Separation Anxiety is one of the most common complaints of dog owners, although some don't even realize it. What they do notice, is that they often come to destroyed objects and neighbors complaining about the howling and barking.
Dogs are pack animals, and and don't like to be left alone. Some dogs will simply sigh and wait patiently for you to come back, and others will go into panic mode, crying and barking, trying to get you to come back. Some destroy things, such as plants, books, pillows, anything that was "yours", even to the extent of defecating on the floor.
Severely dependant dogs, a.k.a. "velcro dogs", and dogs who have either been passed around, or have been abandoned are more likely to have separation anxiety than others. The thought of being abandoned again is terrifying. Most owners unwittingly reinforce this anxiety. Making a production of leaving, and trying to reassure the dog has the opposite effect. Nothing enforces a dog's belief that he has something to worry about more than somebody trying to keep him calm.
The best and easiest way to deal with separation anxiety is with crate training. Crating your dog during your absences will not only help him feel secure and safe, it will keep him from eating something that could do him serious harm.
Like all fears, desensitizing your dog your comings and goings will also help him get over his fear of abandonment. It is best to stretch this process out, but if you need to, you can try to compress it into a couple of days.
Like all fears, desensitizing your dog your comings and goings will also help him get over his fear of abandonment. It is best to stretch this process out, but if you need to, you can try to compress it into a couple of days.
Step One:
Prepare yourself to walk out the door and practice ignoring your dog completely. Do NOT say good-bye, do not cuddle her, do not let on that you are leaving at all.
Prepare yourself to walk out the door and practice ignoring your dog completely. Do NOT say good-bye, do not cuddle her, do not let on that you are leaving at all.
This is a very common mistake people make. By reassuring your dog that you will return in only a little while, showing her affection, hoping she calms down, you are really only reinforcing the fears that your dog had to begin with. Just ignore her completely, and prepare yourself to do this from now on. However, if she sits nicely and watches you calmly, this is the time to reward her lavishly. This is the behavior you want to reinforce.
Do this, several times for a day. That's all. Just get yourself ready to go somewhere, but don't actually leave, unless you have to, of course, but in that case you might want to stretch the "false alarms" out over a few days. Once she's taking the "false alarms" in stride, and can no longer tell if you are actually going to walk through the door or not, and is relaxed and calm when you put your shoes on, move on to Step Two.
Step Two:
Follow your "false alarm" routine that you have established. Put on your shoes, put on your jacket, and reach for the door. Open it. Walk outside, calmly ignoring the alarmed look on your dog's face as you shut the door behind you. Count to to fifteen, fairly slowly.Listen carefully, trying not to give away your position on the other side of the door. Do you hear whining, crying, barking? If you do, prepare yourself for one of the harder moments of dog ownership ...
Follow your "false alarm" routine that you have established. Put on your shoes, put on your jacket, and reach for the door. Open it. Walk outside, calmly ignoring the alarmed look on your dog's face as you shut the door behind you. Count to to fifteen, fairly slowly.Listen carefully, trying not to give away your position on the other side of the door. Do you hear whining, crying, barking? If you do, prepare yourself for one of the harder moments of dog ownership ...
Whimper ... Whine ...:
Once you've successfully escaped your dog, and you have left the building, listen carefully for any signs of distress. If you hear any kind of whining, or worse, barking, you need to wait it out. I would love to be able to tell you to just open the door, but if you walk back in when she's making a fuss, you are actually rewarding the fuss, and one day, when you leave for more than a couple of minutes, your neighbors will hate you. Rewarding the fuss makes the fuss longer and louder.
Once you've successfully escaped your dog, and you have left the building, listen carefully for any signs of distress. If you hear any kind of whining, or worse, barking, you need to wait it out. I would love to be able to tell you to just open the door, but if you walk back in when she's making a fuss, you are actually rewarding the fuss, and one day, when you leave for more than a couple of minutes, your neighbors will hate you. Rewarding the fuss makes the fuss longer and louder.
Avoiding the Fuss:
Once you've discovered that dog is a screamer, it is best to stretch the time out as much as you possibly can: between the closing of the door, and her vocal heartbreak. To do this, do it quickly. Walk out the door following Step One's False Alarm Procedure. Before she has a chance to howl her misery, walk right back in. The desired reaction is, of course, a look of utter astonishment "Hey! You came back!", and happy greetings. Give your girl a treat and some effusive praise, it's only just begun.
To keep her from having a fit moments after you leave, you need to keep doing this; extending the length of time you wait outside, but trying to time it so that you enter before she starts to cry. Remember, this is a very important thing. A few days of inconvenience now will result being able to enjoy having a dog that much more, when you no longer have to worry about leaving for an hour or more. No more eaten books, no more potty "accidents", no more howling until you get back (your neighbors will thank you).
All is Quiet:
The best case scenario is not having a fuss at all, but rather just a bewildered dog who can't figure out how you managed to escape. If you are lucky enough to have this happen, take advantage of it, and walk back in after a short, fifteen second interval. Repeat this many times over an extended period.
Step Three:
Okay, you are doing great! After a few days' time, you should be able to walk down to the end of the driveway, pick up your mail, or wander down the street a little ways. Once you've extended the time between leaving and returning to a fair amount (I recommend about twenty minutes at least), you should start to scatter your return times. Walk out, and walk back in after only five minutes. Always remember to leave without fussand reward for quiet patience.
Your goal is to bring her to the point of thinking that you'll walk back at any second, and if she waits quietly, you'll be very happy to see her.
Good Luck!
Once you've discovered that dog is a screamer, it is best to stretch the time out as much as you possibly can: between the closing of the door, and her vocal heartbreak. To do this, do it quickly. Walk out the door following Step One's False Alarm Procedure. Before she has a chance to howl her misery, walk right back in. The desired reaction is, of course, a look of utter astonishment "Hey! You came back!", and happy greetings. Give your girl a treat and some effusive praise, it's only just begun.
To keep her from having a fit moments after you leave, you need to keep doing this; extending the length of time you wait outside, but trying to time it so that you enter before she starts to cry. Remember, this is a very important thing. A few days of inconvenience now will result being able to enjoy having a dog that much more, when you no longer have to worry about leaving for an hour or more. No more eaten books, no more potty "accidents", no more howling until you get back (your neighbors will thank you).
All is Quiet:
The best case scenario is not having a fuss at all, but rather just a bewildered dog who can't figure out how you managed to escape. If you are lucky enough to have this happen, take advantage of it, and walk back in after a short, fifteen second interval. Repeat this many times over an extended period.
Step Three:
Okay, you are doing great! After a few days' time, you should be able to walk down to the end of the driveway, pick up your mail, or wander down the street a little ways. Once you've extended the time between leaving and returning to a fair amount (I recommend about twenty minutes at least), you should start to scatter your return times. Walk out, and walk back in after only five minutes. Always remember to leave without fussand reward for quiet patience.
Your goal is to bring her to the point of thinking that you'll walk back at any second, and if she waits quietly, you'll be very happy to see her.
Good Luck!
