Separation Anxiety March 2, 2008

Some dogs, be they puppies or adults, suffer anxiety when seperated from their “pack”. No dog likes to be alone, but a dog that becomes destructive, barks incessantly, tears through the house at full tilt, tries to break out of the car, or is a nervous wreck when you come home has some anxiety issues. It is as upsetting to a loving owner as it is the dog.

I’ve even heard of people who have so completely changed their life that they won’t go anywhere they cannot take the dog. A dog is supposed to fit into your life, but that makes you fit into the dog’s dysfunction. Not such a good thing. The most important thing you can do to correct anxiety in a dog is by being calm and nonchalant yourself. A CALM LEADER CREATES CALMNESS. The “Dog Whisperer” does have some excellent ideas–watch him on the National Geographic Channel! Here’s his link: www.cesarmillaninc.com

My personal advice doesn’t replace or override a professional trainer with experience in this area, but I do have a few ideas about how to solve the situation. FIRST: exercise. I may be sounding like a broken record, but a tired dog is less prone to the heightened state of anxiety.

Before you leave, set aside 10-20 minutes to walk, run, swim, or bike with your dog. Any exercise that involves you and burns off energy is pleasurable to your dog. Once they are tired, a nice lovely massage will release even more endorphins in their brains and relax them further. Repeat this ritual when you return, to expend any tension the dog built up while you were gone.

If you can afford it, a dog sitter or doggie day care for a time can help you stop the anxiety faster–the more often you’re gone, the more practice the dog gets at being lonely and anxious. In a day care facility, the dog is too busy with playing and making friends to become riled up. And they come home tired!

When you don’t have to leave for work or other things, use the time to change the anxiety ritual your dog has learned. If it is the sound of keys that triggers your dog to start becoming anxious, then mess with the keys off and on all day long while completely ignoring the dog’s reaction. If they are going wild, then correct it immediately–they must know that you do not allow wildness. If they just pace or whine a little, you can ignore it and calmly go on with your business. Once they relax, then they can get a little affection. Do this with anything that sets off the anxious behavior.

Eventually they loose the response, and when they no longer react, massage and pet the dog, even while jingling the keys. You can even include the key jingling during their exercise! Whatever works for you. Slowly the dog begins to associate the ritual of leaving with relaxation and pleasure. Frequency and consistancy is the key, as always with dogs.

Also you can begin conditioning your dog with short seperations. As soon as the dog begins to show tension as you prepare to leave, correct wordlessly, and calmly. “Soothing” only encourages the dog to be anxious. Once they relax and only once they relax, give affection for a short time, then go outside for a few moments. If 30 seconds is all you can get before the dog begins to be upset, then you start with 30 seconds.

When you re-enter, ignore the dog and go do something else in the house. No touching, no talking, no eye contact. Coming and going is a normal thing to you and doesn’t require any special behavior on your part, so the dog will begin to decide that coming and going isn’t a big deal. Once the dog is quiet, then give some affection. The duration of absence will gradually increase.

Another idea is to go places where you will come and go regularly. Family get togethers, picnics, dog groups etc are all places where your not being right there will reinforce the training. While your dog is in the living room, you go get a glass of tea. If the dog is outside in the yard with the nephews, you go inside for a time.

The thing about dogs is that they don’t live by a clock or a calendar–it takes as long as it takes. We want everything fast these days, but that’s not how dogs work. We can learn patience from them, among other things. And we can learn the meaning and habits of calm and confident leadership. Once more : A CALM LEADER CREATES A CALM DOG.