Separation Anxiety in Dogs

oes your dog suffer from separation anxiety? If it does, chances are you are suffering too! You are suffering from the destruction of your furniture or guilt at having to to crate your dog the whole time you are gone.

Signs of Separation Anxiety

• Your dog may bark excessively, whine, or howl the whole time you are gone.
• “Accidents’ in the house in your absence.
• Destructive behavior such as tearing up furniture, scratching at the door or floor.
• Destructive behavior in the crate such as destroying bedding or chewing and scratching at the kennel itself.

Causes of Separation Anxiety

• Figuring out the why of separation anxiety required guesswork.

• Lack of pack structure. If dogs feel they are not part of a pack, and feel nervous they can display separation anxiety behavior.
• Some dogs learn that this type of behavior gets them attention, even if it is negative attention and so it is reinforced.
• Some dogs may have learned this behavior at a young age from an older dog or its parent.
• A big change in routine such as suddenly being left for hours, loss of a dog/cat friend

Treating Separation Anxiety

• Desensitization means leaving your dog alone for increasing times. You would begin with just a moment and increase the time slowly.
• When the dog is quiet and good, you come back and reward the dog for not barking or destroying anything.
• Don’t make a big deal out of leaving. Dogs take their cues from you. If you act like leaving is a big deal, your dog is more likely to act up.
• Train the dog to be in their crate or on their bed while you are home so they know where to go. Teach your dog the word for that place.

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