12 signs of Separation Anxiety: Identification & Intervention
The symptoms of dog separation anxiety can range from blatantly obvious to subtle signs you may not notice right away. If you think your dog may have separation anxiety, and you're not sure where to start, take a deep breath, and read on.
Signs that your dog may be experiencing separation anxiety
- Excessive vocalization
- Destructive behavior
- Potty accidents
- Panting
- Hypersalivation
- Pacing
- Trembling
- Over-grooming: Creating reddish/brown staining or bald spots in their fur.
- Self-mutilation: Such as chewing themselves until they bleed.
- Escape behavior resulting in self-trauma: Frantically trying to escape a crate, room, or the house in general. Generally around windows or doorways.
- Food refusal
- Water refusal
Questions to ask yourself to discern if what you're seeing is actually separation anxiety
- If your dog is crated "Does this happen when the dog is outside of the crate too?" If not, your dog may be experiencing a fear of confinement rather than separation anxiety.
- "Does this behavior only happen when they are alone?" A dog who is housetrained might be assumed to be having a house training regression when it is actually separation related discomfort.
- "Does this behavior happen when I am home but not looking?". If the answer to that is yes, then we need to consider the possibility that your dog is avoiding doing the behavior in front of you due to previous punishment or reactions. This most often happens with potty accidents and unwanted chewing.
- If the dog does display the behavior when you're around "Is it more intense or persistant when the dog is alone?" If the answer is yes, it's safe to assume that your dog may be experiencing anxiety when alone.
If you're not sure or if you think your dog does display separation anxiety, I recommend using a camera to monitor their behavior while you're gone to confirm. I typically use the WYZE camera, but if you don't want to buy a camera just yet, you can set up a Zoom call between your phone and laptop.
Pro tip: If your dog is free in the house, put the camera in a spot where you can see the door that you normally leave out of. Most anxious dogs will either hover around that area or continually check the door.
How to intervene
First I want you to evaluate how you're feeling and shift your mindset if need be. Are you coming at this with concern and empathy for your dog? Or are you angry at them and seeing them as a naughty, spiteful little inconvenience?
Yes, it can be frustrating, and it's okay to have your feelings, but you cannot take those feelings out on your dog. It will help nothing and it will destroy your relationship. Mourn the dog that you wanted and then accept the dog that you have. I want you to understand that your dog is in an absolute panic when they're behaving this way. Your dog is in a burning house and they're desperately trying to save themselves. Just like you would. Panic is an involuntary emotional response to perceived danger that your dog doesn't really have control over and neither do you. Separation anxiety is a panic disorder and your dog needs your empathy and support right now. Here's how to intervene and give your dog the best chance of success!
1. See Your Vet
First you need to rule out a medical cause and talk to your vet about potential behavior medication if they are cleared medically. Many behavior cases have some sort of medical component to them and it is rarely obvious unless you look deeper. I always recommend doing lab work and a pain assessement first and foremost. Keep in mind that not all vets are well versed in identifying pain, so it's worth it to get your dog evaluated by a Dynamic Dog Practitioner prior to your vet appointment. These are individuals that are specially trained to identify potential pain points based on your dogs structure and movement. If your dog is in the clear, talk to your vet about a behavior medication intervention to aid in training. Contrary to what some believe, medication is best used as a first line of defense, not a last resort. It is less likely to help when used as the latter. Call and ask what your vets comfort level is with behavior medication before making an appointment. If you're nervous about going at all of this alone, skip to #2 first. Your separation anxiety specialist can help you find the right vet, help you work with them, and will write a behavior report for the vet to go off of. We also track data so we can see what medications are actually working.
2. Find A Separation Anxiety Specialist
To give your dog the best chance of success, you're going to want to look for a certified specialist. There are plenty of non-specialist trainers out there that will say they do separation anxiety, but are not using best practices, or are using downright abusive training methods. Look for someone who has gone out of their way to get certified in this specific issue. Separation anxiety is not an easy thing to work with. There are no quick fixes. It requires a special set of skills and education to do successfully and humanely. Right now there are two well respected separation anxiety certification programs out there that have directories to find a trainer. Cert-SAPT & CSAT. Pretty much all separation anxiety specialists work virtually. Virtual is the gold standard for separation anxiety training. This is because of the level of support clients need during the process and to prevent the "trainer effect" that may give us false baselines. Working virtually allows us to work with each client up to 5 days per week instead of the typical model of meeting once a week and sending you off between lessons to fend for yourself. It's a tough process with ups and downs. You will be thankful for the extra support!
3. Absence Management
During training it's essential that you not leave your dog alone for longer than they can handle. This is standard in the treatment of separation anxiety. I know this is a tough one to swallow and you probably think "This is impossible! Who is able to do that?!" I'm here to tell you that it is possible and it's not as difficult as you'd think. Many of my clients are already doing this before they find me. Take a deep breath and hear me out...
Why?- This is recommended for a couple reasons. Firstly, we do this to prevent unnecessary suffering. Secondly, it becomes very difficult to teach a dog that being alone is safe if they are continuing to have unsafe experiences. It's just further validating their fear of being alone which is counterproductive to your goal. Your dog has a neural pathway that has been built that tells them being alone = unsafe. We want to weaken that pathway and build a new one that tells them being alone = safe. In order to effectively weaken that old pathway, it needs to be mostly unused for an extended period of time while we build the new one via safe experiences. This is a very simplistic version of how this works but it lays it out nicely for us non-neuroscientists.
How?- You're going to want to start building your "team" right away to achieve this in a timely manner. You don't have to have it all figured out right away, but start building it now, and take your time if you need to to fully build it in a way that works for you and your dog. Most people have multiple options for absence management that they utilize throughout the week. This doesn't always have to be expensive if you're dedicated to finding the resources. There are plenty of people out there that would love to hangout with your special pup for free! Also consider exchanging services or expertise as payment. Here is a list of management ideas!
Daycare (daycare facility/in home daycare)
Pet sitter (in their home or your home)
Family
Friends
Neighbors
Take your dog to work with you if you can
Work from home with your pup if able, even if it's only a couple days a week
Utilize dog friendly patios/stores if appropriate for your dog
Bring your dog in the car on short errands if they're fine alone in the car (weather permitting)
Local retirees
Local college students who can’t have their own pet
Locals who work from home
Local pet owners who want a friend for their dog to hang out with
What if I can't fully manage absences?- Do your best, keep looking for ways to minimize scary alone time, and communicate with your separation anxiety trainer. The important thing is that you're trying! There are certain things we can do to try to minimize the impact of some unmanaged absences. It's not unheard of for dogs to recover when absences can't be fully managed, but it is typically a slower, bumpier road. Keep in mind that the success rate is lower because there are some dogs that are more sensitive to this than others. You're unlikely to make progress though if you're leaving your dog to panic for hours every day, so you'll want to at least reduce these scary absences as much as you can. Don't give up on looking for management options!
In addition to these initial steps it's always good to take a look at the relationship you have with their dog and really consider if their needs are being met. Separation anxiety is not a boredom issue like you may have read on the internet, but meeting their needs can certainly help with the overall treatment plan. If you are looking for professional guidance, I encourage you to visit my website if you'd like to work with me. I take clients from all over the world!
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