Owners don’t see separation anxietyin action. After all, they’re not home when a dog panics over being alone. But they sure see its aftermath — the destruction of household objects, elimination in inappropriate places, escape attempts that lead to broken teeth and nails, and neighbors who complain about excessive barking in their absence.
Your dog is not punishing you for leaving. She is beside herself with fear. Don’t make her even more upset by getting angry about her terror. Try these four very effective measures.
1. Upon your exit. One way to break your pet’s cycle of anxiety over your leaving is to make sure she’s not left alone in your absence. You can bring her to doggie day care, for instance, or perhaps to a neighbor who’s willing to dog sit for a fee (or barter favors) or even bring her to work with you, if that’s allowed. True, it won’t solve the root problem, but a dog’s life is short — the aim is to make her comfortable enough to be able to live in your world without wreaking havoc.
If bringing your dog someplace to stay all day while you are out of the house is not possible, make sure you give her lots of exercise before leaving. By “lots” we don’t mean a 15-minute walk to relieve herself. We mean engaging her in vigorous exercise — a long romp in the woods, a game of Frisbee or catch — anything that will truly tire her out and make her more likely to chill and less likely to fret in your absence.
When you go out for the day, do not communicate any worry or sadness to your pet. That will only confirm to her that she should indeed feel worried or sad.
2. During your absence. Prepare a highly enriched environment for your dog to enjoy while you are gone. Boredom isn’t the cause of separation anxiety, but keeping busy can ratchet down its effects. Think about the fact that when you’re not there, it’s “like sitting in the middle seat on a long flight with no electronics and nothing to read,” says Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM, Head of the Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic.
With that in mind, engage all the senses. For taste, rather than leave your pet’s food in a bowl for her to scarf up in 2 minutes, turn it into a challenging game by putting it into a Kong or puzzle toy. In addition, leave treats cleverly hidden. For smell, add novel scents like vanilla and anise to toys. Some pets like hunting-dog training scents such as squirrel and duck. To engage your dog’s sense of sight, make sure she has access to a large window to widen her view. Better still, keep a bird feeder near the window to attract birds and squirrels. And keep the TV on so she hears more than “tick tock tick tock” all day long. Finally, pay attention to her sense of touch by preparing a soft, comfy bed or open crate with her favorite blanket.
3. As you return. When you get back home, keep greetings low key. You don’t want to put it in your dog’s head that you are Odysseus returning from a 20-year odyssey. And don’t feed her for at least an hour. She should not associate your appearance with one of her basic needs — that will only serve to increase the significance of your having been gone.
4. In general. When you and your pet are both home and there are no comings and goings, reward calm, independent behavior. Tell her what a good girl she is when she hangs out without whining. By the same token, ignore demanding, attention-seeking behavior. That will help your dog learn she can handle not always getting attention from you. But do keep environmental enrichment high. Play with your dog, take her for romps, get together with other owners and their dogs. That will not make your dog more unhappy in your absence. It will strengthen your bond with her and make her feel less clingy.
When Medication Is Necessary
While for most dogs you can attenuate separation anxiety with training tactics, some greatly benefit from medication so that they can stay calmer as they learn that they can cope in your absence. Medication can also make the training go faster.
Some drugs are used as background medications to help bolster your pet’s mood in general. Others are situational medicines; they help your dog remain calm right in the moment that they are inclined to panic.
Background meds include SSRIs including fluoxetine (Prozac) and the anti-anxiety agent buspirone (Buspar), as well as the tricyclic antidepressant clomipramine (Anafranil). It takes two to six weeks to see a change in mood.
Situational drugs include clonidine, propranolol, trazodone, and alprazolam (Xanax). They all blunt the fight-or-flight panic experienced by dogs with separation anxiety. Each takes about 2 hours to take effect, so don’t wait until just before you walk out the door to administer them.
We have a dog who suffers from isolation anxiety. We have tried everything except for drugs and having someone stay with her while we’re gone.
She doesn’t play, and in the summer, it’s not safe to walk for a long time.
I have 2 dogs one with separation anxiety and one a 15 yr old who is a Monkey See Monkey do type. Actually they both can potentiate each other when it comes to barking.
Blizzard has the larger/louder/more irritating problem. When he hears the car or sees me walking up the driveway, he starts in with his Wookie/seal bark and doesn’t stop until I’m in the house. He’s torn the pet designed couch cover linings, and picks up what ever is handy, generally one of the sofa pillows which he meets me at the door with it in his mouth. He’ll give it to me when I say drop it. He’ll then find one of his toys, and carry that around. I always tell him good boy. That’s a good toy. I wait until he’s relaxed or calmed down before I pat him. How do I stop that irritating bark….It’s loud and when the windows are open the entire neighborhood hears him.
Of course, when I’m home it’s all puppies and pink unicorns….
Interesting though. I put him in the car in the garage when I take the other dog out for a walk (we leave and return via the back porch) so he can’t see me and he doesn’t seem to react to it. When I let him out of the car he’s just very happy to see me, but so far no loud wookie/seal barks. I can’t do this if I:m going somewhere but does anyone have any suggestions? He’s on Prozac and Xanax didn’t seem to do anything.