Do you have a dog that becomes clingy as you are planning to leave the house? Has a neighbour told you that your dog barks when you are not home? Or maybe you return to mess and destruction.
Please don’t be angry at your dog; they do not do things out of spite and it’s not a protest. They are likely to be struggling with their emotions in some way. There’s always a reason behind the behaviour and I’m going to explore separation related issues in this blog to help you understand your dog’s behaviour better.
What are the symptoms of a separation problem?
There’s a range of behaviour dogs may show if they are having a problem when left and each dog is an individual.
These are some of the symptoms you may see:
🐾 Destructive behaviour such as chewing furniture
🐾 Stealing and chewing items
🐾 Ingestion of non-food items
🐾 Going to the toilet indoors
🐾 Vocalisation (howling, whining, barking)
🐾 Attempts to escape
🐾 Overgrooming / licking / self mutilation
🐾 Panting and salivation
🐾 Digging
🐾 'Shutdown’ hiding / withdrawal
🐾 Pacing and circling
🐾 Trembling
🐾 Fearful body language such as low tail/body carriage and ears pinned back, wide eyes, lip licking and yawning
🐾 Hyperactivity or aggression at times of departures / arrivals
🐾 Diarrhoea and vomiting (which may or may not happen at the times they are left)
Why do dogs develop separation problems?
People often blame themselves….”we didn’t leave her at home alone when she was young” is a commonphrase I hear. But simply leaving your puppy won’t prevent them from developing a problem.
Dogs were domesticated over tens of thousands of years to live closely alongside us. They are hard-wired to want to be with us, they are a social species just like we are and that’s why we love them. Our dogs rely on us for everything; food, water, their physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Is it any wonder that they can struggle without us?
Some dogs are just okay with with being alone without much effort from their owner, some are not. Genetics plays a big part in this as it does with any behaviour. Even if you get a puppy at 8 weeks of age they have genetic baggage; this will always be there. Some dogs are born more anxious or fearful than others.
Then we have to look at their early life experiences, what happened while they were in the womb and during those first 8 weeks of life? These early experiences begin to shape who your puppy will become. Mothers that are stressed during pregnancy are more likely to produce puppies that are easily stressed.
It’s known that puppies from anxious or fearful parents are more likely to be anxious and fearful so if you are thinking of getting a puppy you need to be asking lots of questions about the temperament of both parents.
Puppies that are reared in substandard conditions or that do not receive adequate socialisation and enrichment while they are developing are also more likely to be anxious orfearful.
What are the reasons dogs may struggle being left at home?
🐾 Over attachment to owner: These dogs cannot cope unless they are with a specific person, so it doesn’t matter if you employ a dog-sitter or enrol the dog in daycare, they won’t cope without that person. These dogs need help to learn some independence from you and to develop deeper bonds with other people.
🐾 Isolation distress: these dogs are scared to be alone and severe cases of isolation distress are like the dog version of a panic attack, causing great psychological distress. These dogs often become worried at the first hint their owners may be leaving the house, sometimes hours before hand. These dogs need very gradual exposure to being separated.
🐾 Confinement distress: these dogs cannot cope with being confined, this may be a fear of small spaces such as crates or they may be scared to shut in a specific room.
🐾 Noise sensitivities: many dogs are reactive to noises coming from outside of the property and this can be elevated when their owners are not there to help with their confidence. Dogs with noise phobias need specialist help, as do dogs that are ‘reactive’ to sights and sounds outside the home.
🐾 Barrier frustration: Some dogs cannot cope with frustration, this frustration can begin with puppies if a door or gate is closed, but can develop and spread into an issue where the frustration is triggered when you leave the house. Some dogs will only be frustrated when you are still in the house and will settle once you’ve gone. These dogs need the opportunity to build up their tolerance to frustration, in a set up and controlled way before they will be able to extend this to being separated from you.
🐾 Boredom: some dogs are just not getting the mental or physical stimulation they need, which reduces their ability to cope when left home alone. This can often lead to barking or destruction in attempt to keep themselves amused but it is important to not assume that all destruction or barking has boredom at the root cause.
🐾 Incomplete toilet training: not all dogs will toilet in the house when left because they are scared; some may not have learned how to hold themselves for long periods of time or may not have been given adequate opportunities to relieve themselves before they were left.
🐾 Young puppies and adolescents: the majority of young puppies cannot cope being left home alone; baby animals are not supposed to be alone for long periods of time and are reliant on their family members to feel safe. Puppies need very gradual exposure to being alone, along with exercises to teach them how to be independent. Adolescent dogs are also at an increased risk of developing negative associations due to the stress response being more easily triggered during this developmental stage.
🐾 Combination of issues: Some dogs have a combination of problems or there’s an underlying health cause that needs addressing.
What are the common things that people do in attempt to work on their dog’s separation related problem?
I’m going to go through a few things that people will often try and why they may not work. In some instances these can be part of a bigger plan to address separated problems, but they are unlikely to resolve a true separation problem as a stand alone solution. Why? Let’s have a look at the common suggestions you may have heard….
