Understanding and Addressing Separation Anxiety in Dogs

When dogs are left alone, some pet parents experience disruptive or destructive behaviors from their canine companions. These behaviors can include house soiling, excessive barking or howling, chewing, digging, and escape attempts. While these issues might initially seem like a lack of training in house manners or toy selection, they can often be indicators of distress, specifically separation anxiety. This condition is triggered when dogs become upset due to being separated from their guardians, the people to whom they have formed strong attachments. For dogs suffering from separation anxiety, escape attempts can be extreme, leading to self-injury and significant damage to the home, particularly around windows and doors.

Some dogs exhibit agitation when their owners prepare to leave, while others may display anxiety or depression prior to departure or when their guardians are absent. Some even attempt to prevent their guardians from leaving. Typically, shortly after a dog with separation anxiety is left alone, they will begin to bark and exhibit distress behaviors within a short period, often within minutes. Upon the guardian’s return, the dog may react as if they haven’t seen their owner in a very long time.

The primary goal when treating a dog with separation anxiety is to resolve the underlying anxiety by teaching the dog to tolerate or even enjoy being left alone. This is achieved by creating situations where the dog experiences being alone without fear or anxiety.

Common Symptoms of Separation Anxiety

Several signs may indicate that a dog is suffering from separation anxiety:

• Urinating and Defecating: Some dogs may urinate or defecate when left unattended. If a dog exhibits these behaviors in the presence of their guardian, it is likely not due to separation anxiety.
• Barking and Howling: Persistent barking or howling when left alone, not triggered by external factors, can be a symptom of separation anxiety.
• Chewing, Digging, and Destruction: Dogs with separation anxiety might chew on objects, door frames, or window sills, dig at doors, or destroy household items when left alone. These actions can lead to self-injury. Such destructive behaviors typically do not occur when the guardian is present.
• Escaping: Anxious dogs may attempt to escape confinement when left alone, often by digging or chewing through doors or windows, which can cause self-injury. This behavior is usually specific to when the guardian is absent.
• Pacing: Some dogs exhibit repetitive pacing when left alone. This behavior, if linked to separation anxiety, generally does not occur when the guardian is present.
• Coprophagia: A distressing behavior where dogs defecate and consume their excrement when left alone. This is typically not observed in the presence of the guardian.

Potential Triggers for Separation Anxiety

While the exact causes of separation anxiety are not fully understood, it is believed that significant life changes can trigger its development. Dogs adopted from shelters, for instance, may be more prone to this issue than those who have lived with a single family since puppyhood, suggesting that the loss of a primary attachment figure can be a factor. Other situations associated with the onset of separation anxiety include:

• Change in Guardian or Family: Being abandoned, surrendered to a shelter, or rehomed can initiate separation anxiety.
• Alteration in Schedule: Sudden changes in the timing or duration of a dog’s alone time can be a trigger. For example, a dog accustomed to constant companionship may develop anxiety when their owner begins leaving them alone for extended periods.
• Relocation: Moving to a new residence has also been linked to the development of separation anxiety.
• Change in Household Composition: The unexpected absence of a family member, whether due to death or moving away, can trigger this condition.

Ruling Out Medical and Behavioral Issues

Before diagnosing separation anxiety, it’s crucial to rule out other potential causes for the observed behaviors.

Medical Conditions

• Incontinence: Certain medical issues, such as urinary tract infections, hormonal imbalances, bladder stones, diabetes, kidney disease, or neurological problems, can cause a dog to leak or involuntarily void their bladder. Dogs with incontinence may seem unaware of soiling themselves. It is essential to consult a veterinarian to rule out these medical causes before addressing behavioral concerns.
• Medications: Some medications can lead to increased urination and house soiling. Discuss any medications your dog is taking with your veterinarian.

Other Behavioral Problems

• Submissive or Excitement Urination: Some dogs urinate during greetings, play, physical contact, or when being reprimanded. These dogs often display submissive body language.
• Incomplete House Training: Occasional house soiling might indicate that a dog is not fully house trained or may have developed fear around elimination due to inconsistent training or punishment.
• Urine Marking: Some dogs urinate small amounts on vertical surfaces for scent marking, often lifting a leg.
• Juvenile Destruction: Many young dogs engage in destructive chewing or digging, regardless of whether their owners are present.
• Boredom: A lack of mental stimulation can lead to disruptive behaviors when a dog is left alone, as they seek activity out of boredom. These dogs typically do not appear anxious.
• Excessive Barking or Howling: Vocalization in response to environmental triggers, such as unfamiliar sights and sounds, can occur whether the owner is home or not.

