SEPARATION ANXIETY: IS YOUR DOG AFRAID TO BE LEFT ALONE?

I can distinctly remember as a five year old child being left alone while my mom drove the less than two miles to Cary Elementary School to drop off siblings. Captain Kangaroo was on television as my baby sitter; yet, it was rainy and lonely. It probably was less than 15 minutes later my mother returned to my tears and panic.  

Today, with most pet owners working away from home, dogs are left alone in the house. Many dogs develop destructive habits in isolation.  It is no wonder that the prescribing of anti-anxiety medications has soared by veterinarians as a “quick fix."  When “panic attacks” happen when owners are away, in an otherwise “clingy” but happy dog when reunited, the condition is called SEPARATION ANXIETY. My personal experience of high risk groups as a veterinarian are dogs that have been recycled through rescue organizations due to returns for questionable behaviors. Another red flag is animals from hoarding situations or puppy mills that had improper socialization before seven months of age. There are also a high number of environmental, lack of training, and genetic predisposition factors.

WHAT ARE SOME COMMON TRIGGERS OF DOGS ACQUIRING SEPARATION ANXIETY?

-changes in an owner’s routine

-medical, degenerative changes/disorders ALONG WITH SOME GENETIC RISKS

-concurrent other behavioral disorders or generalized fears or phobias

-acquisition of a new family member (ex. baby/spouse) or new pet that changes social dynamics

-post boarding at a kennel

-rescued dog in a new home

-moving to a new home for a family pet

-owner returning to work after a sabbatical of long home stay

ARE THERE SPECIFIC SIGNS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BEHAVIORAL DISORDER?

-severe attachment to one or more family members

-hyperactivity upon return home by owner

-anxiety or stress begins shortly after owner leaves (even if a short, 15 minute departure videotaped)

-exhibited, panic behavior is only exhibited when the owner is gone (keep a log of behavior patterns, length, and triggers)

-demonstrates signs of stress when owner starts giving departure cues (picking up keys, jacket, garage door opening, etc.) this may include howling, barking, or pacing.

- in some cases may not accept being in dog care with other dogs or people, instead only relax in presence of owner. 

- extremely phobic to noises of a repetitive nature

IN ADDITION, HOW IS THIS NOTED PHYSICALLY BY THE OWNER IN DISCUSSIONS WITH THE VETERINARY BEHAVIORIST? IS THIS BEHAVIOR KNOWN TO BE DESTRUCTIVE IN THE HOME?

Common physiological signs include lack of appetite, depression, diarrhea, vomiting, and compulsive licking behavior. Most dogs exhibit some but not the entire abnormal array of behaviors. More concerning is the destructive behavior to walls, furniture, and objects as the patient is stressed by the separation. Yes, it can be destructive. Many patients physically harm themselves getting out of crates or eat objects that require exploratory surgery in their stress.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON FALSE MYTHS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BEHAVIORAL DISORDER?

That dogs are being spiteful, they are punishing the owner for the change in status/absence, the dog loves the owner too much, dogs are pack animals and need to always be around people/other pets, never taught to be alone, dog spoiled by being allowed on sofa or bed, needs a companion, and dog is bored. THIS IS A DISTRESSED DOG, PERIOD!

CAN IT BE CURED?

No, as the treatment does not change the genetic basis or dog’s abnormal perception/processing. THE KEY GOAL IS to change the extent to which a dog can learn calm behavior, and this is usually aided by medication.  Detailed management programs to lower triggers of the anxiety are critical to counter-conditioning.  

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF MANAGEMENT OF SEPARATION ANXIETY?

The best goals is the cultivation of calm behavior when left alone by: removing reward of attention seeking behavior, reducing anxiety for the dog and the owner with departure and arrival, desensitizing (gradually decreasing dog’s response to signals that owner is leaving the home) and avoiding punishment. 

SHOULD THE DOG BE PLACED IN ANOTHER HOME?

The optimal goal is to meet the dog’s needs humanely and provide a good quality life. Simply moving the dog to another home adds to the problem of rescue and recycling, thus reinforcing the behavior. Re-homing should be the last resort and only when the new owner is fully aware and prepared to meet the dog’s needs physically and emotionally. It is emotionally cruel to new pet parents to be CLUELESS in the adoption of pets at high risk of this disorder. 

Betsy Sigmon DVM, Diplomate American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, Canine & Feline Practice

Creature Comforts Animal Hospital, Hospital Director

Cary, NC 

HOME ALONE: The Pet Version

HOME  ALONE: The Pet Version

It is one of those glorious mornings that I do not have to be anywhere. As the Fresh Market Hazelnut Cream Coffee is brewing, I take Taco Belle out to gather the newspaper. It is my favorite time, as I admire the endless enthusiasm for life my precious dog discovers with each leaf and swaying daffodil. Aerobic exercise starts for her by chasing endless robins that choose to pick my carefully cultivated moss path between rock pavers. If I could bottle the inspirational zest for life my dog presents me with each day, it would be an “Amazon best seller”.

