelming anxiety, it does not always help to have a canine companion for your dog.  Even when I leave Maia with her best pal, Buster, she is more concerned that I am not there with her, or that she is not with me.

Although it can be frustrating and heart-breaking to know that your dog is going through this extreme anxiety when separated from you, there are ways you can help.

One of the best things you can do for your dog is exercise her every day, especially before you have to leave her home alone.

After exercising, set aside a few minutes of time to work with your dog whenever you can.  Even on a rainy day, you can start working with your dog inside the house.  If your dog can’t seem to handle being out of your sight at all, start by calmly entering a room alone and closing the door.  Don’t stay more than a few seconds and then come out, walk down the hall, maybe go into another room and close the door, wait a few seconds, come out and continue this for several minutes.  While doing this, totally ignore your dog as he or she makes a fuss from the other side of the door.  If at all possible, try to time the opening of the door with the second or two your dog is calm or quiet, rewarding that behavior by reuniting with her.

After doing this for awhile, you can move on to an outside door, leaving your dog inside.  Never show a lot of emotion over coming or going, regardless of whether you have been gone for 5 minutes or a day, even if your dog makes huge progress.  Getting too excited over her positive progress may only backfire because just when she has learned to be calm, you get her all excited again.  Try not to do that.  The idea is to keep the coming and going as calm and natural as possible.   As you see a positive change in your dog, stay away for longer periods of time.

Always try to make your departures as quiet and uneventful as you can, maybe leaving a treat and just saying something like “You stay here.  I’ll be back.” or “See you later.”

It might be tempting to give your dog a sedative when you are leaving, but I would not recommend it.  Dogs can have different reactions to drugs and this could even make her worse. 

However, there are other tools you can use in conjunction with the desensitizing process.  One very effective tool is the Thundershirt.  Another is the Original Anxiety Wrap. Both of these are snug body wraps that put pressure on pressure points that calm an overly excited dog.  This Thundershirt or other anxiety wrap may not completely eliminate the anxiety in your dog, but it should noticeably diminish it if used with the training.

So, don’t throw in the towel on your extremely anxious dog.  If you would like more help, I’m sure you could find a trainer or dog behaviorist in your area.

Dog Whining Is Biggest Separation Anxiety Behaviour Problem

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Dog whining topped the charts as the no1 separation anxiety behaviour according to a study supported by the Danish Animal Welfare Society.

So , if you’ve been thinking about what a dog with separation anxiety does when they are at home alone, this report aimed to distinguish the kinds of dog behavior displayed by dogs and take a look at what happened to them over a 4 hour time period.

Dog whining was used by a whopping 95% of dog to show their anxiousness, which is not very good news if you have got a dog with separation anxiety and also have neighbors! To make things worse, the study indicated that dog whining was closely linked with a dog howling as well , which is not only much louder than whining, the noise also carries over greater distances.

Vocalisation and Destructive Behavior in Dogs

Video recordings were used to study closely the activity of dogs with separation anxiety issues when left at home alone and grouped the dogs behavior into the following separate categories:

  • Vocalisation; including barking, howling and whining
  • Destruction; including scratching, digging, chewing and ripping objects apart
  • Appetite related activities; including sniffing at different objects and nosing under doors
  • Displacement activities; including yawning and licking
  • Predator behavior;

Of all the sections analysed, the clearest link was between dogs that showed vocalisation and destructive behaviour. This cross over was seen in 80% of the dogs in the study.

Affect of Time on Separation Anxiety Behaviour

The dogs activities were plotted against a time chart and the results confirmed that separation anxiety behaviour reached full intensity shortly after the owner left them alone and then typically reduced increasingly over a period of time.

However, if the dogs fears were restarted by external stimuli (like noise) the time pattern was frequently reset to the start, so that the dog took an equal length of time to start to relax once more. The more sensitive the dog, the less defined the time patterns became, which explains why some dogs can continue to bark without ceasing during the day.

