Dogs with separation anxiety exhibit behavior problems when they’re left alone. Typically, they’ll have a dramatic anxiety response within a short time (20-45 minutes) after their owners leave them. The most common of these behaviors are:

•   Digging, chewing, and scratching at door or windows in an attempt to escape and reunite with their owners
•   Howling, barking, and crying in an attempt to get their owners to return
•   Urination and defecation (even with housetrained dogs) as a result of distress

  Why Do Dogs Suffer From Separation Anxiety?

  We don’t fully understand exactly why some dogs suffer from separation anxiety and under similar circumstances, others don’t. It’s important to realize, however, that the destruction and house soiling that often occur with separation anxiety are not the dog’s attempt to punish or seek revenge on his owner for leaving him alone, but are actually part of a panic response.

  Separation anxiety sometimes occurs when:

•   A dog has never or rarely been left alone.
•   Following a long interval, such as vacation, during which the owner and dog are constantly together.
•   After a traumatic event (from the dog’s point of view) such as a period of time spent at a shelter

  or boarding kennel.

•   After a change in the family’s routine or structure (a child leaving for college, a change in work schedule, a move to a new home, a new pet or person in the home).

  How Do I Know If My Dog Has Separation Anxiety?

  Because there are many reasons for the behaviors associated with separation anxiety, it’s essential to correctly diagnose the reason for the behavior before proceeding with treatment. If most, or all, of the following statements are true about your dog, he may have a separation anxiety problem:

•   The behavior always occurs when he’s left alone, no matter how long.
•   He follows you from room to room whenever you’re home.
•   He displays effusive, frantic greeting behaviors.
•   He reacts with excitement, depression, or anxiety to your preparations to leave the house.
•   He dislikes spending time outdoors by himself.

  What to Do If Your Dog Has Separation Anxiety

  For a minor separation anxiety problem, the following techniques may be helpful by themselves. For more severe problems, these techniques should be used along with the desensitization process described in the next section. It is also recommended to seek professional help for more severe problem.

•   Keep arrivals and departures at low-key. For example, when you arrive home, ignore your dog for the first few minutes, and then calmly pet him.
•   Leave your dog with an article of clothing that smells like you, an old tee shirt that you’ve slept in recently, for example.
•   Establish a “safety cue” – a word or action that you use every time you leave that tells your dog you’ll be back. Dogs usually learn to associate certain cues with short absences by their owners. For example, when you take out the garbage, your dog knows you come right back and doesn’t become anxious. Therefore, it’s helpful to associate a safety cue with your practice departures and short-duration absences. Some examples of safety cues are: a playing radio; a playing television; a bone; or a toy (one that doesn’t have dangerous fillings and can’t be torn into pieces). Use your safety cue during practice sessions, but don’t present your dog with the safety cue when you leave for a period of time longer than he can tolerate or the value of the safety cue will be lost. Leaving a radio on to provide company for your dog isn’t particularly useful by itself, but a playing radio may work if you’ve used it consistently as a safety cue in your practice sessions. If your dog engages in destructive chewing as a part of his separation distress, offering him a chewing item as a safety cue is a good idea. Very hard rubber toys that can be stuffed with treats, Nylabone-like products and natural chew bones are good choices.

Interim Solutions

Because the above-described treatments can take a while, and because a dog with separation anxiety can do serious damage to himself and/or your home in the interim, some of the following suggestions may be helpful in dealing with the problems in the short term:

•   Consult your veterinarian about the possibility of drug therapy. A good anti-anxiety drug should not sedate your dog, but simply reduce his anxiety while you’re gone. Such medication is a temporary measure and should be used in conjunction with behavior modification techniques.
•   Take your dog to a dog day care facility or boarding kennel.
•   Leave your dog with a friend, family member, or neighbor.
•   Take your dog to work with you, even for a half a day, if possible.