Back to the coffee and paper, my thoughts wander to when my son Jason was at the age when I could leave him alone, but the thought always questioned in my mind...should I? On one less than memorable occasion, I chose to have a TV baby sit him with a phone on speed-dial button in hand while I ran to the clinic to check on an emergency patient. The time passed quickly as I accessed the vitals of my patient and initiated emergency care. Suddenly the phone rang, and I got that parental "guilty as charged moment" call from my son saying, “Mommy when are you coming home?" The pet who is now long gone didn't have an appreciation of a veterinarian having to sometimes place patient above family; yet, to this day my son remembers that moment.

 It's funny the things we remember from our childhood! As a child, we had an outside dog, an Irish setter named Taffy. She would roam the neighborhood of Cary off of Cornwall Rd stealing what was left on back porches: dolls, shoes, and even a mop. At times we collected enough objects that our family could conduct a yard sale! Fortunately, there was plenty of stimulating  entertainment for her limited brain capacity . One other dog, a collie named  Aggie, tired from  lack of attention by our family and she moved to a higher class neighborhood than our own, Stoneybrook Estates where she took up new residence. She was missing for a month, then suddenly returned with her identifiable lacerated ear from a prior “social engagement." We rejoiced in her return, only to discover an ad for missing Collie with torn ear with a Stoneybrook Estates address and phone number in the Cary Newspaper. Shortly thereafter, Aggie disappeared and was discovered sitting on the porch of her new digs as we drove by. My third entertaining pet of note is the story of my cat, Lucy (as in the I love Lucy series) that accompanied me to Auburn University and onward to married life. When she was outdoors and tired of the accommodations she would climb a tree and jog up and down my trailer roof until I let her in the “aluminum box palace." Such is an entertaining life for outside pets.

With leash laws, more traffic, and a less than a collegiate atmosphere for roving pets, suburban pets are resigned to living indoors and in potential boredom. Over the last 33 years of practice, I wonder how many of our inside pets feel abandoned and anxious as a result. Here's some general rules on how to make sure your indoor pet is trained to live indoors properly and hopefully not bored with his or her environment.

It is an exciting time within a household to get a new dog. What is the basic timeline that a new puppy needs for outdoor potty breaks?

The rule is 1 hour per month of life plus one up to 6 months of age. So an 8 week old puppy needs to go out every 3 hours.  When that is not possible, a crate with the door opening to an enclosed area with a puppy pad  or dog litter training is recommended. Pets left in a crate for longer periods of time lose the desire to not soil their “den” and thus crate training becomes difficult.

What are the most common complaints/frustrations that are seen at Creature Comforts during this first 6 months of house training a dog?

One frequent complaint is lack of house training in a puppy that is crated 8 to 9 hours during the work week but going out every 1 to 2 hours during the weekends. Consistency in training 7 days a week is the key.  A second complaint is  after taking a puppy outside within 30 minutes the pet urinates/defecates in the house. It is recommended to not have a puppy off the lead in the house in the first 4 months until no accidents for a month. Until that time, keeping a young dog on a 7 to 8 foot rope attached to a human family member is recommended. Then when there is any sign of wanting to relieve itself, pull the rope, blow a panic whistle, fire a water gun, or shake a can of coins, to startle the puppy and immediately take outside.

My puppy is chewing on everything! How can I make it stop?

Chewing on things is akin to a child picking things up with their hands/thumbs as a means of exploring the environment. It is recommended to provide plenty of playtime activities and chew toys such as Greenies, the new Milk bone dental chews, supervised rawhides, and offer such objects when puppy is chewing on the wrong things.  In some cases, when substitution does not work, a temporary time out in a play restricted area (not the crate) is a “puppy time out” for 5 minutes.

When is it time for a dog to go to a training class?

I like to get my new patients in private training as soon as the trainer allows, otherwise by 4 months of age. The current benchmark for socializing puppies is to allow them to meet 100 people by 5 months of age.  In the Wake County area there is a lot more risk of surrender of pets for behavioral issues (fear biting, afraid of other dogs, afraid of children, accidents in the house) than illness such as the Parvo virus.

I am getting up in the middle of the night to take my puppy out to relieve itself; yet, it howls and cries all night. I am sleep deprived and need help!

This is a challenging one for which there is no fixed answer. Some clients allow their puppies in their bedroom in a crate so they can hear the owner’s breathing; others turn on Pandora's “Sleepytime Tunes for Kids”, “Ocean Waves”, or “Sleeping at Last”. One other suggestion is to take baby monitors and reverse it so that the monitor end is at the owner’s bedside to issue firm voice commands to a pet in remote location.

How can I better get my puppy to not bite on things including my hands and to walk on a leash?

Find a good natured play buddy dog for your puppy to learn about mouthing and biting on the ears. For leash training, attach an 8 to 12 inch rope to your puppy’s collar when in supervised play and let it feel the weight of the rope around its collar for short periods.

Besides house soiling and lack of proper socialization, what is the most common behavioral complaint you see in house dogs?

Separation anxiety. When dogs have panic attacks they begin to destroy furniture, howl, and chew up things in the owner’s absence or after long holidays.

Enjoy the journey of life! Until next time, celebrate the moment with your pet family. – Dr. Betsy Sigmon