What is separation anxiety?
Separation anxiety is a fear of being left alone. It’s a serious, involuntary condition where your dog becomes stressed when they’re apart from their owner. It can be just as stressful for the human as it is the dog. Working with separation anxiety is very delicate and takes a systematic approach.
Our Current Reality
What a year it’s been! Thankfully we’ve had our four-legged companions by our side to help us get through the isolation. Our dogs have been a constant presence during our stay-at-home orders, but soon we’ll be called back to work and life as it was before. What will this look like to our faithful companions who have comforted and put up with us these past months?
How to recognize separation anxiety
- Shadowing/following
- Howling, barking or whining excessively
- Destroying exit points
- Excessive salivating
- Pacing
- Destructive behaviour; chewing furniture, walls, window frames
- Urinating/defecating even though they are housebroken
Now if you’re home all day and never left your dog alone, you may not see these behaviours. That’s OK! Our plan is to teach your dog independence away from you and lead up to leaving the home.
The Plan
As much as we would’ve liked to maintain a routine similar to one before self-isolation, I know we’re all guilty in some way or another of indulging in less than suitable behaviours i.e. going to bed late, sleeping in, binge eating, paying too much attention to our screens, etc. We may have also over-indulged and really amped up our activities with our dogs. We’re all home and our dogs are seeing us more than they were used to. If you haven’t already let’s take some time to prepare your dog for your departure back to work and life outside of the house.
How are we going to structure the day?
- Feeding times
- Walks
- Play time
- Quiet time
- Alone time
Establish a routine that will resemble somewhat of your day if you were back at work. Dogs are creatures of habit and like to know what is going on. Help them by re-establishing order and routine. This means, no more walks 6 times a day unless that is something you plan on continuing with a dog walker or lunch visits. Introduce alone time. Train your dog without actually leaving the home. Teach Independence. Give your dog a nice stuffed Kong or chew toy while you spend time in another room out of sight. To begin you can use a barrier between an entryway and have your dog on one side while you are on the other. They still have the comfort of knowing you’re nearby and can see you.
Once your dog is showing relaxed behaviours, you can introduce departures – leaving the house. Use your normal departure process, getting your shoes, coat and keys, but do not leave. Instead go somewhere else in the house. Mix it up and go to different rooms in the house.
Now you’ve been working on this awhile, you’re ready to leave the house. Go out without your dog at least once a day. Meaning leave the house entirely. Start Slow.
- Go to the mailbox
- Go for a short walk
- Sit in the car
- Take a drive
Use your normal departure process. Try not to make a big deal about going and coming. Just carry on as you normally would. Build up your dog’s duration slowly. Start with a 2 minute walk to the mailbox, then a short 5 minute walk around the block. You can set up a camera for these short stints and check to see how your dog managed while you were out and adjust accordingly. Perhaps they did well with your 5 minute walk, you can begin to slowly increase your duration outside of the home. If they didn’t do well, you will decrease your time and work within their threshold. Check your video and determine at what point (minute/second) your dog started to show stress. That is their threshold.
When life does resume and you’re called back into work, work within their limit. What is their threshold? Can your dog stay alone for 3, 4, 5 hours at a time? Stay below that. Hire a dog walker or ask a friend to visit your dog during the day. If you know someone who works from home, ask if your dog can hang out with them during your away time if you will be longer. Remember to set your dog up for success and do not push them past their limit. Go slow and at their pace and you will see progress. The results will be worth it.
Additional Support
Expert in this field, Malena DeMartini has great resources and a wonderfully written book on the subject.
Lastly, If you need support and guidance, hire a professional. Sometimes it seems as though there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. Get a support team behind you. We’ve all been there. Check out our specialities here.