  What Won’t Help a Separation Anxiety Problem

•   Punishment is not an effective way to treat separation anxiety. In fact, if you punish your dog after you return home it may actually increase his separation anxiety.
•   Crating your dog. Your dog will still engage in anxiety responses in the crate. He may urinate, defecate, howl or even injure himself in an attempt to escape from the crate.
•   Leave the radio on (unless the radio is used as a “safety cue” – see above).
•   Obedience school. While obedience training is always a good idea, it won’t directly help a

  separation anxiety problem. Separation anxiety is not the result of disobedience or lack of training, it’s a panic response.

©2014 Dumb Friends League

Dealing with Normal Puppy Behavior: Nipping and Rough Play

When puppies play with each other, they use their mouths. Therefore, puppies usually want to bite or “mouth” hands during play or when being petted. This behavior is rarely aggressive and, therefore, not intended to cause harm. Because puppies are highly motivated to exhibit this type of behavior, attempts to suppress it or stop it are unlikely to be successful unless you give your puppy an alternative behavior. The goals of working with this normal puppy behavior are to redirect your puppy’s desire to put something in her mouth, such as an acceptable chew toy, and to teach her that putting her teeth on skin is never acceptable.

Encourage Acceptable Behavior

Redirect your puppy’s chewing toward acceptable objects by offering her a small rawhide chew bone or other type of chew toy whenever she places her mouth on skin and when you pet her. This technique can be especially effective when children want to play with or pet the puppy. As you or the child reach out to scratch her with one hand, offer the chew bone with the other. This will not only help your puppy learn that people and petting are wonderful, but will also keep her mouth busy while she’s being petted. Alternate which hand does the petting and which one has the chew bone. At first, you may need to pet or scratch your puppy for short periods of time since the longer she’s petted, the more likely she is to get excited and start to nip.

Discourage Unacceptable Behavior

You must also teach your puppy that putting her mouth on skin is unacceptable and that nipping results in unpleasant consequences for her. Teach your puppy that nipping “turns off” all attention and social interaction with you. As soon as you feel her teeth on your skin, yelp “OUCH” in a high-pitched voice, then ignore her for a few seconds. If she continues to place her teeth on your skin, leave the room. You may need to have her tethered by a leash while you play, so when you leave she can’t follow. After 10- 15 seconds, return to your puppy and try the chew toy and petting method again. It will take many repetitions for your puppy to understand what’s expected.

NOTE: Never leave your puppy unattended while she is tethered as she may get tangled in her leash and injure herself. When leaving the room, stand at a good distance from your puppy where you can still see her but she may not be able to see you.

You may also try wearing cotton gloves coated with a substance that has an unpleasant taste, such as Bitter Apple. Your puppy will learn that “hands in the mouth taste bad”. For this method to work however, she must experience this bad taste every time she nips your hand. The possible disadvantage to this method is that your puppy may learn that “hands with gloves taste bad and those without gloves don’t”.

Remember that these methods will probably be ineffective unless you work hard to teach your puppy the right behavior by offering her an acceptable chew toy.

Jumping Up

When your puppy jumps up on you, she wants attention. When you turn your back, push her away, knee her in the chest, or step on her hind toes, she’s getting your attention! This becomes a rewarding behavior and therefore the puppy will continue to jump because even negative attention is attention. From your puppy’s point of view, negative attention is better than no attention at all.

So, when your puppy jumps up:

• Fold your arms in front of you, stand still, and ignore the jumping behavior.
• Continue to ignore her until all four of her feet are on the ground, then quietly praise her and give her a treat. If she knows the “sit” command, give her the command when all four feet are on the ground, then quietly praise her and give her a treat while she’s in the sitting position.
• If she jumps up again when you begin to praise her, simply stand up straight, folding your arms and remain still, then repeat step two, above. Remember to keep your praise low key.
• Try to have every person she meets follow these same steps.

  When your puppy realizes that she gets the attention she craves only when she stops jumping on you and sits (if she knows the command), she’ll stop jumping up. Remember, once you’ve taught her to come and sit quietly for attention, you must reward that behavior. Be careful not to ignore her when she comes and sits politely, waiting for your attention.

