Separation anxiety is a very common problem in dogs and can easily occur when the owner returns to work after a holiday, maternity leave or even when the children of the house return to school. It is usually the fear or anxiety of isolation and can lead to disruptive behaviour.< p>

As social animals, puppies are inclined to have a strong bond with their mother and littermates. When they leave the litter, this bond is then formed with the new owner; - this attachment implies a trusting relationship and in the majority of cases leads to this healthy bond. However, when a dog becomes overly attached to its owner, problem behaviour can develop.

Most dogs can handle being left on their own for eight to twelve hours, especially if they have access to a garden or a run if they feel the need, - they may be vaguely unhappy or bored but will not become nuisances. The dogs that are overly attached to one or more members of its household will become extremely anxious when left alone, - these dogs can make leaving the house an emotional chore.

Dogs with this problem will display a variety of unacceptable behaviours, which includes defecation and urination in inappropriate places including its owners living areas ( i.e. living room, bed, etc), excessive barking and howling, hyperactivity and they usually engage in very destructive behaviour (normally directed at the direction the owner left).
These behaviours, however, may also be the symptoms off other problems such as physical (e.g. seizures, diabetes, or gastrointestinal distress), and so a visit to the vet can rule out such things. Separation anxiety is the probable cause if the undesired behaviours are clearly connected to the removal of the owner with a lengthy, over-excited greeting when they return.

These symptoms seem to go hand in hand with the loss of emotional homeostasis and are more than likely to be an attempt to regain it.

Such behaviour can be distressing to the owner and their household; - for example, the owner may feel quite guilty about leaving the animal, brought on by its crying and frantic behaviour, wanting to be near its owner.

Usually, signs of anxiety start as the owner prepares to leave the house; - normal things such as jangling keys and turning off lights can act as stimuli and set off a dog’s anxious behaviour. The majority of dogs with S.A, will begin to pace up and down, this will then progress to digging, chewing and scratching at doors or windows (usually in the direction that the owner has left). This will be accompanied by howling and barking with urination and defecation occurring in the more severe cases. On the owners return, these dogs will display an overly excited, frantic greeting also barking and jumping.

There are many contributing factors involved in this behaviour, the main ones relating to the dog becoming accustom to its owner’s presence and then having that presence greatly reduced.
Such situations include; being left alone for the first time; following a long duration of time where the owner and pet are constantly together such as a holiday from work; after a change of routine such as children returning to school or going to university; or after a traumatic event (such as time at a shelter).
It is due to the fact that there can be so many causes of this dysfunctional behaviour that it is a good idea to rule out a medical reason for this behaviour.

Because the owner plays a key role in the dog’s life and its behaviour problem - (it’s usually the lack of the owner’s presence that causes the anxiety) - they also have to be willing to spend time playing a key role in the solution to this problem. Owners must realise that excessive attention prior to leaving and on return seem to increase the anxiety during separation and doesn’t make it easier for the dog as some might expect.

Some methods for treating this problem behaviour include punishment crate-training and obedience training. These methods however, are directed at the problem behaviour rather than the cause of the problem.
By ignoring the source of the problem, one unwanted behaviour may just be replaced by another, as the dog is still anxious. As well as this, punishment is usually counter productive and will only increase the dog’s anxiety every time it is left.

Punishment,therefore, is not recommended as an acceptable method of treatment for separation anxiety. The most common and accepted method of treatment is systematic desensitisation to being left alone and the owner may have to spend some time in doing this as it starts with absences of a few minutes, gradually building to hours.

The first thing to do is make sure that it’s not the return of the owner that is causing the anxiousness, - despite returning to a scene of destruction, an owner should keep calm and refrain from shouting as the dog will not associate this telling off with what he has done but with the owner coming home.

Upon returning to the results of an S.A dog, the owner should greet their dog in a warm, quiet way - for some cases, this alone can help. For the other less dramatic cases of separation anxiety, simply keeping departures and returns fairly uneventful (such as ignoring the dog for a couple of minutes then quietly petting him) is quite important in telling the dog that everything is normal and that there is nothing to worry about. Also doing something simple such as the leaving a small article of clothing that smells like them will add to the dog’s feeling of security.

For the more severe cases, the primary treatment is a systematic process of getting the dog used to being alone. The dog must learn to remain calm whilst being separated and that the owner will return after any amount of time.

Because the first signs are usually shown as the owner is getting ready to leave (jangling keys, etc), the first step is to act out these actions that the animal has learned to associate with separation, and to sit back down. Eventually, the dog should show no signs of distress to the usual procedure of leaving.

The next couple of steps include getting ready to leave, going to the door, opening it and sitting down, then stepping outside and immediately returning. It may take some time to get the dog used to being alone with door blocking the owner from it. Because this can take quite some time, it requires the full dedication of the owner. The process has gone to fast if the actions DO produce an anxiety response and an earlier step should be returned to.

The last step is to introduce the animal to short-term absences of a few minutes. Including a verbal cue (such as “I’ll be back”) can also help. Upon entering the room again, greetings should be kept fairly low key, - either ignoring the dog or talking quietly. If there are no signs of distress, the exercise should be repeated for longer durations. Once a dog is used to being left for about thirty to ninety minutes, it can usually be left for longer. Leaving something for distraction, such as a toy, can also prevent chewing on furniture.

If this problem is going to be prevented rather than cured, when a puppy or new dog is brought to a new house, it’s a good idea to avoid situations that may encourage excessive attachment, and to get the dog accustomed to being alone.

I hope this helps. If you try it, let me know! ^_^