When dogs exhibit disruptive or destructive behaviors such as urinating, defecating, barking, howling, chewing, or attempting to escape while left alone, it can be a sign of separation anxiety. These actions, especially when accompanied by distress behaviors like drooling or anxiety during departure preparations, indicate a dog’s emotional distress due to separation from their guardians. Escape attempts can be extreme, leading to self-injury and significant household damage, particularly around exits. Some dogs become agitated before their guardians leave, while others display anxiety or depression when left alone, or even attempt to prevent departure. Upon a guardian’s return, a dog with separation anxiety may react as if they haven’t seen their owner in years. The primary goal in treating separation anxiety is to resolve the underlying distress by teaching the dog to tolerate or even enjoy being alone, achieved by creating positive associations with solitude.
Common Symptoms of Separation Anxiety
Several key behaviors can signal separation anxiety in dogs:
- Urinating and Defecating: Soiling indoors when left alone, distinct from house-soiling that occurs in the guardian’s presence.
- Barking and Howling: Persistent vocalizations triggered solely by being left alone.
- Chewing, Digging, and Destruction: Damage to objects, door frames, windowsills, or household items, often concentrated around exit points. These destructive actions can lead to self-injury and typically do not occur when the guardian is present.
- Escaping: Attempts to break out of confinement when alone, potentially causing self-injury.
- Pacing: Repetitive walking or trotting along a fixed path, usually not observed when the guardian is home.
- Coprophagia: The consumption of feces when left alone, a behavior less likely to occur in the guardian’s presence.
Potential Triggers for Separation Anxiety
While the exact cause of separation anxiety isn’t fully understood, certain life events are strongly associated with its development. Dogs adopted from shelters appear more prone to this issue than those raised in a single-family environment since puppyhood, suggesting that the loss of a significant attachment figure can be a trigger. Other less drastic changes can also precipitate the disorder.
Situations Associated with Separation Anxiety:
- Change of Guardian or Family: Abandonment, surrender to a shelter, or being rehomed can initiate separation anxiety.
- Change in Schedule: Sudden alterations in the timing or duration of a dog’s solitude, such as a guardian transitioning from working at home to a job requiring them to be away for extended periods, can be a catalyst.
- Change in Residence: Moving to a new home environment.
- Change in Household Membership: The absence of a family member due to death or moving away.
Ruling Out Medical and Behavioral Issues
Before diagnosing separation anxiety, it’s crucial to rule out other potential causes for the observed behaviors.
Medical Problems to Consider:
- Incontinence: Urinary incontinence, characterized by “leaking” or involuntary urination, can stem from various medical issues, including urinary tract infections, hormonal imbalances, bladder stones, diabetes, kidney disease, and neurological problems. A veterinarian must be consulted to exclude these possibilities.
- Medications: Certain medications can cause increased urination and house-soiling. It’s important to discuss any current medications with your veterinarian.
Other Behavior Problems to Rule Out:
- Submissive or Excitement Urination: Urination during greetings, play, physical contact, or reprimands, often accompanied by submissive body language.
- Incomplete House Training: Occasional indoor urination may indicate incomplete house-training, possibly due to inconsistent training or fear of elimination in the owner’s presence.
- Urine Marking: Scent marking, typically involving urinating small amounts on vertical surfaces, more common in male dogs.
- Juvenile Destruction: Destructive chewing or digging behaviors common in young dogs, occurring both when owners are home and away. For more detailed information, refer to resources on destructive chewing.
- Boredom: Disruptive behaviors stemming from a lack of mental stimulation, where dogs may seem to be seeking activity rather than exhibiting anxiety.
- Excessive Barking or Howling: Vocalizations triggered by environmental stimuli like unfamiliar sights and sounds, occurring whether the owner is present or not. Consult resources on barking and howling.
Treating Separation Anxiety
Treatment strategies vary depending on the severity of the separation anxiety.
Treatment for Mild Separation Anxiety: Counterconditioning
Counterconditioning aims to change a dog’s fearful response to being alone into a positive or tolerant one. This involves associating solitude with highly rewarding activities, such as special food-stuffed toys like a KONG®. These toys should only be available when the dog is alone, reinforcing the idea that departures predict enjoyable treats. Feeding all meals in such toys can enhance this association. However, this method is typically effective only for mild cases, as severely anxious dogs may not eat when left alone.
Treatment for Moderate to Severe Separation Anxiety: Desensitization and Counterconditioning
More severe cases require a gradual desensitization and counterconditioning program, focusing on slowly increasing the duration of alone time. This process must be guided by a professional, such as a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), an Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (ACAAB), or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB), to ensure it’s implemented correctly and safely. A Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) with experience in fear-based behavior modification can also provide assistance. The article Finding Professional Behavior Help can help locate qualified professionals.
Key Steps in the Program:
- Predeparture Cues: For dogs who exhibit anxiety as their guardians prepare to leave (e.g., putting on shoes, grabbing keys), desensitize them to these cues by performing them without actually leaving. This helps diminish the association between these actions and the distress of separation. This requires consistent repetition over many weeks.
- Graduated Departures/Absences: Begin with extremely short departures (seconds), gradually increasing the duration as the dog remains calm. Start with “out-of-sight” stays indoors and progress to exit doors. Incorporate counterconditioning by providing a stuffed food toy just before leaving, acting as a “safe” cue for the dog. It’s crucial to ensure each absence is shorter than the time it takes for the dog to become anxious. If signs of stress appear, shorten the departure time and proceed more slowly. Building up to 40-minute absences is a significant milestone, after which longer durations can be introduced. This process often takes weeks of consistent daily sessions.
Essential Component: During treatment, the dog should never be left truly alone except during desensitization sessions. Alternative arrangements include taking the dog to work, having someone stay with the dog, using a doggy daycare, or leaving the dog in a car only in moderate weather conditions. Greetings and departures should be calm and subdued to minimize excitement.
Additional Treatment Components:
- Crate Training: Can be beneficial if the dog perceives the crate as a safe space. However, if it causes distress, confining the dog to a single room with a baby gate may be a better alternative.
- Enrichment and Exercise: Providing ample physical and mental stimulation is vital. Daily aerobic exercise, interactive games, varied walks, play with other dogs, and the use of food puzzle toys and chew items can reduce stress and provide outlets for energy. Hiding kibble around the house encourages natural foraging behaviors. Reward-based training classes and dog sports also offer significant mental engagement. Ensure puzzle toys and chews are provided whenever the dog is left alone.
- Medications: In moderate to severe cases, or when behavior modification alone is insufficient, anti-anxiety medication prescribed by a veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist can be highly effective. Medication can help dogs tolerate isolation and progress more rapidly with behavior modification.
What NOT to Do:
Never scold or punish a dog for separation anxiety-related behaviors. These are distress responses, not acts of disobedience or spite. Punishment can exacerbate anxiety and worsen the problem.
