What to Do If Your Dog Has Separation Anxiety

Is WFH over and you are heading back to the office? Kids out of the house and back to school? Is your dog disruptive or destructive when left alone? Do they urinate, defecate, bark, howl, chew, dig or try to escape every time you leave the house?

Although these problems often indicate that a dog needs training, they can also be symptoms of distress. Separation anxiety is triggered when dogs become upset because of separation from the people they’re attached to. Dogs are pack animals by nature - this is separation from their pack! When treating a dog with separation anxiety, the goal is to resolve the dog’s anxiety by teaching him to enjoy, or at least tolerate, being left alone. 

Indicators of Separation Anxiety:

Urinating and Defecating

Some dogs urinate or defecate when left alone, even if they do not have to go. If a dog urinates or defecates in the presence of his guardian, the house soiling is likely not caused by separation anxiety.

Barking and Howling

A dog who has separation anxiety might persistently bark or howl when left alone or when separated from his guardian. This kind of barking or howling doesn’t seem to be triggered by anything except being left alone.

Chewing, Digging and Destruction

Some dogs with separation anxiety chew on objects, door frames or window sills, dig at doors and doorways, or destroy household objects when left alone or separated from their guardians. These behaviors can result in self-injury, such as broken teeth, cut and scraped paws and damaged nails. 

Escaping

A dog with separation anxiety might try to escape from an area where he’s confined when he’s left alone or separated from his guardian. The dog might attempt to dig and chew through doors or windows, which could result in injury.

Pacing

Some dogs walk or trot along a specific path in a fixed pattern when left alone. Some pacing dogs move around in circular patterns, while others walk back and forth in straight lines.

Coprophagia

When left alone, some dogs defecate and then consume all or some of their excrement. If a dog eats excrement because of separation anxiety, he probably doesn’t perform that behavior in the presence of his guardian.

Other Problems to Rule Out First

Incontinence Caused by Medical Problems
Some dogs’ house soiling is not caused by distress but by incontinence. Dogs with incontinence problems often seem unaware that they’ve had an accident. Sometimes they void urine while asleep. A number of medical issues including urinary tract infections, a weak sphincter caused by old age, hormone-related problems after spay surgery, bladder stones, diabetes, kidney disease, Cushing’s disease, neurological problems and abnormalities of the genitalia can cause urinary incontinence. There are also a number of medications that can cause frequent urination and house soiling.

 

Submissive or Excitement Urination
Some dogs may urinate during greetings, play, physical contact or when being reprimanded or punished. Such dogs tend to display submissive postures during interactions, such as holding the tail low, flattening the ears back against the head, crouching or rolling over and exposing the belly. 

 

Incomplete House Training
A dog who occasionally urinates in the house might not be completely house trained. His house training might have been inconsistent or it might have involved punishment that made him afraid to eliminate while his owner is watching or nearby.

Urine Marking

Some dogs urinate in the house because they’re scent marking. A dog scent marks by urinating small amounts on vertical surfaces. Most male dogs and some female dogs who scent mark raise a leg to urinate. 

Juvenile Destruction

Many young dogs engage in destructive chewing or digging while their guardians are home as well as when they’re away. 

Boredom

Dogs need mental stimulation, and some dogs can be disruptive when left alone because they’re bored and looking for something to do. These dogs usually don’t appear anxious.

Excessive Barking or Howling

Some dogs bark or howl in response to various triggers in their environments, like unfamiliar sights and sounds. They usually vocalize when their guardians are home as well as when they’re away. 

 

What to Do If Your Dog Has Separation Anxiety

 

Treatment for Mild Separation Anxiety

If your dog has a mild case of separation anxiety, counterconditioning might reduce or resolve the problem. Counterconditioning is a treatment process that changes an animal’s fearful, anxious or aggressive reaction to a pleasant, relaxed one. It’s done by associating the sight or presence of a feared or disliked person, animal, place, object or situation with something the dog loves. Over time, the dog learns that whatever he fears is actually associated with good things, like a delicious treat. To develop this kind of association, every time you leave the house, you can offer your dog a puzzle toy stuffed with food that will take him at least 20 to 30 minutes to finish. For example, try giving your dog a toy stuffed with something really tasty, like cream cheese or spray cheese. Be sure to remove these special toys as soon as you return home so that your dog only has access to them and the high value foods inside when he’s by himself. You can even save feeding your dog all of his daily meals in these puzzle toys when you leave the house. For example, you can give your dog a puzzle toy stuffed with his breakfast every morning before going to work. Keep in mind that this approach will only work for mild cases of separation anxiety because highly anxious dogs usually won’t eat when their guardians aren’t home.

