wag the dog article: separation anxiety
Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:45 PM                
 

SEPARATION ANXIETY
By Shannon McKay

 

  
 
Separation anxiety occurs when the stress levels that the dog feels on being separated from his owner or pack members are unmanageable and the dog resorts to stress-relieving activities such as digging, chewing, barking etc.

This brings the dog relief through distraction, but also helps dissipate his tension though the mouth. Many dogs hold tension in their mouths and also associate being with their owner with having something in their mouth (food, toy etc) and try and recreate this sensation in the owner's absence. In a short space of time this behaviour becomes habitual. It is self-rewarding for the dog and helps him cope with a situation beyond his control.

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.
 
         
Contact: Shannon McKay
          
         
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