Is your dog just super affectionate and loves being around you, or does he have separation anxiety and cannot be away from you? How do you tell the difference? Separation anxiety happens when a dog is overly attached to their human and exhibits distress and other destructive behaviour due to stress when separated from their human. Such behaviour includes excessive barking and howling, and scratching at doors and walls trying to escape and reunite with their human, and usually manifests within a few minutes of their human leaving the house.
Just like people, each dog is an individual with their own personality and quirks that is a result of both nature and nurture. It is not known why some dogs have separation anxiety and others do not.
Separation anxiety is neither breed-specific nor age-specific and has been seen across dogs of all breeds and ages.
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| With patience and the right methods - it can be cured. Donut no longer has separation anxiety. |
Separation anxiety not only increases stress levels in dogs, but also in their humans. We all know how difficult it is to leave even our well-adapted pets at home when we have to leave the house for work or other essential needs. Throw in the heartbreak of watching your dog freak out as you leave and you can imagine the herculean effort to not turn back and comfort your dog in his distress. Not to mention the stress at coming home after a long day of work to find your home in a mess as your dog tried to claw or shred her way out of the home while you were away. It is even worse if you have set up a petcam to monitor your dogs while you are away and can see the meltdown as it happens but there is nothing that you can do about it. It is no wonder that many dogs have been given up just because their humans could not cope with their separation anxiety.
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| Scratched the door till paws bleed |
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| Blood stair near the main door |
So what do you do if your dog has separation anxiety? Never leave your home again without your pet? While that may be feasible in these COVID times, it is not practical in the long run, nor is it healthy for our own mental health. One way to help your dogs overcome their anxiety at being left alone is to wean them off their over-dependency on you. It may surprise some to hear that it is our own behaviour that sometimes causes or amplifies a dog's separation anxiety. Do you make a big affair out of leaving the house? Do you find yourself seeking out your dog to kiss and hug them goodbye and whisper reassurances that you will see them when you get home?
It is understandable that we do not like leaving our dogs at home alone any more than they like to be away from us. However, making a big deal out of the separation may cause them anxiety as they do not understand that you are only leaving for work, or popping down to the convenience store to get groceries. They may think that because you are making such a big deal of leaving that you may not be coming back and that is what gets them all riled up. Or you kiss and hug them, get them all hyped up and then you leave. The anticlimax would stress them out.
So one way to help a dog with separation anxiety is to make leaving the house seem like a common thing to them (which it is unless you are a shut-in). For a start, try ignoring your dog for half an hour before you have to depart. And when it comes time to leave, just take your things and go without saying anything to or making eye contact with your dog. As if you were just taking a trip to the bathroom and nothing more. Over time, your dog will learn that you leaving the house is not a big deal. That you are not going to disappear from their lives forever. That you will always come home to them.
It will take time, but in most cases, just changing your departure routine and helping your dog be confident in your return is enough to help a dog overcome his separation anxiety. In the rare situation, the anxiety may be attributed to other neurological or psychological problems that may require professional help. However, know that a dog has separation anxiety because they love you so much and do not want to be apart from you. So just as they love you, we hope that you love them that much in return and never give up on them as you work to overcome their separation anxiety together.
Written by: Samantha Yap
