NEW APPROACHES TO TREATING CANINE SEPARATION ANXIETY

While destructive behaviour can sometimes be a normal outlet for dogs, some destructive behaviours may be due to underlying anxiety.  For example, when destruction is directed at doorways, windows, and exit points, rather than garbage cans, food cupboards, or a pair of leather shoes, further assessment is needed to confirm whether this may be due to separation anxiety.

 A diagnosis of separation anxiety typically includes one or more of these symptoms:  destructiveness, distress vocalization, house-soiling or other signs of anxiety such as salivation.  Signs usually arise immediately following the owner’s departure.  If any of these behaviours are seen when family members are present, other causes should be considered.  Evidence of destructive behaviours or house soiling should be easy to identify when family members return home, but vocalization ranging from whining to howling may often go undetected except when severe enough to disturb neighbours.  Video monitoring is useful to verify the diagnosis as well as to monitor the efficacy of a treatment program.  Dogs with separation anxiety often have hyper attachment and begin to show anxiety as the owner prepares to leave. 

Dogs suffering from separation anxiety are panicked, fearful, and traumatized when left alone.  Successful resolution of separation anxiety usually requires a combination of behavioural management and medication.   The behaviour program should focus on teaching the dog acceptable and alternative behaviours in which to engage when alone.  Provided the dog’s daily needs are adequately met, training should focus on encouraging the dog to find a safe retreat to rest or play with its favourite toys, so it can learn to settle and occupy itself away from the owners. During these sessions, attention seeking behaviour must be ignored, while settled behaviours should gradually be increased and positively reinforced.  Some dogs may be less anxious when crated or confined as they find some comfort from this routine; others are more panicked.  Since pre-departure anxiety is often associated with the handling of keys, mobile phones or shoes, desensitization and counter-conditioning can be as simple as picking up keys or a briefcase, giving a favoured treat or toy, and setting them back down without leaving. Repetition teaches the dog that departure cues may be pleasant and not always associated with actual departures.  Family members should practice non-emotional departures and greetings.  Punishment never alleviates anxiety and has no place in the treatment of separation anxiety. 

At actual departure times, food puzzle toys, chews and favoured treats can be provided to distract and occupy the dog.  However, in the short term it may be necessary to find day care until the behaviour program and medication can be effectively implemented.  Another option in the short term is to give benzodiazepines such as alprazolam prior to departure to reduce anxiety for a few hours.

Since dogs with separation anxiety are highly anxious when left alone, behaviour modification should be combined with drug therapy both for the well-being of the dog and to improve treatment success.  Clomipramine (Clomicalm, Novartis Animal Health), is currently licensed for the treatment of separation anxiety and a chewable fluoxetine tablet (Reconcile, Elanco) will be also be available this fall.  The primary action of both drugs is to enhance serotonin transmission, but peak effect may not be achieved for three to four weeks.  The advantage of using veterinary approved drugs is their proven efficacy, predictable bioavailability, palatability, access to technical support as well as the client education material that you and your staff can use to help guide the owner through the behaviour program.  Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP, Intervet Schering Plough) has also been shown to be effective alone or in combination with medication.

Often families attribute their dog’s misbehaviours when left alone to vengeance or spite. However, dog owners need to understand that the behavioural signs are due to anxiety and distress and that medication can help alleviate their dog’s suffering. 

Product information and client support is available from recondile.com, dap-pheromone.com, or request client education material from your local industry representative.

This article was co-authored by Drs. Colleen Wilson and Theresa DePorter.  This article was first published in the OVMA’s September/October 2010 issue of Focus magazine.

Preventing and Treating Separation Anxiety

We discussed the symptoms of separation anxiety in a previous post.  There are many steps and techniques that can be used in treating separation anxiety.  We will not discuss all of them here.  Instead, I will talk about the steps that apply to the widest range of dogs and significantly help most dogs with moderate separation anxiety.

The steps outlined below will help prevent and treat separation anxiety for most dogs:

• When you first bring a puppy or new dog into the house, practice building positive associations with a crate or small, dog-proof space that you can leave him in when you are gone (read the post on crate training for detailed suggestions). 

• Practice consistently confining your dog in his crate or area when you are at home so he doesn’t learn that being in that space predicts that you will leave him home alone (practice several times a day for short periods of time).

• Practice leaving him in his crate or space while you leave the house for short periods of time (ideally starting with several minutes at a time and work up from there) from the first day.

• Most dogs and puppies are fairly stressed and shut down when they first come in to your home.  Setting up a consistent routine involving confinement and separation from the first day will help them adapt better than if they spend the first several days with you all the time and then you have to turn around and leave them alone when you go back to work. 

• Keep your coming and goings very low key.  Of course you love your dog but you don’t need to make a big deal of it when you leave the house or come home.  Being overly emotional will encourage your dog to be overly emotional.  Walk in the door, spend a couple of minutes doing other things, quietly greet the dog and then take him straight out to potty.  You can be more excited and rambunctious later when he comes back inside.  

• Follow a Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) program (search online or look for a future post) and exercise your dog well before you leave him alone.  These two things alone won’t fix separation anxiety but they can help.  NILIF allows dogs to be more relaxed and confident while a tired dog is more likely to go to sleep and less likely to engage in destructive behavior.   