  What Not To Do

  Attempts to tap, slap, or hit your puppy in the face for nipping or jumping up are guaranteed to backfire. Several things may happen, depending on your puppy’s temperament and the severity of the correction:

• She could become “hand shy” and cringe or cower whenever a hand comes toward her face.
• She could become afraid of you and refuse to come to you or approach you at all.
• She could respond in a defensive manner and attempt to bite you to defend herself.
• She could interpret a mild slap as an invitation to play, causing her to become more excited and

  even more likely to nip or jump.

  A Note about Children and Puppies

  It’s very difficult for children under 8 or 9 years old to practice the kind of behavior modification outlined here. Children’s first reaction to being nipped, mouthed, or jumped up on by a puppy is to push the puppy away with their hands and arms. This will be interpreted by the puppy as play and will probably cause the puppy to nip, mouth, or jump even more. Puppies should never be left alone with children under 10 years old and parents should monitor closely all interactions between their children and puppies.

©2014 Dumb Friends League

Urine-marking occurs when there is either instability in a dog’s relationships or when a dog is feeling anxious. It is not a house soiling problem. To resolve the problem, you need to address the underlying reason for your dog’s need to mark.

House Soiling or Urine Marking? How to Tell the Difference!

Your dog may be urine-marking if:

• *  The problem is primarily urination. Dogs rarely mark with feces.
• *  The amount of urine is small and is found primarily on vertical surfaces. Dogs do however, sometimes mark on horizontal surfaces. Leg-lifting and spraying are versions of urine-marking, but even if your dog doesn’t assume these postures, he may still be urine-marking

* A pet in your home is not spayed or neutered. Intact males and females are more likely to urine-mark than spayed or neutered animals. However, even spayed or neutered animals may mark in response to other intact animals in the home.

* Your dog urinates on new objects in the environment (a shopping bag, a visitor’s purse); on objects that have unfamiliar smells, or on objects that have another animal’s scent.

* Your dog has conflicts with other animals in your home. When there’s instability in the relationship, a dog may feel a need to communicate by urine-marking.

* Your dog has contact with other animals outside your home. If your dog sees another animal through a door or window, he may feel a need to mark. * Your dog marks frequently on neighborhood walks.

What You Can Do:

Spay or neuter your pets as soon as possible. Spaying or neutering your dog may stop urine- marking altogether; however, if he has been urine-marking over a long period of time, a pattern may already be established.
Resolve conflicts between animals in your home. See our handout “Canine Rivalry” for dog issues within the home. If a new pet has been added to the family, then see our handouts “Introducing Your New Dog to Your Resident Dog” and “Introducing Your New Cat to Other Pets.”

Restrict your dog’s access to doors and windows through which they can observe animals outside. If this isn’t possible, discourage the presence of other animals near your house.
Clean soiled areas thoroughly (see our handout: “Successful Cleaning to Remove Pet Odors and Stains”). Don’t use strong smelling cleaners as they may cause your pet to “over-mark” the spot.

Make previously soiled areas inaccessible or unattractive (see our handout: “Aversives for Dogs”).
Keep objects likely to cause marking out of reach. Guest’s belongings, new purchases, and so forth should be placed in a closet or cabinet.

If your dog is marking in response to a new resident in your home (a new baby, roommate, or spouse), have the new resident make friends with your dog by feeding, grooming, and playing with your dog. Also make sure good things happen to your dog when the new baby is around (see our handout: “Preparing Your Pet for Baby’s Arrival”).

Watch your dog at all times when he is indoors for signs that he is thinking about urine-marking. When he begins to urinate, interrupt him by making a noise of some sort and take him outside, then praise him and give him a treat if he urinates. When you’re unable to watch him, put your dog in confinement (a crate or small room where he has never marked) or tether him to you with a leash.

Practice “nothing in life is free” with your dog (see our handout: “Nothing In Life Is Free”). Have your dog perform at least one behavior (such as “sit”) before you pet him, feed him, put on his leash, or throw a toy for him. “Nothing in life is free” helps build confidence in your dog and will reduce his need to mark.

