5 Most Effective Ways to Solve Your Dog's Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is one of the most stressful and frustrating things owners have to deal with in their dogs and now that the world is starting to see workplaces begin to open back up for the first time in months, I’m sure we’re also going to see a rise in barking complaints from fed up neighbours and torn up pillows in the house. The problem lies in the situation, how can you fix an issue that only happens when you’re not there to fix it? With patience and consistency, you should notice it’s actually quite easy. Here, I’ll be going over the 5 best ways to treat your dog’s separation anxiety. But before we start the training process, we need to have some basic knowledge and understanding about…

Why it happens

I don’t need to tell you that dogs are incredibly social animals, that much is obvious. The fact that we can have such a strong mutual bond with them as a different species is a testament to how social in nature they are. At the same time we need to remember that the human world is a strange place for these pack animals. For us to spend an entire weekend/afternoon walking, feeding and playing with them and to sleep the whole night in the same house, just to suddenly leave first thing in the morning for upwards of half a day can be very confusing for them. This confusion results in stress and worry. These emotions then lead to comfort seeking behaviours that shift the frustration onto activities like barking, panting, whining, and chewing/destroying items that smell like their owner such as shoes, pillows and couches (don’t take it personally, it’s just that they’re naturally drawn to familiar smells and when they realise it’s something they can destroy they’ll release that built up tension and frustration in a way that’s natural to them).

Is it just boredom?

Could be. The symptoms are similar. Both boredom and separation anxiety have lots of barking, pacing, whining, and destructive behaviours. Boredom comes about due to a dog not having any outlet for the excess physical and mental baggage they might have. If you’re absolutely certain that you’re giving your dog plenty of exercise before leaving for work but you’re still experiencing issues, then it’s most likely anxiety taking hold of your dog.

Solving Separation anxiety once and for all

Now that you understand why it happens and you’re certain it’s not just a case of every day boredom, let’s go over the 5 simple tips you can start to introduce to make sure this problem goes away for good...

1. Get Them Moving

Just as the case is with boredom, a dog that’s brain is still going at 100 mph is unfortunately going to be behaving at 100 mph, and last time I checked, dogs aren’t all that great behind the wheel. If we work to remove the ability that hyper-active mindset has in the first place then we won’t see the behaviours that result from that mindset such as panting, whining, chewing, and barking, etc. Doing something as simple as consistently making the time before work to take your dog on a long walk (at least 30+ minutes) can make a big difference. Giving a dog a constructive outlet for their energy is absolutely crucial, especially when dealing with separation anxiety. When waking up from a long sleep, your dog is literally recharged and ready to go, so do them (and yourself) a favour by running down their battery so that when you leave for work they can get some more rest to allow themselves to recharge.

2. Play Time Can Be Any Time

For some dogs, a long walk in the morning is enough to run down that battery but for the more active and energetic dogs out there, it might take a little more. For these dogs the physical act of walking and/or running is great for their body but isn’t enough to slow down that speeding brain. Do you ever suffer through those nights where you’re absolutely exhausted and ready to sleep but you’re thinking up all different kinds of scenarios and situations that are keeping you restless? That’s what it can be like for the more active breeds; the body is tired but the mind is wide awake. That’s why it’s a good idea to leave some sort of activity for them to work on whilst you’re away. Occupying their mind with something like a Kong stuffed with treats (see link here) can get them to put their brain to work with something productive and can also help to create a positive association with you leaving.

