The most wonderful things about dogs are their sheer faithfulness, how much they enjoy being around us, and how happy they are when we get home. In some dogs, though, missing their owner when they’re out of the house for a while is ramped up to a whole new level. This is called separation anxiety, a condition that causes dogs to feel intense distress when their owner leaves.
Separation anxiety can result in destructive behaviors, going to the bathroom inside the house, pacing, shaking, barking, whining, and howling. If you suspect that separation anxiety is something your dog suffers from, there are some things you can try to help ease their stress when you’re not around.
The 8 Great Ideas on How to Calm a Dog with Separation Anxiety
1. Create Positive Associations
If you want to get your dog to like something, one of the best ways is to create positive associations around the thing that frightens them. In the case of dogs with separation anxiety, this means getting them to enjoy being alone because they expect something fun to happen or some tasty treats to come their way.
For example, if your dog is play-motivated, try giving them a puzzle toy to work out when you leave the house—something that will take them a while to figure out. If they’re food-motivated, give them a toy containing treats that they have to work for. When you get home, take the toy away. This teaches your dog to associate these fun things with being alone.
This might not work for dogs with severe anxiety, though, as they’re more likely to lose their appetite when highly stressed. You’re likely to have more success with this method with mild cases of separation anxiety. It is also a great idea to try to avoid anxiety by starting with small periods of time away and then, gradually increasing the time.
2. Exercise Your Dog
Before you leave, make sure your dog has been for a walk. This will help tire them out and put them in a more relaxed frame of mind when you leave. A dog full of pent-up energy is more prone to becoming destructive and anxious.
3. Remove the Triggering Cues
For dogs with moderate or severe separation anxiety, desensitizing them to their deep-set fears can take weeks or even months, so you’ll need to be consistent. If your dog clearly identifies the cues that indicate you’re going to leave, for example, when you pick up your car keys and put your shoes on, you can use these cues to train your dog to stop associating them with your departure.
Throughout the day, pick up your keys and put on your shoes, but don’t leave the house. Read a book or watch TV on the couch. You’ll need to do this a lot over several weeks to really get your dog used to it. When your dog starts to appear less anxious when you pick up your keys and put on your shoes, you can start leaving the house in short bursts.
Make sure your dog is feeling relaxed, and do not make a big fuss either leaving the house nor returning a couple of minutes later. Gradually increase the amount of time you spend out of the room before graduating to standing outside the house for short periods, leaving via a different door from the one you usually use to leave.
Eventually, you should hopefully be able to leave your house for a short time without your dog getting upset. Leave them with a treat-filled toy when you’re out to give them something to do while you’re away.
4. Act Normally
Avoid making a huge fuss of your dog when you leave or come back. When you leave, don’t make eye contact, and don’t touch your dog. When you come in, calmly hang up your coat and take off your shoes while ignoring your dog. Only greet them after a few minutes, when you are already settled inside the house.
This might sound cruel, but the best thing you can do for an anxious dog is to remain calm, confident, and assertive. Dogs are pack animals and look to their leader to gauge information about a situation. If you make a fuss of leaving and returning, your anxious dog will pick up there’s something to make a fuss about.
If it makes you feel better, give your dog a cuddle well before you start preparing to leave instead of when you actually leave.
5. Try Audiobooks
There are audiobooks created specifically for anxious dogs to listen to while you’re away. Studies have shown that audiobooks can provide comfort to anxious dogs in the form of a human voice for them to listen to while alone.
6. Make Your Dog’s Alone Time Comfortable
Make sure the space your dog will spend alone time in is as inviting and comfortable as possible. In addition to the possibility of leaving an audiobook playing, you could try leaving a sweater with your scent on for your dog to cuddle with as well as their favorite toys and blanket.
7. Get a Pet Sitter
Getting a pet sitter or someone you trust to check on and/or walk your dog while you’re away can ease both your stress and your dog’s.
8. Consider Medication or Behavioral Therapy
If your dog’s separation anxiety is severe, the best course of action is to speak to a vet about the possibility of supplements or medication. You may also want to recruit the services of a dog behaviorist. Please never offer your dog medication without checking it out with your vet first.
Conclusion
Separation anxiety, especially when severe, can cause a lot of distress for all involved. For your dog, there’s the anxiety itself, and for you, there’s the anxiety and guilt of leaving them.
The good news is that stress-related behaviors and negative associations in dogs can be changed. In dogs with moderate or severe separation anxiety, this may take some time and may require the services of a professional behaviorist, but with patience and consistency, things can change.
We recommend talking to your vet and/or a dog behaviorist to get the right support “team” around you while you tackle your dog’s separation anxiety.
Featured Image Credit: san4ezz, Shutterstock