
Here at Doodle Dandy, we often deal with less than desirable dog behaviors, one of which is separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is a dramatic response by a dog within a short time of their person leaving. It can look like extreme destruction of property, soiling themselves and accidents even when potty trained, unintentional harming of self while trying to get to their person, and/or barking and howling that doesn’t stop.
Separation anxiety in dogs is caused by a lack of coping skills to relax when alone. That means that their humans can be both the cause and the cure for separation anxiety. You can help your dog by training them to relax. So if your dog is struggling when left alone, here are some tips from one of our training partners.
Prevention
The easiest way to deal with separation anxiety is to prevent it, and crate training is an excellent way to avoid separation anxiety. When you teach your dog that their crate is a safe space where good things happen, they can relax there and know they’re safe. It’s easiest to crate train dogs in short spurts while they’re puppies, but old dogs can learn new tricks. Check out our post on crate training HERE.
Spend Time with Your Dog Before Leaving
Before leaving your dog, spend some time exercising them mentally and physically. Run through some training activities for 10-15 minutes or or go on a brisk walk. This will set them up to be ready for a good nap. Let them have a chance to potty, and then crate them.
Don’t Make Leaving a Big Production
Don’t tell your dood about how much you’ll miss them, don’t draw out your departure, just crate and leave. And then…
Make it Great When You Return
Spend some time with your dog when you get back, again doing some quality activities like playing with toys, training with high value treats, etc.
Repeat this process for short times away, increasing the time your dog is alone. This should help them learn to calm themselves. They’ll learn that times when you’re gone are times for rest and relaxation, and when you return they get quality time with their favorite person.
Some Tips for Vocalizing
It is very normal and expected for dogs to bark, howl, and whine at the beginning of this process. Prepare for that so you can remain calm; if you are anxious they can pick up on this and become more anxious. Try to monitor the sounds from another area in the house and as soon as the dog starts to calm (usually 10-15 minutes) offer brief (but not over the top) praise.
A calm “good dog” when they switch from a howl to just panting can work, as can a treat dropped in without comment or eye contact. Then let the dog continue to work on calming themselves.
