Some
dogs may even think that the chewing, barking, digging
etc "brings the owner back". These undesirable
behaviours are thus reinforced. If the dog is punished
upon the owner's return, it simply creates more stress
for the dog and ultimately increases the motivation
for the problem behaviour: anxiety.
There
are many causes for separation anxiety and for the purposes
of this article I would like to split them into three
categories:
Owner
Induced
~ dogs that spend the majority of the time within close
proximity of their owner
~ fearful dogs - especially to dogs that have their fears
reinforced by the owner assuring them: "It's all
OK baby, nothing to worry about. I'm here."
~ over-bonded dogs - rescued dogs fall into often fall
into this category
~ dogs in a sterile environment where their only activity
centres around human-animal interaction
Breeder
Induced
~ dogs that lack normal maternal imprinting due to being
removed from their dam too early
~ puppies raised in a non-enriched environment. The process
of sensory stimulation aids in the "splicing"
of puppy from dam and littermates i.e. it facilitates
individual identity formation and greatly reduces the
likelihood of hyper attachment as an adult
~ not separating puppies from their dam and littermates
for short periods between the ages of 5 - 8 weeks. Giving
the pup a delicious chewtoy at these times creates a positive
association of being on his own and opens his mind to
the possibility that being on his own does not have to
be a stressful experience
~ breeding of nervous and low-confidence dogs
~ breeding of active and demanding dogs placed in the
wrong homes
Event
Induced
~ loss of a pack member or a significant change in routine
can increase the dog's dependence on the pack leader.
If handled incorrectly and the dog is a borderline case,
then separation anxiety can easily result.
~ severe illness requiring intensive nursing. A previously
well-adapted dog could easily slip into a state of anxiety
once he is recovered and the normal routine is resumed.
This is especially true of sudden traumas - the owner's
emotional reaction plays a massive role in these cases.
To
address the problem it is important to:
~
Understand the motivations for the behaviour as outlined
above.
~ Remove the "triggers" for the behaviour
-
Departures:
Departures are often guilt-based and can involve a
lot of petting, praising, treats etc. The dog is therefore
primed to be stressed as soon as the owner starts
the departure routine. The anxiety starts as soon
as the owner prepares to leave. The farewells and
reunions must be toned down in order to decrease the
dog's anticipation of a "bad" event. By
giving a cool farewell the owner gives the message
that there is nothing to worry about and doesn't unintentionally
praise the wrong behaviour. The routine that the owner
undergoes before leaving the house should be changed
as well to alter the framework of the behaviour pattern.
-
Arrival:
The reunion should be delayed until the dog is calm
and relaxed - not even a "Hello" should
be given until the dog is displaying the desired behaviour.
The welcome should also take place away from where
it normally occurs and the welcome area should also
be changed regularly. By delaying this reunion and
changing the location it takes the exact expectation
away and reduces the anxiety that the dog feels.
-
Semi-separations:
The owner should practice separation in the home and
reward the dog for the desired behaviour. It is important
that this is done in small steps to build trust and
confidence. The owner should get up, go into another
room and close the door. Before the dog starts to
get anxious, the owner should return and give the
dog a treat and verbal praise for his good behaviour.
This lessens emotional dependency and gives the dog
confidence to be alone. It also reinforces the desired
behaviour - calm behaviour is rewarding. A radio or
television could be left on to give the dog some "neutral"
low-key content.
-
Training:
The owner could also start informal training with
the dog for him to receive mental stimulation. These
could be simple tasks such as: sit, down, fetch etc.
All of these commands should be taught in a positive
reinforcement manner using treats, praise or toys.
This mental stimulation will boost the dog's confidence,
reinforce healthy bonding and start building the dog's
sense of self.
-
Over
bonding: The owner should decrease absentminded
petting of the dog - before the dog is petted for
a prolonged period he should do a small task such
as a sit or down. This gives the dog a "job"
and increases his confidence and purpose in life.
It also helps wean him off close physical contact,
which he is denied when the owner is not present.
-
Reduce
home territory: When the dog is taken for walks
around the neighbourhood they should not be allowed
to urinate/scent-mark within visual range of the home
gate/fence. By doing so the dog could be establishing
a visual territory beyond his actual territory. When
he sees "intruders" through the gate or
fence it is his natural reaction to try and warn them
off. When he is unable to do so he becomes increasingly
frustrated and anxious.
~
Break the habits. Dogs are habitual animals and even after
the initial motivation for the problem behaviour is removed,
the unwanted behaviours can continue unless they too are
addressed. Any behaviour that has been rewarding to the
dog in the past will initially get worse before it gets
better - this is called an extinction burst. We do this
all the time. We press the lift button and the lift doesn't
arrive. Despite our superior intellect we feverishly press
the button again and again. The lift arrives and our silly
behaviour is rewarded. You can bet your bottom dollar
we will do it again!
If
the owner caves in during the extinction phase that the
dog will go through, the owner will actually entrench
the undesired behaviour even more.
-
Remove
temptation: It is important to break the chewing habit
by initially removing all "non-chewables"
and only giving the dog allowable chew toys. By doing
so the dog is conditioned to only chewing the "correct"
objects and once the separation anxiety is resolved
these articles can gradually be reintroduced. It is
important to set the dog up to succeed, as his confidence
needs to be built up.
-
Reinforce
allowable chewing: The dogs must have access to allowable
safe chew toys, which are exciting and self-rewarding.
These toys should be alternated to maintain novelty.
-
Enriched
environment/Routine: If the dog is kept busy, he will
not obsess about the owner's absence. Furthermore,
these activities are stress relieving for the dog
without any resultant unwanted behaviours. Food can
be scattered around the garden so the dog has to use
their brain, nose and body to eat - instead of simply
eating and then finding an outlet for the energy.
Various canine "brainteasers" could also
be incorporated. These need to be rewarding in themselves
and so they should all contain treats or their morning
food ration. Examples are: a Buster Cube, Smiley tennis
balls with treats inside, Kong with peanut butter
inside, rubber ball with ostrich twist wedged inside,
frozen tripe etc. Needless to say safety aspects are
paramount and all items should be inspected on a regular
basis for wear and tear. It is important that these
objects are rotated and are only left for the dog
when the owner leaves - we want the dogs to actually
look forward to the owner's departure so that they
can find their "goodies" and play with them.
-
Aversive
conditioning: The last thing that one would want to
do to an anxious dog is frighten it, but if there
is an area that the dog simply will not stop destroying
then an aversive may need to be used. Tin cans stacked
up literally like a "house of cards" can
prove effective or any other type of noisy yet safe
device. A distinctive scent of some type (Mr. Min
etc.) can be sprayed on the paper and the dog should
associate this scent with the aversive. If the aversive
is strong enough then after a while the scent could
simply be used on this and other areas as a "Don't
go there" marker.
-
Medications:
There are medications available to assist in the process
of rehabilitating a dog suffering from separation
anxiety. However, these medications must be implemented
with a behavioural therapy programme in order to be
successful. Your vet is the best professional to seek
assistance from in this respect.
The
problem of separation anxiety essentially revolves around
"cooling" the relationship between the owner
and dog. The dog is simply stressed. He is trying his
best to cope with a situation that he is either poorly
equipped to handle or he has inadvertently been trained
to do so. The dog is amoral and does not have the emotional
sophistication to be spiteful or insensitive. Humans have
the monopoly on those delights.