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Is it Separation Anxiety?

Behavioral Issues
  • I was reading an article from Whole Dog Journal by Pat Miller (you may google her name for her authority on dogs) that may help define separation anxiety vs boredom. Just thought I'd share it with any one who needs to distinguish it in order to plan a corrective program for the behavior.

    Important Canine Separation Anxiety Information
    by Pat Miller

    Have you ever had the misfortune of walking into your house to find overturned furniture, inches-deep claw gouges on door frames, blood-stained tooth marks on window sills, and countless messages on your answering machine from neighbors complaining about your dog barking and howling for hours on end in your absence? If so, you?re probably familiar with the term ?separation anxiety? - a mild label for a devastating and destructive behavior.

    Most separation anxiety behavior happens within 30 minutes of the owner?s departure and within a similar period before the owner?s anticipated return. This is one of the keys to determining whether your dog?s behavior is truly an anxiety reaction or simply a bout of puppy hijinks.

    If you can leave and come back in an hour to an unscathed home but four hours puts him over the top, chances are you?re dealing with boredom, excessive energy, or a housetraining issue rather than true separation anxiety. (Some dogs will become destructive in their efforts to go outside to relieve themselves if they are very committed to not soiling the house.)

  • Just going to add in something to this, just because I always appreciated it when others told of their experiences (that were out of the ordinary) and I feel obligated to return the favor in case anyone else stumbles on this situation.

    My dog has separation anxiety…as it turns out....I didn't think it was separation anxiety for the longest time because it didn't really match all of the 'signs' that you would see in normal separation anxiety.

    For example, He'll be fine for hours alone but the last 20-30 minutes is when his anxiety REALLY starts to kick in. He'll usually be fine for the first hour or so alone - sometimes even going 2 hours without a peep.....but then followed by cycles of whining, topped off with 30 minutes of screaming and cage rattling, and destruction. He will not eat bones/kibble/chews or play with toys (except his kong) until I return.

    Only mentioning this because when I was working with him as a pup, general consensus suggested that you could stop 'teaching' puppies after the 40 minute mark...the logic being that dogs can't tell time. Not always true. If I could do it again I'd work all the way up to 3 hours and then go from there....I stopped way too early. And I wish that I had read something like this when I was working with Beo.....it would have caused him a lot less trauma in the long run. Despite what it sounds like on paper, his issue is not boredom/house training issues or excessive energy.

    I can only imagine what it would be like to inherit a rescue dog with legitimate separation anxiety.

  • With a basenji it doesn't necessarily need to be separation anxiety. They do this stuff out of boredom too. Taking him for a long walk or doing something else to tire him out could help a lot…....a tired basenji is a good basenji. On saying that, our little one didn't get better about all this chewing, tearing, etc. until we got her a companion when she was 9 months old. Worked like a charm to have another dog in the house.

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    When Lela was a pup, at the end of the day she could work herself into a real frenzy, running around the house, not able to stop. A real B500 and then some. Nothing worked to stop or quiet her. Then, one time, I intuitively picked her up, and squeezed her tight in my arms against my body: she instantly went limp, offer a few movements with her paws and jaws and then would collaps into a fine, long coma. I have done it many times, and it worked like a charm. So, pressure seems to help - that's what a thunder shirt would do, I guess.
  • Help - Seperation Anxiety and Crate!

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    wizardW
    I had a foster male one time who had severe separation anxiety (his previous owners were retired during his whole life so they were always with him) and even having another dog around didn't help - they rarely played together. He was in his crate while I went to work - toys galore, special treats in a kong, calming sprays, etc. - and I did the "you must calm down before being let out of the crate" routine when I came home. My other dog was in a nearby crate so they could see and talk to each other. But he continued to try and chew his way out of the crate (I can't rebend the steel bars that he bent with his teeth and he was already 11 years old!). I tried to disappear for longer and longer periods of time to try and get him acclimated to being loose in the house but if I was gone more than 20 minutes he would start clawing at the doors trying to get out, he tore down the blinds on the patio doors, he toppled lamps trying to get out of the window. I spent money on a behaviorist - who told me to do exactly what I was doing (a waste of money she was) and after several months he started biting me if I tried to put him in the crate. He was wonderful as long as I was around but the biting became too serious an issue. I cried when I took him back to the breeder (he ended up living out his days at her kennel) but I think that there are just some dogs and people combinations that simply don't work. If after several months things don't improve (and proper training has to be a component) one needs to reconsider the situation. In this case KMac I think you are doing the right thing by seeking experienced help and things do sound better. In your case some of the problems are simply puppy behavior so maybe if you have the time and money an obedience class might be in order to help give him some structure. You might also try getting a bigger crate so he has more crate room or maybe an exercise pen so he can more around a bit more and chase his toys and release some energy.
  • SEVERE Separation Anxiety

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    I will concur with Lisa. See a CAAB or a veterinary behaviorist so that your dog can be evaluated and possibly put on medication. SepAnx is simple to treat, but by no means easy. The sad fact is that many dog owners do not have the time or financial means to handle it because step one is to stop reinforcing his fear. That means that during treatment, the dog cannot be left alone. This means that when you go out, you'll need someone to stay with him. Please at least consult a good local trainer who can give you a training plan to get started on and who can evaluate whether or not drugs are warranted.
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