Clicker train and play with your dog every day to reduce anxiety (see our handouts: “Dog Click Training” and “Stress Relief for Your Pet” for stress reducing products).

What Not to Do:

Don’t punish your dog after the fact. Punishment administer, even a minute after the event, is ineffective because your dog won’t understand why he is being punished. It can also lead to issues of fear or aggression.

Pets Aren’t People

Dogs don’t urinate or defecate out of spite or jealousy. If your dog urinates on your baby’s diaper bag, it’s not because he is jealous, or dislikes your baby. The unfamiliar scents and sounds of a new baby in the house are simply causing him to urine-mark.

Anxiety

Urine-marking is usually associated with instability in relationships. While this is often the case, some dogs may mark when they feel anxious due changes in their living situations. For example, a new baby in the home brings new sounds, smells, and people, as well as changes in routine. Your dog probably isn’t getting as much attention as he was used to getting. All of these changes cause him to feel anxious, which may cause him to mark. Likewise, a dog that is generally anxious may become more so by the presence of roaming neighborhood animals in your yard, or by the introduction of a new cat or dog into your household. If your dog is feeling anxious, you might consider talking to your veterinarian about medication to reduce his anxiety while you work on behavior modification.

©2014 Dumb Friends League

Recommendations:

We recommend that you search for possible signs of pests and then rid your yard of them. Avoid methods that could be toxic or dangerous to your pets.

Seeking Comfort or Protection

In hot weather, dogs may dig holes in order to lie in the cool dirt. They may also dig to provide themselves with shelter from cold, wind or rain, or to try to find water. Your dog may be digging for protection or comfort if:

The holes are near foundations of buildings, large shade trees or a water source Your dog doesn’t have a shelter or his shelter is exposed to the hot sun or cold winds You find evidence that your dog is lying in the holes he digs

Recommendations:

We recommend that you provide your dog with other sources for the comfort or protection he seeks.

•  Provide an insulated doghouse. Make sure it affords protection from wind and sun.
•  Your dog may still prefer a hole in the ground, in which case you can try the “approved digging area” recommendation described above. Make sure the allowed digging area is in a protected spot.
•  Provide plenty of fresh water in a bowl that can’t be tipped over.

  Seeking Attention

  Any behavior can become attention-getting behavior if dogs learn that they receive attention for engaging in it (even punishment is a form of attention). Your dog may be digging to get attention if:

  He digs in your presence
  His other opportunities for interaction with you are limited

  Recommendations:

  We recommend that you ignore the behavior.

•  Don’t give your dog attention for digging (remember, even punishment is attention).
•  Make sure your dog has sufficient time with you on a daily basis, so he doesn’t have to resort to

  misbehaving to get your attention.

  Seeking Escape

  Dogs may escape to get to something, to get somewhere or to get away from something. For more detailed information, please see our handout: “The Canine Escape Artist.” Your dog may be digging to escape if:

  He digs along the fence line He digs under the fence

  Recommendations:

  We recommend the following in order to keep your dog in the yard while you work on the behavior modifications recommended in our handout: “The Canine Escape Artist.”

•  Bury chicken wire at the base of the fence (sharp edges rolled under)
•  Place large rocks, partially buried, along the bottom of the fence line
•  Bury the bottom of the fence one to two feet under the ground
•  Lay chain link fencing on the ground (anchored to the bottom of the fence) to make it

  uncomfortable for your dog to walk near the fence

  Regardless of the reason for digging, we don’t recommend:

  Punishment after the fact. Not only does this not address the cause of the behavior, any digging that’s motivated by fear or anxiety, will be made worse. Punishment may also cause anxiety in dogs that aren’t currently fearful.

  Staking a dog out near a hole he’s dug or filling the hole with water. These techniques don’t address the cause of the behavior, or the act of digging.

1999 Dumb Friends League. All Rights Reserved. HTST_R99