Dogs are not little people, the time that dogs have been domesticated is but a drop in the ocean in terms of creation, they are social minded pack animal adapted to survive in the wild as predator and scavengers. Given this fact it is not surprising that some people have behavioral problems with their dogs when they are kept as sole house pets. Some dogs are just fine in this role, others have varying degrees of problems in adapting to this unnatural situation.
One of the behavioural problems I often encounter is separation anxiety, that is where the dog is destructive while the owner is out or may bark unceasingly and thus greatly annoy the neighbours. There is no magic bullet for all cases in terms of remedying this problem and each dog is different but with patience there are things you can try. In tackling this problem you face a very obvious dilemma in so much as you are not there to actually train the dogs when they do bark. Dogs have little sense of cause and effect you see so telling them off later is a waste of time.
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Basically there are three approaches to tackle separation anxiety :
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1. What I have often known work is variations of the following :
A. Make sure the dog has a comfortable ” safe area ” with a bed, food and water toys etc. but this must be a room with a door.
B. Leave a radio playing close to the safe area at all times and leave the dog in there for periods on the days when you are at home. If the dog then barks you can go straight in and tell no, and make them understand this is wrong, the same thing goes for destructive behaviour. The object of the radio is so that the dogs do not know if you are in the house or not. When you are going to leave give the dog a hollow bone or Kong toy which has been filled with treats, this will take the dogs mind off your departure. Putting the filled toy in the freezer first is a good strategy as this prolongs the time the dog must spend to get to the treats. Kongs are very good in this respect.
C. When you do leave the house do so quietly so that the dog does not know you are gone. On the days when you are in the house { Sundays etc } leave the dog in the safe area for longer periods of time if there is no barking then go in now and again and praise your dog if it has been good.
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2. Another thing to try here if the neigbours are complaining about the noise when you are out is anti-bark collars. These work in two ways some squirt a scent which surprises the dog and makes him uncomfortable. Others give a mild electric shock. There is a body of opinion against the electric shock version but the shock is mild and not dangerous such as you might get from a joke pen and this is not designed for permanent use but as an initial training aid to modify a dog’s behaviour. I find that these sorts of gadgets either work very well or not at all but they are well worth trying.
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3. Your vet can supply prescription drugs which are indicated for separation anxiety, this should be a last resort when you have worked through the other two methods above, this is often used in conjunction with my above strategies and can help greatly in some cases. Drugs which have been prescribed by vets have included Clomicalm, Prozac and Amitriptyline, if I personally was going down this road I would try Clomicalm first. Again this is never a long terms solution but the aim should be to gently wean your dog off these drugs if the condition improves.
This is truly never an easy situation but at least I have given you a few ideas to work through. Finally, tempting though this may be try and never smack your dog when you are dealing with seperation anxiety as this could well confuse your dog and make matters worse.
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Glad you mentioned not smacking a dog for his behaviour as everyone would agree that this will not help – however, not sure that the shock collar isn’t just another form of punishment! That aside, we’ve found that leadership can be a key issue in separation anxiety. As dog owners we need to be leader of the pack because dogs live in our world – a world they often don’t understand – and being leader can be very stressful. It puts them in a position of being responsible for their pack (i.e. you), so when you go out they will feel desperate because they don’t know where you are or whether you’re safe. With you firmly established as leader of the pack they will relax and not worry when you’re out. It may need other behaviour modification training to get rid of separation anxiety completely.
Thanks for dropping by,
Agreed, smacking will just make things worse. The thing about the anti-bark collars is that they do seem to work quite well as it is a quick form of conditioning like Pavlov’s dogs. I never suggest them as a long term measure …
I can tell that you know about dog behaviour from your post but many people do not and they arrive at the vet at the last minute when the neighbors are complaining and at their wits ends and perhaps the dog warden is involved. Shock collars in this situation can be a quick fix and you have to do something quick because letting the dog go could be an option.
Such owners often do not have the time or patience to undertake more in depth kinder training as you or I might do. And I rather suspect you and I would not leave dogs on their own for long periods of time anyway which of course is the basic problem here.
Kindest Regards,
Scott