• Make sure you have a well defined program for housetraining and teaching your dog not to chew.  Dogs may develop separation anxiety after being repeatedly punished when their owner has come home to housetraining or other accidents.

If there has been an accident, chewing or destructive behavior while you were gone – ignore it.  Punishing the dog when you get home won’t teach him that the behavior is wrong, it will only cause him to be more anxious when you come home.

• Dogs with separation anxiety tend to fall into one of two categories – some dogs are more relaxed if they are crated; other dogs panic more if crated.  If your dog becomes more anxious when crated, you may need to find another way to confine him in the house – shutting him in the kitchen or a large bathroom is a common solution.  If housetraining isn’t an issue, you may confine him to a bedroom or other larger room.

• Generally, keeping the dog in a part of the house that he is used to and normally spends time in is better.

• Try to protect the dog from outside stimuli – he doesn’t need to see traffic, pedestrians or other dogs outside the window.  This sort of stimulation usually only makes the situation worse.  You may want to cover or block windows if you can’t prevent his access to them.

• Help him feel good about being alone.  Provide high value, constructive chewing options when you confine him in his space (Kongs, marrow bones and interactive treat dispensing toys are all good options).

Remember, these dogs frequently will not eat if left home alone so start by making it really yummy, really easy to eat and practice putting him in his space with a great chewing options when you are home.  Gradually, work up to leaving the room and finally leaving the house while he is chewing.

If you have the time, you can initially only leave him alone for a short period time.  Return before he is done with his goodie and take it away from him.  This will cause him to think “Hey, I wasn’t done with that!  Go away so I can finish!”  Obviously, do not do this if your dog guards food or toys.

• Dogs with severe separation anxiety may need additional work including a desensitization program and possibly anti-anxiety medication.  If your dog has severe separation anxiety, talk to your vet or trainer to develop a personalized treatment plan for your dog.  

• For more information on separation anxiety including a detailed explanation for desensitizing your dog, check out Patricia McConnell’s pamphlet “I’ll be Home Soon!”  It is available online and at Amazon.com. 

Treating Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Looking through various sources relating to separation anxiety in dogs, they all have one central message. Teach your dog more independence!
Re-assessing your relationship with your dog and looking for clues of co-dependence is the first step for your dogs successful recovery.

Dog trainer Victoria Stillwell says: An independent dog is not a dog that does what he likes, whenever he wants. Instead, he’s confident enough in himself to allow you to disappear for periods of time. He won’t trail around after you all the time or get upset if you close the bathroom door. This is not a proof of devotion; your dog just can’t cope being away from you.

To get your dog on the path to independence a program of desensitizing and counter conditioning might be helpful.

Simply ignoring your dog is a great teaching tool. I have tried this in many situations. If done consistent and with patience and love it works well with most dogs and although it might seem cruel at times, your dog will acquire better social skills on the way.

Give him attention at your terms. If he wants to sit with you, move away. If he paws at you or wines, don’t respond, don’t even look at him. If he jumps up on you, turn around. Don’t allow him to follow you at all times. Close the door behind you, first for short times than at increasing length. Ignore him if he is overly boisterous when you re-enter the room.
In all the above situations wait until he calms down and then reward him with a treat for being calm.
In more serious cases you may have to go to more length to desensitize your dog to the fact that you are leaving. Since dogs are creatures of habit, they are fast learners when it comes to figuring out your rituals before you leave the house. My dog knows exactly when I’m getting ready to go out when I change my clothes and put on shoes. Packing my handbag is another clue. Because she knows that she will get a treat, she’s actually looking forward to me leaving. I don’t take this personally because I know that she is just as happy when I return.
Anxious dogs might start panicking when they see their human parents getting ready to leave. Sometimes it helps deflecting those anxiety attacks if you go through the leaving ritual several times a day – but not leave. Change your clothes, settle back down, and then change them again. Put on shoes just to take them back off after a while. Open the front door, just to close it again. Leave the house in your slippers for 30 seconds and then come back. Slowly, very slowly increase the times you leave. Ignore your dog’s overjoyed reaction when you return. Wait until he settles. He’ll learn fast what is required to get your attention and a yummy treat.

Veterinarian Dr. Dodman asks not to punish your dog on your return for their bad behavior. Punishment never works if delivered more than a few seconds after the event: rather, it simply serves to confuse the already distraught and bewildered dog.”

All of this must be accompanied by giving your dog enough exercise and other obedience training. If you need to be out regularly, arrange for a dog sitter or drop him off at doggy care.
Some vets recommend temporary medicating a dog in very bad cases of separation anxiety until training has made some progress. Some recommend crating your dog for extended times while you are home (with food, water, and toys and NOT as a punishment) to give them a ‘safe haven’ to retreat to when you’re gone. Some recommend spraying a perfume through the door before you enter the house so that over time the dog associates the scent with your return. After a while you can spray it before you leave to reassure your dog.

Sources: It’s Me Or The Dog by Victoria Stilwell; The Dog Who Loved Too Much by Dr, Nicholas Dodman; Secret Lives Of Dogs by Jane Murphy, and special thanks to my dad who trained dogs for all his life.

Painting by ipaintyourpet.net

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