separation anxiety

Living with a dog with Separation Anxiety can be overwhelmingly difficult. Folks may feel like prisoners in their own home and can have costly emotional and physical fallout from the situation.

Many times people are mistakenly given the advice to get the dog used to a crate with a stuffed Kong (or other food puzzle). But, there is so much more involved in successfully treating (yes, Separation Anxiety IS treatable!) this phobia.

Rather than just teaching a dog to “eat” alone, we need to help them to feel comfortable “being” by themselves.

Canine Separation Anxiety is a panic disorder. As such, although remedies and suggestions such as food puzzles, Thundershirts, and DAP collars may fall under the heading of “can’t hurt,” they also are unlikely to actually help with much progress when used alone.

Instead, we use a specific protocol designed to desensitize to absences in very small increments with many, many repetitions over time.

Frequently, folks may begin with a 5 minute absence believing that this is an extremely brief duration. However, depending on the dog, first steps may need to be broken down into being in sight, but further away in the same room to start out.

Departure cues are included and criteria is raised and temporarily lowered as duration and other elements are introduced. Things like keys and shoes and cars starting will all come with time and are built into the micro departure steps with thought and care given to the overall plan. Managing each component of the plan daily is key.

The process requires a great amount of patience and consistency-the backbones of permanent, lasting behavioral change.

With the right guidance, attitude, commitment, and perseverance you can see seconds turn into minutes and minutes become longer and longer absences until eventually your dog learns to trust in the feeling that it is ok for them to be home alone.

For help or questions with possible canine Separation Anxiety, you can contact PAW today. http://positiveanimalwellness.com/contact/

Your neighbors are upset by constant barking and howling in your absence and have contacted you repeatedly. You now need to replace your door due to damage caused from scratching and biting by your dog. When you are preparing to leave the house, your dog paces, pants, and whines uncontrollably. If any of these scenarios sound familiar you may be dealing with a separation anxiety situation.

Sadly, separation anxiety normally does not just resolve itself nor will your dog just “get over it.” A methodical, specific protocol is what is required to help your dog remain below threshold and slowly gain the confidence and comfort level to be able to be by themselves.

The following are five myths that folks may have come across in regard to treating separation anxiety.

1. DOGS: Only in a small number of cases is a separation anxiety dog helped with the addition of another dog to the family. If you suspect that a second animal may help your pup, it may be best to work with a trainer to briefly foster or try introducing the second dog to the situation. Better yet, is to work with a trainer on the specific separation anxiety before adding another dog into the household.
2. COLLARS: A shock or citronella spray collar may briefly stop the barking, however any type of aversive collars, of which these are two, have the added possible side effects of apathy, escape/avoidance, aggression, and generalized fear. Thus, to actually resolve the separation anxiety issue, it is best to get at the actual anxiety problem, rather than potentially creating new issues with “quick fix” collars.
3. AVOIDANCE: Separation Anxiety is an issue which is very unlikely to resolve on its own. Dogs with SA are in an extreme state of agitation-akin to a person suffering from a panic attack-which won’t just go away with repeated exposure and time. Instead, working on a well planned protocol with patience and consistency is the key to long-lasting behavioral change.
4. EXERCISE: Although exercise plays a vital role in your dog’s healthy lifestyle, exhausting your dog is no substitute for a carefully planned protocol of counter conditioning and desensitization.
5. FOOD: While food puzzles have their place in a larger program to treat separation anxiety, teaching the dog to be comfortable alone is different than teaching the dog to eat alone. Once the food is gone, the anxiety remains. A better plan is to use food puzzles to create positive associations as part of a larger protocol to help your dog build confidence while alone at home.

For additional information and/or to schedule a consult to discuss options on receiving help from a professional, contact PAW-Positive Animal Wellness.