Does my dog have separation anxiety?
Separation anxiety is an extremely troublesome problem for both you and your dog. With separation anxiety, a dog panics when its owners prepare to leave the house; the animal will start drooling and show signs of stress. Additionally, dogs with separation anxiety may try to escape from the home, with all the consequences that entails… But how do you know if your dog has trouble being home alone or if the animal is suffering from separation anxiety?
How can you recognize separation anxiety?
There are several signs that indicate your dog is suffering from separation anxiety. These signs can include:
- Whining and crying. After you step out the front door, your dog begins to cry or bark persistently. Your dog will usually not stop until you return home.
- Urinating or defecating indoors. If you regularly find that your four-legged friend has urinated or defecated inside the house after you return, you might consider separation anxiety. If your dog urinates or defecates indoors while you are home (and normally does not), it is important to contact the veterinarian.
- Scratching and/or biting. When your dog is home alone, it may scratch or bite door frames or window sills. It may also bite other objects in the house.
- Your dog may try to escape when you are not home. In this case, the animal will also scratch or bite doorposts or window frames.
Causes of separation anxiety in dogs
It is difficult to determine exactly which events can lead to separation anxiety. However, separation anxiety is a problem that occurs much more often in dogs from animal shelters than in dogs living in a ‘stable family.’ Presumably, the loss of one or more loyal owners causes a dog to develop separation anxiety. There are, however, several known events that likely result in separation anxiety:
- A new job. It may be that the dog's owner previously worked from home and had more attention and time for their pet. After the owner gets a new job, the animal suddenly spends long days alone, which it is not used to.
- A change in family composition. This could be a child moving out or a family member passing away.
- When a family moves, this can result in separation anxiety in their loyal pet.
How can you determine separation anxiety?
You can place a camera in the home to monitor whether your dog shows symptoms related to separation anxiety.
You can also pretend to leave the house and listen or watch outside to see what your dog is doing while you are away. Additionally, when you return, you can first look through the window to see what your dog is doing before going inside.
If your dog shows symptoms consistent with separation anxiety, it is likely that the animal is suffering from it.
What to do if your dog has separation anxiety?
First of all, it is important to gradually build up the time your dog spends alone. For example, leave the house for 5 minutes and return after those 5 minutes. Ignore your dog when you come back inside and only reward the animal when it is calm. If it goes well when you are gone for 5 minutes, you can extend this to 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, and so on.
Furthermore, you can ensure your dog has distractions when you are away. For example, turn on the radio or TV so there are sounds that distract your dog. Or choose to give your dog a toy while you are gone; make sure it is a safe toy that cannot cause any harm during your absence.
You can teach your dog that its crate is a safe and comfortable place. If you put your dog in its crate with a toy while you are away, the animal is likely to stay calm for a while. It is important to provide a crate that is large enough for your dog. A dog must be able to stand up straight, lie down, and turn around comfortably inside the crate.
Finally, you can choose to consult a behavior specialist if you do not know how to solve the problem yourself. Together with the behavior specialist, you can create a plan to reduce separation anxiety.
