Separation Anxiety

In many homes, a common response to a dog’s bark is screaming, “no, stop, quiet, no, no“. Indulge me for a moment and say those words out loud.

It sounds like barking, doesn’t it? It sure sounds that way to your dog as well; which can make the behavior worse. Even negative attention can reinforce an unwanted yapping episode at the door. If your dog’s is caused by stress, you can inadvertently express concern by tone of your voice. No one wants their dog to think they are worried about family ringing the door bell.

So, what to do? If your dog has specific triggers that cause barking such as the doorbell or knocking; train a new behavior. With technology, it is super easy to record neighbors walking up and down the stairs or a barking dog outside the window and play it over and over again at a low volume. The key when you do this is to keep the volume so low you can barely hear it. Play the sound and guide your dog to go to bed or ”down/stay” and reward for that behavior, as long as your dog remains quiet. Do this a few times a day when you are not expecting guests. When your dog understands the expectation, turn the volume up a little louder. Then, play the volume and walk in and out of your home. It really does not take much time daily to practice this new behavior but will pay off in frustration and embarrassment for years to come.

Let’s say your dog likes to bark to tell you he or she wants to play, go out or while you are preparing food. You must cease reinforcing the behavior immediately if it is not acceptable in your home at other times of day. Dogs need consistency, if you toss a toy for your barking dog then get angry when your dog barks while you are on the phone, it creates confusion. Ignoring is a great option but you have to be 100% consistent, which can be troublesome in urban environments when neighbors are apt to complain. One easy way to re-train this is to take away what your dog wants for barking. If your dog barks for attention; turn your head, walk out of the room or hold a magazine up in front of your face so your dog learns he or she loses you for barking. The instant he or she is quiet, you give verbal praise. Toys and food go away in a closet for an instant when your dog barks and when your dog is quiet, they come back out. Never yell while doing this or say bad dog as it can muddy the message. You have to be quick, the instant your dog quiets, give praise. You can also avoid demand barking by giving your dog fun activities to wear him or her out, just do so for quiet behavior.

If your dog likes to bark at the window and has access to it all day, you must take that away until he or she learns to be quiet. I know it is a nice luxury to look out the window while you are at work. However, if he or she barks and people walk away, the behavior is reinforced as she thinks she did her job in scaring them away. There can be an element of protection here so be sure to work on leadership exercises daily with your dog so she understands you will protect her and she does not have to worry about protecting herself.

Additionally, five times a day (when you do not need it) train your dog to run away from the window and lay down. Simply cue “away” and cheerily guide your dog away with your hand or a treat and prompt him or her down. The only word you should use is ”away”. If you commit to doing this five times a day and your dog gets good at it, have a friend walk past the window and cue ”away”. It is important to practice this in set-up training sessions so your dog understands the meaning so he or she can succeed in a few weeks when you actually need it!

If your dog’s barking is while he or she is alone, you could be dealing with some Separation Anxiety and I recommend recording it to confirm. Once you do so, consider working with a trainer and/or your veterinarian to help ease your dog’s home alone stress.

Dogs like to bark and many love to hear themselves bark. Do not play the barking game with your dog, train your dog to be quiet in the environments you expect him or her to be quiet. It does not take a lot of time and it is much less frustrating than screaming quiet and continually reinforcing the exact opposite behavior you want.

Photo courtesy of Rhonda Holcomb

What is it? Separation anxiety is a serious behavioral issue that the dog panics upon the departure and absence of his guardian. It is extremely sad to see dogs with full-blown separation anxiety as even the mildest departure triggers can cause severe emotional and behavioral responses such as:

Chewing to get out of crate or flipping the crate over
Destroying door jambs or escaping the home
Licking limbs until raw
Wearing down nails in attempts to dig out of home
Excessively panting, pacing or soiling
Jumping through closed windows

Many dogs that are labeled to have “separation anxiety” may simply enjoy destroying the house, need some confidence building exercises, or something to do while alone. When asked what a barking dog has to do while home alone, the answer is often “I give my dog a treat”. One treat is very quickly eaten then the dog is bored. We like to add brain games, stay work, better toys and MUCH better fillings for those toys to assure your dog is not just bored before labeling a dog’s behavior as “Separation Anxiety”.

This does not imply a dog who exhibits extreme vocalization such as screeching, howling or barking, occasional soiling, destruction, escape attempts, loss of appetite, despondence or over-excitability over your comings and goings does not need help. It is, however, important to understand what causes your dog’s negative emotional responses during isolation and his triggers before designing a behavior modification plan. Start with the above first and videotape it to see if it helps. Regardless, seeing the behavior while you are away helps you and your trainer better understand what’s going on so you can most effectively address it.

Crates aren’t the culprit but some dogs learn to associate them with their guardian’s absence. There is still little research on whether the act of confining actually increases anxiousness. However, for the dog with separation-related issues, the crate is a scary place because he goes there every time his absolute favorite person or people leave so he fights when he’s put there or makes a lot of commotion when he’s in there. For the short-term, until your dog learns that the crate is a ‘happy place’, you will need to find a safe, alternate option while you are away.

What Causes It? Unfortunately, there is still no scientific answer on the actual cause of separation anxiety. There are some dogs that may be more pre-disposed to anxious behavior due to a ‘clingy’ personality. If your dog is one who followed you around the house from the moment he came into your life, without a lot of elaborate departure cues, there might be a genetic explanation for his behavior. It’s important to look at what your dog is actually doing when left alone. If it’s only soiling, chewing or barking it may be another behavioral issue. True separation anxiety is less common than thought and you might be able to resolve your dog’s issue with some leadership and frustration tolerance exercises.

For personalized help to resolve your dog’s separation anxiety, contact us for an in-home consultation or download our video.

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