By Dr. Cara Moser

Dog owners frequently report problems when their pets are left alone. The dogs may become extremely vocal, may be destructive to household items for themselves, and/or may house soil. This causes a great deal of frustration for owners, since the dogs are otherwise very loving pets. The behavior can also be expensive depending on what the dog chooses to destroy.

Dogs are social creatures. They like to be part of a group. In a natural setting, remaining with the pack has survival value. Being separated from the pack is dangerous and causes the individual considerable anxiety. The isolated animal’s initial response is to howl to attract the attention of the pack and facilitate rejoining it. If physically prevented from returning to the pack, it will fight and chew to free itself. Any animal in a sufficiently high state of anxiety may urinate or defecate.

Domestication has not removed these behavioral tendencies. Moving the dog to the suburbs only means that neighbors are bothered by the barking and the front door seems to be a barrier to returning to the pack. Of course, not all dogs suffer from separation anxiety. Some who do may be genetically predisposed to form intense social ties. Others may have experienced abandonment or traumatic separation. A high proportion of dogs with separation anxiety have been reduced through pounds or humane societies. Once they form new bonds, they may become overly dependent upon their new families. Another common situation in which separation anxiety develops is a change in the family routine, whereby the dog is left alone more than previously. Signs may appear after vacations, when family members move away or go back to work full time, or when a person in the home returns to work after illness or injury.

Let’s be very clear: vocal, destructive or house-soiling behavior in the absence of the owner DOES NOT represent disobedience or spite . The dog is reacting out of a state of emotional distress, not vindictiveness.

Strategies for Coping With Separation Anxiety
This is not a problem which the dog will outgrow or which will go away on its own. Neither is there a quick fix. Coping with a dog with separation anxiety takes patience and perseverance.

1. STOP PUNISHING THE BEHAVIOR
The dog will not make an association between shredding a sofa cushion in the morning and getting a spanking in the evening. It will associate punishment with the owner’s return, often causing an increase in the anxiety level. Owners interpret submissive postures as “guilt”. This is not an emotion which afflicts dogs. Instead, the dog has learned that mess + dog + owner = punishment, and it acts instinctively to deflect anger by displaying submission.

2. DO NOT RUSH TO GET ANOTHER PET
The existing dog may or may not get solace from an animal companion. Usually, the tension is due to separation to PEOPLE.

3. ENSURE THAT THE DOG GETS ENOUGH EXERCISE
Preferably, exercise should be provided by someone other than the person to whom the dog is most attached.

4. TONE DOWN DEPARTURES AND ARRIVALS
Much as you may want to sympathize with or reassure your dog, attempts to do so usually backfire. Emotion-laden farewells or greetings just increase the dog’s level of anxiety. IGNORE the dog for 15 minutes before leaving. Then just leave. Ignoring the dog on your return is usually more difficult. Try to be calm. Change your clothes, talk to your family, then say hello to the dog QUIETLY.

5. STRETCH THE BOND BETWEEN THE DOG AND ITS MOST FAVORED PERSON
Have someone else in the family take over feeding, grooming, and exercise. The favored person should TOTALLY IGNORE the dog for several weeks. This can be very difficult, especially for people who like the fact that the dog is dependent upon them. But it is helpful to give the dog a wider perspective on life. It is also difficult for single dog owners. They may have to consider having the dog stay in a kennel or with someone else while they are at work. This strategy can, of course, be used by anyone with a separation anxiety problem. At doggy day-care, the dog is entertained by other people, and learns that there is life beyond the favored person.

6. IDENTIFY ANXIETY-TRIGGERING SIGNALS
People often report that the dog anticipates the owner’s departure. Common activities which the dog picks up on are: putting on a coat and/or shoes; rattling car keys; and picking up purses, briefcases, lunchboxes. Once you have identified your dog’s particular stress signals, have everyone in the family repeat these activities often WITHOUT LEAVING THE HOUSE. Eventually, the dog will come to attach less importance to the signals and should be less upset when the real thing happens. Sometimes, there seem to be signals the dog picks up which tell it you are only leaving for a short time. Trips out the door with a garbage bag or laundry basket are usually followed by a rapid return. If this is the case, take a dummy garbage bag or a laundry basket with you whenever you leave.

7. USE A SOOTHER
Some dogs can be distracted by a particularly interesting toy or a special food treat. If it is given just before the person leaves, it may be some time before the dog notices the departure. The dog will have not time to get upset. An item which works well is a “Kong Toy”, which is sturdy but is hollow and can be stuffed with treats such as peanut butter, Cheez Whiz or tiny biscuits.

8. PRACTICE DEPARTURES
Once the dog is desensitized to departure signals, spend a lot of time going out the door and returning immediately. Pay no attention to the dog as you do this. Gradually increase the length of time you are out and vary the time. The nice part of this is that, once the dog tolerates being left for an hour or so, it usually handles longer periods of isolation better. You do not have to train minute by minute up to 8 hours. If, at any time, the dog seems upset, go back to shorter intervals until its confidence returns.

9. DRUGS
They may be useful TEMPORARILY. Anti-anxiety medications may be used in cases where the dog is so upset that even short departures cause great anxiety or when the dog is likely to injure itself in attempts to escape the house. The aim with the medications is to reduce the anxiety level enough to allow the dog to learn and to cope. Usually, three weeks is about the maximum time medications are used. Consult with your veterinarian.

10. CRATING MAY OR MAY NOT HELP
If the dog has been trained to use a crate as a puppy, it may find the crate a source of comfort and reassurance. If it has never been crated before, it may find sudden confinement very threatening. A crate may still be useful if you get the dog accustomed to it GRADUALLY when you are home and again GRADUALLY for short intervals when you leave. If the dog consistently barks, digs at the crate door or soils the crate, stop using it and try another strategy.