Pets Lost and Found

posted by Marita on Apr 1

It is a tragic and ironical fact that pets suffering from separation anxiety often ends up being handed over to shelters or euthanized.

Sometimes destructive behaviour is a result of pure boredom, or even medical problems is mistaken as separation anxiety and then handled inappropriately.

Rule those out first. Take the pet to the vet for a thorough medical check.

Use a video camera to observe the pet’s behaviour after you leave. If the pet acts normally by sleeping a bit, drinking water, eating, playing with a toy etc., and only start with the destructive behaviour an hour or two after you left, it is most likely just boredom or inappropriate behaviour, that can be rectified with training.

Some years ago we had a Great Dane, who, we thought, showed some serious separation anxiety symptoms. However, after some questioning of the neighbours, as to what they hear and see when the dog misbehaves, the following situation revealed itself.

The neighbour’s children, a 12-year-old boy and his sister of 5, loved our dog and would often come to “play” with the dog. We discovered that, when hearing the children in the street the dog would bark inside the house, the children would then call to the dog with endearments and the dog would then get desperate to get to them. Destruction of window frames and doors and doorframes were the result.

On a few occasions, she managed to get out and get to them by destroying the wooden garden gate. Another time she dug and ripped her way through the side door of the garage and then tore open the rest of the path straight through the double garage door. When we then reinforced and blocked all her “escape” routes and she began to chewing and shredding things in and around the house.

After discussing the problem with the children and the parents, the problem resolved itself and the destruction stopped.

If most or all of the following occurs, your dog most likely suffers from separation anxiety:

• The dog has the same behavior pattern every single time you go out, even when you are out for just a short period of time. Again, a video camera would be very useful, or return to the house in about 25 minutes.
• The dog is absolutely glued to you when you are at home, even to the extent where it would whine when you close the toilet door and destruction starts within half an hour of you leaving the home.
• The dog chew and destructs things only when you are not there. (If the dog chew on things while you are at home, this probably just requires some behavior modification training and your problem will be resolved.)
• The dog chews items that has your smell or the smell of other family members on them, like your pillow, unwashed cloths, socks or shoes.
• When you touch the items that the dog destructed, directly when you get home, it may still be warm from the dog’s body heat, because it would want to be near you (or your stuff that smells of you).
• The dog defecates and urinates in places where it would never do while you are at home, defecation on the bed or pillows are not uncommon.
• It barks and whines non-stop – check with the neighbours, if they have not started complaining already.
• The dog displays no guilt over the damaged items.
• The dog goes nuts if you close it or yourself in a room, so it cannot get to you.
• The dog sleeps with you in your room. (This will not result in all dogs developing separation anxiety)
• The dog gets anxious when you are getting ready to go out.
• The dog does not eat or drink while alone.
• The dog salivates excessively.
• The dog develops diarrhea.
• The dog can be left with someone else, without displaying symptoms.
• The dog may be happy to be left alone in the car or at a strange place.
• When you arrive at home, the dog is excessively pleased to see you. It will run in circles, jump, bark, whine and generally want your complete and undivided attention for some time after you get home.
• In more severe cases, the dog may lick or chew on itself.

All dogs of all ages and all breeds may develop separation anxiety, but more common factors that may result in separation anxiety is:

• Early separation from the mother. (You are now the new mother)
• Lack of contact with humans or other puppies when very young.
• Puppies that were kept in pet shop cages or animal shelters.
• You got the dog from an animal shelter (These dogs are so happy to have found a loving home, that they are fairly prone to developing separation anxiety)
• Having been left for a stay in a kennel.
• The time that the owner normally spend with the dog, are suddenly reduced as a result of a change in the lifestyle. e.g. a new job, a divorce.
• Moving house.
• Children leaving home.
• A new baby or pet that suddenly appears in the home.
• You have been on leave for some time and suddenly have to go back to work.

We had a strange case of (luckily short lived) separation anxiety, when our Toy Pom passed away. Our Jack Russell and the Toy Pom were completely inseparable; the one would not eat or pee without the other one present.  We buried the Toy Pom in our garden and planted a beautiful shrub on her grave. The Jack Russell kept on trying to dig open the grave, she pulled the shrub out, she would not eat or drink or come into the house. We had to pick her up and carry her inside. We decided to keep her inside for a few days and not allow her to get to the grave. She started chewing herself terribly. Before we could resolve the problem, our two new, large breed, pups arrived. Luckily the Jack Russell was so irritated by these two terrors, that her attention were distracted from the loss of her best friend and the self mutilation and digging stopped after about a week.

That brings to mind that getting the dogs attention away from the person that the dog is fixated on, may be a huge part of the solution.

Always keep in mind – punishment achieves absolutely nothing. Locking the dog in a crate or an empty room, giving it a hiding or anything like that, will most likely just increase the anxiety.

You are the dog’s one and all. The hero, the friend, the mother and as far as the dog is concerned, the best thing that could possibly happen to a dog. It is therefore easy for a dog to develop separation anxiety, if you are not careful from the first day that you get the dog. Prevention is far better than curing.

A myriad of opinions exists for the treatment and handling of separation anxiety. Some involves medication. Personally, I would try other options, like desensitization, before going the route of medication. Medication may however be a necessity where the owner may have to go away for an extended period, while the desensitization training is still ongoing.