Separation Anxiety

Typically, most dogs don’t mind spending time at home alone. However, there are many dogs that suffer from separation anxiety. Some of the behaviors caused by separation anxiety are:

Digging, chewing, and scratching at doors or windows in an attempt to rejoin their owners.
Barking, howling or crying in an attempt to get their own to come back.
Urination and defecation as a result of distress.

We don’t fully understand what causes separation anxiety in some dogs and not others. But, it is important to remember if your dog exhibits some of these behaviors this is a result of a panic attach rather than an attempt to get even with you when you leave.

Behavior problems can come from numerous sources, how do you know if your dog suffers from separation anxiety? If you can say yes to all or most of the statements below, your dog may be suffering from separation anxiety.

The behavior occurs primarily or exclusively when your dog is alone.
Your dog follows you from room to room whenever you are home.
Your dog displays over-enthusiastic or frantic greeting behaviors.
Your dog acts with depression, anxiety or excitement when you make preparations to leave.
Your dog dislikes spending time outdoors by himself.

What do you do if your dog has separation anxiety?

For minor separation anxiety problems, the below techniques may be helpful.

Keep your arrivals and departures low-key. For example, when you arrive home, ignore your dog for a few minutes and then calmly talk and pet your dog to greet him.
Leave your dog with an item that has your scent on it, maybe an old t-shirt or sock.
Establish a safety routine when you are only going to be gone a short period time, like doing yard work, or a quick run to the store. Try turning on the radio or TV or give him a favorite chew toy. Establish an association word with short leaves like saying you’ll be right back. Consistently using the safety routine and wording with short leaves, your dog will learn the routine and realize that you are coming right back.

Our dog, Brutus, suffers from separation anxiety and our family is working with him to help him over come his anxieties. We got Brutus from a German Shepherd rescue when he was about one year old. We found out that during his first year of live his family was taken away from him, which left him alone. The pound found him running around and caught him (from what we understand Brutus put up a good fight before he was caught). Then he went to the pound and then to the rescue center. So, we understand why Brutus has separation anxiety. We have had Brutus for about six months now and we can already see the improvement in his behavior. He still doesn’t like us to leave and does follow us around everywhere, but he is making progress!