Decoding Separation Anxiety

It is estimated that up to 50% (or around 80 million) dogs exhibit mild to severe forms of separation anxiety. I won’t waste your time explaining exactly what separation anxiety is, as the name pretty much gives it away: severe distress and resulting behavior problems when a dog is separated from its handler or its canine pack. What we’re going to focus on instead is how to recognize it, and more importantly, how to treat it.

Separation anxiety symptoms include vocalization (often a repetitive, monotone bark), pacing, hypersalivation (drooling), elimination (often soft stools and not in a consistent location), and destructive behavior. These symptoms must only be present when a dog is alone--or perceives he is alone-- and should not be the result of any other medical or behavioral diagnosis. As comorbidity is common in dogs with separation anxiety, all exhibited symptoms must be evaluated separately for an accurate diagnosis.

So, what do you do if your dog is exhibiting symptoms?

The first step is a trip to the vet for a thorough physical examination. Because many of these symptoms (especially hypersalivation, improper elimination, and pacing) correspond with a large number of acute medical problems, a complete blood count (CBC), chemistry profile, thyroid panel, urinalysis, and fecal exam must be performed. Only after all medical disorders are ruled out can we safely begin treatment for psychological disorders.

If your dog is given a clean bill of health, it’s time to start assessing their behaviors. Remember in grade school when you learned the 5-W’s for writing a successful essay? Well, it’s time to bring those back out to help not only you, but your behaviorist as well if you choose to go that route (which I recommend).

• WHO is the dog’s primary caretaker, and who present when these symptoms are exhibited?
• WHAT symptoms are being exhibited (be specific, and please record it on video if you can)?
• WHEN does it happen?
• WHERE does the behavior occur (in a crate, by the door, outside, only in your house but he’s fine at a friend’s house, etc)?

Once you have these questions answered and written down to the best of your ability, a training plan can be formulated.

Note: if your dog is experiencing severe symptoms of separation anxiety which put himself in danger (crate shredding, destructive behaviors, severe panic attacks), utilize professional help immediately! Contact a local behaviorist for assistance. Behavioral therapy can start at any age, and the longer the problems persist, the harder they are going to be to correct.

You might be thinking-- Lex, we covered who, what, when, and where… but isn’t there a fifth W? Yup, we’re missing the most important one: WHY. Separation anxiety is a two-fold problem:

1. Dogs are social pack animals, and to ask them to feel comfortable being alone is an unnatural function which goes against every evolutionary process in their brain.
2. Separation anxiety is largely genetic, so by selectively breeding the “velcro” dogs as desired by so many people, we have ingrained a deep set dependency on human interaction and therefore, distress when their human caretaker leaves.

I wasn’t sure exactly where to include this, but it’s so important that I figured I will dedicate an entire paragraph to it. Renowned veterinarian and behaviorist, Dr. John J. Ciribassi DVM, DACVB, says: “People don’t cause separation anxiety, but they can add to it.” This couldn’t be more accurate. On the same note, however, people can subtract from it as well. In most of my cases, the key to treating separation anxiety involves changing your OWN behaviors before we even address the dog’s.

Altering Your Dog’s Dependency
Your dog comes up to you seeking attention. You’d do what any loving dog parent would do, right? Pet your dog. What you may not realize is this interaction is creating a dependency on human contact for the relief of stress. Your dog thinks “hmm, I’m lonely… let me get some love from my human.” What happens when this human leaves, though? The dog has no means of dealing with the stress on their own; so they panic instead. “Obviously, the most logical solution, in that case, is to eat the couch,” says my little Miniature American Shepherd. (We’re working on changing her mind.)

Now, I’m not saying you may never pet your dog. I’m just saying don’t let your dog initiate it. If they come up to you and start whining, pawing, or barking for interaction, simply ignore it. Once they settle down, YOU come up to THEM for love and affection.

Altering Departure & Arrival Routine
If your dog has separation anxiety, you might notice they get increasingly antsy when they think you are about to leave. A very natural reaction might be petting him and assuring him that everything is going to be okay, saying you won’t be gone long, and telling him to be a good boy. When you arrive home and your dog is overwhelmed with joy, who wouldn’t squat down and shower him with affection? Doing so only emphasizes your absence, though. Instead, completely ignore your dog at least 30 minutes before your departure, and 30 minutes after your arrival back home.

It’s also important to habitualize your dog to your departure routine by uncoupling the cues they have picked up on (shoes on, grabbing keys, grabbing wallet, putting makeup on, etc). You do this by going through your whole departure routine, then not leaving. Sit down on the couch and turn on Netflix instead. Do this at random points during the day until you notice your dog is no longer showing signs of stress during your departure routine. This can take several weeks.

Distracting Your Dog During Departure
This is one that you’ve probably heard of before, so I’m going to be quick. When you leave, offer your dog a KONG with frozen food in it (or some other form of tasty chewy). When you return, immediately take the object away and put it up where your dog cannot access it.

If your dog’s symptoms are severe, there’s a very good chance he won’t even touch the chewy. This is okay though. Still offer it to him. It will act as a gauge of how well your dog is progressing. The more comfortable he gets with you leaving, the more interested he will be in the food. Don’t give up.

Graduated Departure & Rewarding Relaxation
Graduated departure is exactly as it sounds. When your dog is in a relaxed state (I like to start this when they are sleeping on a dog bed or in their open crate), slowly start walking away. Do NOT tell them to stay or otherwise give them a command. We are rewarding and shaping relaxation here. On your first try, you may get a few feet, you may get out of the room, you may get out of the house. Every dog is different. However, the key here is to never go so far that your dog feels the need to get up and follow you. A video camera is helpful here.

Gradually increase both the distance and the duration until your dog is comfortable with you leaving the house for brief periods of time. If you have access to a remote feeder and video camera, this will come in handy to reward relaxed behavior.

Because graduated departure really has the ability to make or break your dog, I highly recommend pet owners do not attempt without a behaviorist’s assistance, and never, ever start before all of the techniques above are applied and have shown a degree of success.

Medication
Last but not least, there is the option of medication. This should never be the first option considered, though in some severe cases it may be 100% necessary to the dog’s physical and emotional wellbeing. Medications must be prescribed by a licensed veterinarian, and should be used in conjunction with behavioral therapy with a canine behaviorist. Common medications are clomipramine, fluoxetine, and trazodone; as well as various benzodiazepines in more extreme cases.