🐾 Leaving their dog for a set amount of time and repeating it: If the dog is having a panic attack when they are left for that period of time; it’s not going to get better by repeating it. Repeating the bad experience tends to lead to the dog having their fears confirmed and the problem can get worse over time. Sometimes these dogs can learn to give up (a term called “learned helplessness”) where the issue appears resolved but the dog is actually feeling much worse. This is an extreme type of stress and is not good for any dog, we know as humans that long term stress has a negative impact on our physical health too and it’s the same for our dogs.
🐾 Using a crate: There are very few occasions where confinement to a crate is going to help a dog to feel better about being home alone and in some cases it may mask the problem by taking away their coping strategies. There is a serious risk of crate confinement making the problem worse and some dogs will injure themselves trying to break out of a crate in a panic.
🐾 Trying to wear the dog out: Tiring a dog may help in some cases especially if the root cause is boredom, but if the dog is anxious or fearful this can also make things worse due to something called “trigger stacking”; playing high energy games in attempt to wear a dog out can increase the level of stress hormones in their system which can make them feel more anxious or fearful when left. Physical exhaustion can also mask the stress temporarily. If you suspect your dog is bored it would be better to combine appropriate exercise with mental stimulation.
🐾 Sending the dog to daycare or getting a dog sitter: this can be a great solution while working on the problem but only if the dog does not have over attachment issues to specific people.
🐾 Leaving the dog with an item of the owner’s clothing, or putting music on: some dogs can seek comfort in items belonging to their owners and putting music on can help drown out noises coming from outside that they react to, if these things work for your dog brilliant, do it! But for an anxiety or fear these would be part of a bigger plan and are unlikely to resolve the problem as a stand alone solution.
🐾 Giving the dog something to do such as a hollow toy stuffed with food: For dogs that are bored this can help, it can also become part of a safe leaving procedure as part of a bigger plan. If your dog is fearful or anxious they likely won’t be interested in the food and many people say their dog does not eat it until they get home. Sometimes using food can make the dog feel tricked, or they can be so distracted emptying the food stuffed toy that they do not notice your departure and then panic that you’ve disappeared once they have finished the food. There’s also the risk that you could create a negative association to food by producing it just before the bad thing happens.
So your dog has an issue with being left, what can you do now?
🐾 If this is a sudden problem please arrange for a thorough veterinary consultation and pain assessment. Any new behaviour change should be presumed to have a health related cause. Never assume that your dog is completely fit and healthy even if they appear so, it’s known that a high percentage of dogs with behaviour problems also have a health problem of some sort and this applies to puppies too!
🐾 It’s important to make alternative arrangements so that the cycle does not continue and their negative associations do not worsen
🐾 Figure out what they can cope with now: can they cope being in a different room to you? Can they cope being left with someone else? Can they cope being physically separated from you by a door or baby gate? At what point do they become anxious when you are going to leave the house? Are they better after exercise? Are they better being left in a specific area or at certain times of day? Is there a pattern to the behaviour? Set up a camera so you can see them when you go out. By keeping detailed records you will gather information on what could be the cause and this is so helpful when you seek the help of a behaviourist.
🐾 Ensure you give your dog plenty of opportunities to decompress from stress. If you live in a busy area, or don’t have anywhere where your dog can just ‘be a dog’ then private hire fields such as Martham Paw Ground are ideal, you can take yourselves off there and relax, not worrying about anyone else turning up and your dog will have the opportunity to do normal dog things. This is especially important for dogs that are anxious in general as sometimes the world is a scary place and they can’t switch off.
🐾 Ensure your dog’s needs are being met. If your dog does not get enough mental or physical stimulation try to increase this, it doesn’t need to take lots of time or be highly energetic and you can easily top up their weekly activities with a trip to Martham Paw Ground or some easy trick training at home.
🐾 Dogs that are anxious / fearful about being left at home need a holistic approach including lifestyle changes, addressing any health related causes, meeting their physical, psychological and emotional needs as well as addressing the underlying emotions using desensitisation and counter-conditioning. This is where it’s important to seek help from an expert. Delaying this while trying ineffective treatments can make the problem worse and impact your dog’s welfare. Not only that, it’s stressful for you!
If you need professional help with your dog’s separation related issues then please feel free to get in touch, I will always help suggest someone if I’m unable to help you myself, or you can refer to the following organisations to find a qualifiedand regulated professional close to you:
https://fabclinicians.org/find-a-behaviourist/
https://www.apbc.org.uk/find-an-apbc-member/
There are also some brilliant books I recommend to learn more about separation related problems and these will be particularly useful for prospective or new puppy owners:
https://julienaismith.com/the-books/
Do beware of generic advice online and from family, friends, other dog walkers et cetera. Often it comes from a good place but by taking the wrong course of action for your dog you can make the problem much worse.
Blog written by Claire Mcknespiey, Educating Paws.