Study Dispels Two Myths about Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Interestingly, the study concluded by mentioning that there was no evidence that separation anxiety behaviours were due to disobedience or boredom. Hopefully this will go some way towards exposing some of the significant myths around separation anxiety in dogs.

For example, it is quite typically believed that boredom is the cause of a dog’s bad behavior when left home alone. This interpretation leaves many dog keepers feeling guilty and thinking they have to heap their dog with engaging toys before they go out.

Another reason that you often hear from dog lovers who come home to destruction and mess, is that their dog does it on purpose, almost to spite them for being left home alone. However, if disobedience isn’t a factor in dog separation anxiety behaviour then this reason also starts to look like another of those myths.

Understanding is not the same as Action

As interesting as studies like this are, and as helpful as they are to help us increase our understanding of separation anxiety in dogs, action is what’s needed to stop the anxiety. So if your dog shows any of the symptoms discussed here, find a good dog separation anxiety training programme and get into action now!

The Author, Venice Marriott experienced dog anxiety first hand with her own rescue dog Sherlock and has been learning about the effects of anxiety and the most effective methods to reduce anxiety for the last 2 years. Find out more about dog whining and separation anxiety by visiting her blog.

How Long Does It Take To Cure Separation Anxiety In Dogs?

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Dog owners often ask how long it takes to cure separation anxiety in dogs and while it’s an understandable question, unfortunately it doesn’t have a straightforward answer. In today’s high speed society, we’re all looking for a quick problem fix, but when it comes to your dog’s behaviour problems, time and patience is the best cure.

You see, how swiftly or slowly a dog deals with their separation anxiety depends on how serious the symptoms are, the individual personality of the dog and the opportunities it gets for learning new behaviour. All these different variables means that there is no certain time frame you can put to this problem, which is actually a positive thing.

Now I realize that everybody wants the problems of separation anxiety in dogs to vanish as soon as possible, but having short time frames often results in people putting themselves under unwarranted pressure. This can have an unfavorable effect on the situation, making dog owners more anxious and less patient with their dogs. If they add further pressure to that by badgering themselves with questions like “why hasn’t this worked yet”, they are more likely to end up feeling a failure, or deciding that the training program does not work and quitting before they get the results they are looking for.

Time Pressure Could Raise Your Stress and Your Dog’s Anxiousness

Another downside of putting yourself under time pressure is that your dog will be aware of your worries as they are highly sensitive to our moods and feelings. They’ll often take their lead from what we are feeling also, which means that if they sense you are stressed it’ll intensify their own anxiety and the result will be that it takes far longer to sort out the problem.

Basically, the best approach once you have found a good dog separation anxiety training program to follow is to relax and accept that there’s no pressure, and instead trust that it will happen. Ironically, it might help reduce the training time necessary.

Learning Doesn’t Happen in a Straight Line

Another fact about learning new behaviour or skills worth mentioning is that while your training needs to be regular and consistent, improvement seldom happens in a continuously growing upwards curve (ask any sportsman or sportswoman), instead you tend to get big jumps forward followed by a plateau where you often feel you are getting nowhere. Your dog’s training could progress in the same way, so never give up when you hit a plateau stage, as you could be on the point of getting one of those huge steps forward.

A good tip is to keep a list of all of the anxiety difficulties you want to deal with and make a note of your progress each week, however tiny, because when you are feeling de-motivated it will be a great reminder of how far you’ve come. Stick with your training plan and you will see results so long as you are consistent and persistent in your training, and give your dog the right messages. I’ve heard many, many stories of dog owners who’ve used training to banish their dog’s anxiety issues and in the process gained a much happier and stress free life for themselves and their dogs.

Author Venice Marriott is a writer and dog owner and runs a website, which provides help and information for dog owners dealing with dog anxiety. Get more information about how to cure dog separation anxiety, when you visit the site.