Strategies for Addressing Separation Anxiety

Mild Separation Anxiety Treatment

For mild cases, counterconditioning can be effective. This process aims to change a dog’s fearful reaction to a situation into a positive, relaxed one by associating the trigger (being alone) with highly desirable rewards.

• Puzzle Toys: Offer your dog a puzzle toy stuffed with highly palatable food (e.g., low-fat cream cheese, peanut butter, frozen banana, cottage cheese, or a mix of kibble and canned food) before you leave. These toys should take 20-30 minutes to empty. Frozen toys will extend the time.
• Exclusive Treat Access: Ensure these special toys are only available when the dog is alone.
• Meal Feeding: Consider feeding all of your dog’s meals in these puzzle toys to create a strong positive association with being alone. However, this may not work for highly anxious dogs who refuse to eat when their owners are absent.

Moderate to Severe Separation Anxiety Treatment

More severe cases require a structured desensitization and counterconditioning program, which involves gradually accustoming the dog to being alone. This process must be guided by a qualified professional, such as a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB/ACAAB) or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB). A Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) with experience in fear and desensitization can also be helpful.

Key Steps in the Program:

1. Predeparture Cues: If your dog exhibits anxiety as you prepare to leave (e.g., putting on shoes, grabbing keys), desensitize them to these cues by performing them randomly throughout the day without actually leaving. This helps diminish the association between these actions and your departure.
2. Graduated Departures/Absences: Begin with very short absences, ensuring they are shorter than the time it takes for your dog to become anxious. Gradually increase the duration of these absences over many weeks.
   • Practice Out-of-Sight Stays: Start with short durations behind an inside door, slowly increasing the time.
   • Incorporate Departure Cues: Combine stay exercises with predeparture cues.
   • Progress to Exit Doors: Move to practicing at exit doors, gradually introducing short absences. Offering a stuffed food toy just before leaving can serve as a safety cue.
   • Manage Arousal: Wait a few minutes between absences to allow your dog to relax fully, preventing increased arousal that could worsen anxiety.
   • Calm Greetings and Farewells: Keep departures and arrivals low-key to minimize the contrast between your presence and absence.
   • Monitor Stress Signals: Pay close attention to signs of stress (e.g., dilated pupils, panting, yawning, trembling) and adjust the duration of absences accordingly.
   • Build Duration Gradually: Focus on increasing absence duration slowly, especially up to 40 minutes, as most anxious responses occur within this timeframe. Once 40 minutes is tolerated, larger increments can be used.

Essential Component: During treatment, your dog should never be left alone except during desensitization sessions. Alternative arrangements include:

• Taking your dog to work.
• Arranging for a pet sitter or family member to stay with your dog.
• Taking your dog to a doggy daycare.
• Leaving your dog in a car in moderate weather (exercise extreme caution due to heatstroke risk).

Management Strategies

• Crate Training: A crate can be a safe haven for some dogs, but for others, it can increase anxiety. Monitor your dog’s response to crate confinement. If distress signs appear, consider confining them to a room with a baby gate instead.
• Enrichment and Exercise: Providing ample physical and mental stimulation is crucial.
  • Engage in at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily, preferably before leaving your dog alone.
  • Play interactive games like fetch and tug-of-war.
  • Take daily walks, exploring new routes and sights.
  • Allow supervised play with other dogs if your dog enjoys it.
  • Provide food puzzle toys and chew items whenever you leave, as chewing and licking can have a calming effect.
  • Engage your dog in “food hunting” by hiding kibble around the house.
  • Enroll in reward-based training classes or dog sports to provide mental activity and strengthen your bond.

Medications

For severe cases, medications prescribed by a veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist can be highly beneficial, helping dogs tolerate isolation and making behavior modification more effective. In rare instances, medication alone may suffice for mild cases, but a combination of medication and behavior modification is typically recommended.

Important Note: Never scold or punish your dog for separation anxiety-related behaviors. These are distress responses, not acts of disobedience or spite. Punishment can exacerbate the problem.