Ultimate Guide to Dog Training Part 4 -Separation anxiety

It's very easy to think of separation anxiety in a young dog as simply misbehaving, but this is not true. We have to understand that dogs are pack animals, in that they socialise and live their lives in an order that is created by the pack. Dogs are not naturally solitary animals, so being left alone is alien to them and suggests abandonment. It is actually quite amazing that we can get a pack animal like a dog to stay on its own for any length of time at all, without causing undue stress.

This separation anxiety problem can lead to more drastic social problems, with neighbours complaining about the noise. Often people passing by will associate howling and constant barking as a result of cruel behaviour, and, of course, that's not always the case.

It benefits us to understand exactly where this pattern of behaviour comes from. There are two lines of thought here and both are correct. If a puppy gets separated from his mother, even for a very brief amount of time, it will become very vocal and this would help the mother locate it and become reunited. This would be a very natural behaviour pattern in the wild and of course it also acts as a trigger later in life when the dog is separated from the human that it is closely bonded to. The second point is that an adult dog separated from his pack in the wild would be in extreme danger, as it now has no pack to hunt with and would most likely starve. Just understanding these two facts helps us to understand why dogs may not like being left alone.

Stress disorders in dogs are becoming more common and the whole dog training industry has sprung up because of this. The reason is because society has changed and more dogs are being left on their own these days than ever before, this is because quite often both partners in a relationship now hold full-time jobs down, whereas before it would’ve been much more common for one partner to stay at home.

With young dogs especially, we often make the mistake of training them to almost repeat what we think of as bad behaviour, and we do this by rewarding them when we come home after they've created some damage. If you have a dog that chews things or howls and barks constantly when you leave it on its own, by comforting it and giving it some kind of treat when you arrive home, you’re actually installing a trigger response in a negative way. The dog gets used to this repeat behaviour and understands that there is reward at the end of it.

No dog needs to be reminded that it is going to spend some time on his own, and so it’s important that we don’t go through some kind of ritual each time when we are going to leave it alone for a while. It is also important not to make any extra fuss before you leave the building, as the dog will quickly recognise this behaviour and associate feelings of abandonment with it. This would always result in anxiety in the animal and would lead to howling or it causing damage.

Very rarely is this behaviour anything other than the above, but there's some thought that suggests some animals occasionally take advantage of being left on their own to have some fun that it can’t do normally, and although that is almost a humorous look at the problem it would still lead to the same outcome. However, this would be quite rare.

If you’re going to leave your pet alone for several hours, make sure it has things to do, so it doesn't get bored or isolated. Leave some of its favourite toys around, so that it can occupy its mind by playing with them, and also if it feels in the mood to chew it is far better that it chews one of its own toys, rather than your furniture. You will often find that having another dog or pet also eases this anxiety problem.

Puppies and older dogs can both benefit from plenty of exercise before you leave, as a tired dog is likely to sleep for several hours anyway, but do make sure that they have settled down before you go, as the last thing you want to do is leave an animal excited and alone. If your pet is showing the symptoms of anxiety, it may pay to leave for just small amounts of time, and return at regular intervals to get the dog to realise that you will be back each time eventually. This again is about installing a kind of routine into the animal’s life and can be quite effective over a period of time.

The differences between isolation and separation anxiety

A dog suffering from feelings of isolation can normally be calmed by the presence of another dog or human. This basically means that the dog just does not want to be left alone and although the end result can still be barking or damage by chewing, the dog’s psychological state is in a very different place from one suffering from true separation anxiety.

A dog that suffers from separation anxiety has become bonded to just one person and another animal or a different human will not help the dog to feel better. Dogs that are in this state can be a danger to themselves, as they will do everything possible to escape and be reunited with their owner. You often see true separation anxiety in dogs that have had several homes, as these tend to attach themselves to one human very quickly.

It's not easy trying to put this problem right but you must not let your own frustration creep in, as this will also have a negative impact. Remember the dog is not acting this way out of anger or feelings of malice - it is simply anxious about its own survival. Each moment you are gone is like a lifetime for a dog suffering from this condition and it will feel like his pack have deserted him. The reward for understanding this and taking the appropriate action not only saves your home from damage but seriously enhances your pet’s life too.