 

Treatment for Moderate to Severe Separation Anxiety

Moderate or severe cases of separation anxiety require a more complex desensitization and counterconditioning program. In these cases, it’s crucial to gradually accustom a dog to being alone by starting with many short separations that do not produce anxiety and then gradually increasing the duration.

Desensitization and counterconditioning are complex and can be tricky to carry out. Never raise your voice or discipline your dog while counterconditioning. Fear must be avoided or the procedure will backfire and the dog will get more frightened. Because treatment must progress and change according to the pet’s reactions, and because these reactions can be difficult to read and interpret, desensitization and counterconditioning may require the guidance of a trained and experienced professional. Consult a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or ACAAB) or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB). If you can’t find a behaviorist, you can seek help from a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT). Some dogs have been able to cope much better with separation anxiety with a service such a Rover.com, these services bring dog walkers to your home and take care of your dog so he gets a mid-day interaction.

Step One: Pre-Departure Cues

 Some dogs begin to feel anxious while their guardians get ready to leave. For example, a dog might start to pace, pant and whine when he notices his guardian applying makeup, putting on shoes and a coat, and then picking up a bag or car keys. (If your dog doesn’t show signs of anxiety when you’re preparing to leave him alone, you can just skip to step two below.) 
 One treatment approach to this pre-departure anxiety is to teach your dog that when you pick up your keys or put on your coat, it doesn’t always mean that you’re leaving. You can do this by exposing your dog to these cues in various orders several times a day, without leaving. For example, put on your boots and coat, and then just watch TV. Or pick up your keys, and then sit down at the kitchen table for awhile. This will reduce your dog’s anxiety because these cues won’t always lead to your departure, and so your dog won’t get so anxious when he sees them. 

 

Step Two: Graduated Departures/Absences

If your dog is less anxious before you leave, you can skip the pre-departure treatment above and start with very short departures. The main rule is to plan your absences to be shorter than the time it takes for your dog to become upset. To get started, train your dog to perform out-of-sight stays by an inside door in the home, such as the bathroom. You can teach your dog to sit or down and stay while you go to the other side of the bathroom door. Gradually increase the length of time you wait on the other side of the door, out of your dog’s sight. You can also work on getting your dog used to pre-departure cues as you practice the stay. For example, ask your dog to stay. Then put on your coat, pick up your purse and go into the bathroom while your dog continues to stay.

 

Progress to doing out-of-sight stay exercises at a bedroom door, and then later at an exit door. If you always leave through the front door, do the exercises at the back door first. By the time you start working with your dog at exit doors, he shouldn’t behave anxiously because he has a history of playing the “stay game.”

 

At this point, you can start to incorporate short absences into your training. Start with absences that only last one to two seconds, and then slowly increase the time you’re out of your dog’s sight. When you’ve trained up to separations of five to ten seconds long, build in counterconditioning by giving your dog a stuffed food toy just before you step out the door. The food-stuffed toy also works as a safety cue that tells the dog that this is a safe separation. During your sessions, be sure to wait a few minutes between absences. After each short separation, it’s important to make sure that your dog is completely relaxed before you leave again. 

 

Remember to behave in a very calm and quiet manner when going out and coming in. This will lower the contrast between times when you’re there and times when you’re gone.

You must judge when your dog is able to tolerate an increase in the length of separation. Each dog reacts differently, so there are no standard timelines. Watch for signs of stress in your dog. These signs might include dilated pupils, panting, yawning, salivating, trembling, pacing and exuberant greeting. If you detect stress, you should back up and shorten the length of your departures to a point where your dog can relax again. Then start again at that level and progress more slowly.

 

You will need to spend a significant amount of time building up to 40-minute absences because most of your dog’s anxious responses will occur within the first 40 minutes that he’s alone. This means that over weeks of conditioning, you’ll increase the duration of your departures by only a few seconds each session, or every couple of sessions, depending on your dog’s tolerance at each level. Once your dog can tolerate 40 minutes of separation from you, you can increase absences by larger chunks of time (5 minute increments at first, then later 15 minute increments). Once your dog can be alone for 90 minutes without getting upset or anxious, he can probably handle four to eight hours. (Just to be safe, try leaving him alone for four hours at first, and then work up to eight full hours over a few days.)