3. Creating New Experiences

Owners often report on how their dogs “know” when they’re about to leave. When we think about how dog’s build associations it’s not hard to see how they figure it out. Being the creatures of habit that they are, these associations are built through repetitions which works out well for them considering that we humans are also creatures of habit. Whether you realise it or not, you are always giving clues to your dog, especially when we’re heading out. Putting shoes on, picking up house keys, putting on your jacket, etc, can all become obvious indicators to your dog informing them of what’s about to happen. Our goal should be to give a different meaning to these “indicators”. A calmer, less panic inducing meaning. Putting your jacket on to then sit back on the couch and watch tv for a few minutes a handful of times throughout the day shows your dog that you putting your jacket on doesn’t seem to mean anything any more. The same can be done for picking up your keys, putting on your shoes, or any other activity that seems to trigger anxious behaviour before you leave. If you dog has no reason to become anxious, then they’ll remain in a calm state of mind and over time the sight of you leaving the front door will be associated with calmness and relaxation. We can also do this by changing the way we leave the house. Instead of showering our dogs with a bucket of farewells and goodbye kisses, leave the house without saying a word. If we don’t make a big fuss then we can keep them in that calm state of mind that they need to be in when we leave. The same can be done for when you come home, ignoring your dog when you return (I know...easier said than done) means we can teach them that you leaving the house and coming home isn’t a big deal and is just a normal part of the day. The less fuss we make, the better.

4. Crate Training

I find crate training to be immensely beneficial to a dog’s life and would recommend it to anyone bringing home a new dog or, in this case, to anyone whose dog experiences any anxiety when being left alone. Some owners might naturally assume that keeping a nervous dog in a “cage” would make the problem worse. And that can be true if we don’t introduce the crate properly, but if used correctly the crate can help to foster the calm state of mind that’s so important for when they need to be by themselves. Crates can serve the need for a “den-like” area that are instinctual to our dogs and allow them to feel safe and secure in a place they can call their own. Not only does having your dog in their crate encourage relaxation but it can also work as a physical block to any furniture that they might otherwise be tempted destroy or a corner to pee in (dogs will naturally try to avoid doing the toilet near the place they sleep) in your absence. Of course the dog shouldn’t realise his crate also partially works as a barrier and so there shouldn't be any drive for them to escape because all it should seem like is a comfy space for them to sleep. See my guide on how to crate train your dog here.

5. Are You Giving Too Much Affection?

Giving affection to our dogs is incredibly powerful but it some cases, it can be powerful for the wrong reasons. Some owners don’t realise that giving too much affection can, in some cases, create over-attachment which then leads to a dependency on us. This leads to an increased anxiety when they're alone because now they’re essentially forced into the deep end of the pool without being able to swim. If you feel like this is the case with your relationship, obviously the answer here is to limit the amount of unnecessary affection you’re giving your dog...this is much easier said than done. The idea isn’t to stop giving your dog affection all together, far from it, but to simply allow room in your relationship for a more independent mindset. When we give too much affection we create a dependency where the dog struggles to live without the constant attention it’s used to. By now hopefully you can see how confusing it can be for your dog to go from “constant affection and attention whenever I want” to “why is there no one around to give me what I’m used to”. Limiting this affection when we’re around in the house can allow them to slowly acclimate to a new lifestyle of not constantly craving our attention. Now when you’re out of the house for however long, they’ve already taught themselves that it’s okay to be alone because you’ve taught them to become a more dependant dog. It’s important to keep in mind that if your dog is suffering from separation anxiety and we’ve tried all of the above options and problems still persist then we need to rethink other aspects of the dogs life that could be causing it to continue. If you think your dog is over-attached to you then try only giving them affection when they’re already calm, not allowing them to jump up next to you on the couch whenever they want, and keeping them off your bed when you’re going to sleep. (I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with letting your dog up on the furniture as long as it doesn’t encourage behaviour issues like it would in this case).

So what have we learned?

Separation anxiety won’t just go away on it’s own and it’s up to us to start making changes to our environment and lifestyle to help our dog handle their issues. Applying these steps to your daily routine can make a huge positive impact on lowering the severity of your dog’s anxiety and even getting rid of it entirely. Prevention is the name of the game here. Preparing your dog by getting them to the right mindset and then leaving them with comforting items/areas while you’re gone is how we make sure the dog suffers as little stress as possible. It has to be said that this change can only happen if you’re willing to stick to some sort of routine so that your dog is getting the consistent training they need, as is the case with any other major behaviour change. If we stick to our guns and keep our dog’s best interests at heart then complaints from neighbours and torn up pillows will be a distant memory.