 

During desensitization to any type of fear, it is essential to ensure that your dog never experiences the full-blown version of whatever provokes his anxiety or fear. He must experience only a low-intensity version that doesn’t frighten him. Otherwise, he won’t learn to feel calm and comfortable in situations that upset him. This means that during treatment for separation anxiety, your dog cannot be left alone except during your desensitization sessions. Fortunately there are plenty of alternative arrangements. If possible, take your dog to work with you. Or arrange for a family member, friend or dog sitter to come to your home and stay with your dog when you’re not there. (Most dogs suffering from separation anxiety are fine as long as someone is with them. That someone doesn’t necessarily need to be you.) Or take your dog to a sitter’s house or to a doggy daycare.

In addition to your graduated absences exercises, all greetings (hellos and goodbyes) should be conducted in a very calm manner. When saying goodbye, just give your dog a pat on the head, say goodbye and leave. Similarly, when arriving home, say hello to your dog and then don’t pay any more attention to him until he’s calm and relaxed. The amount of time it takes for your dog to relax once you’ve returned home will depend on his level of anxiety and individual temperament. To decrease your dog’s excitement level when you come home, it might help to distract him by asking him to perform some simple behaviors that he’s already learned, such as sit, down or shake.

Puzzle toys and chew items encourage chewing, which have been shown to have a calming effect on dogs. Be sure to provide them whenever you leave your dog alone.

Make your dog “hunt” his meals by hiding small piles of his kibble around your house or yard when you leave. Most dogs love this game!

 

Enroll in a reward-based training class to increase your dog’s mental activity and enhance the bond between you and your dog. Contact a Certified Professional Dog Trainer for group or private classes that can give you and your dog lots of skills to learn and games to play together. After you and your dog have learned a few new skills, you can mentally tire your dog out by practicing them right before you leave your dog home alone. 

 

Get involved in dog sports, such as agility, freestyle (dancing with your dog) or fly ball.

Medications Might Help

 Always consult with your veterinarian before giving your dog any type of medication for a behavior problem. The use of medications can be helpful, especially for very severe cases of separation anxiety. Some dogs are so distraught by any separation from their pet parents that treatment can’t be implemented without the help of medication. Anti-anxiety medication can help a dog tolerate some level of isolation without experiencing anxiety. It can also make treatment progress more quickly. Try botanical calming chew treats or calming bones. Tinctures or treats with CBD have been known to reduce anxiety in pets as well.

What NOT to Do

Do not scold or punish your dog. Anxious behaviors are not the result of disobedience or spite. They are distress responses. Your dog displays anxious behaviors when left alone because he’s upset and trying to cope with a great deal of stress. If you punish him, he may become even more upset and the problem could get much worse.

 

To Crate or Not to Crate?

 Crate training can be helpful for some dogs if they learn that the crate is their safe place to go when left alone. However, for other dogs, the crate can cause added stress and anxiety. In order to determine whether or not you should try using a crate, monitor your dog’s behavior during crate training and when he’s left in the crate while you’re home. If he shows signs of distress (heavy panting, excessive salivation, frantic escape attempts, persistent howling or barking), crate confinement isn’t the best option for him. Instead of using a crate, you can try confining your dog to one room behind a baby gate. 

Provide Plenty of “Jobs” for Your Dog to Do

Providing lots of physical and mental stimulation is a vital part of treating many behavior problems, especially those involving anxiety. Exercising your dog’s mind and body can greatly enrich his life, decrease stress and provide appropriate outlets for normal dog behaviors. Additionally, a physically and mentally tired dog doesn’t have much excess energy to expend when he’s left alone. To keep your dog busy and happy, try the following suggestions:

 Give your dog at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity (for example, running and swimming) every day. Try to exercise your dog right before you have to leave him by himself. This might help him relax and rest while you’re gone.

 Play fun, interactive games with your dog, such as fetch and tug-of-war.  

 Take your dog on daily walks and outings. Take different routes and visit new places as often as possible so that he can experience novel smells and sights.

 If your dog likes other dogs, let him play off-leash with his canine buddies.

 Frequently provide food puzzle toys. You can feed your dog his meals in these toys or stuff them with a little peanut butter, cheese or yogurt. Also give your dog a variety of chew things.

Above all, your dog loves you and loves being in your pack. Remember to have patience and be consistent in your behavioral training. Good luck!