The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2020 | Page 35

FEATURE | AFTER THE QUARANTINE
will create a great deal of stress and anxiety for the dog, which will
likely manifest into unwanted behaviors. Separation anxiety can
be an extremely difficult behavior problem for owners. Separation
anxiety can cause serious distress, and every effort should be made
to alleviate your pet’s suffering.
There are simple things dog owners can do to eliminate or lessen the
potential for developing separation anxiety and to help prepare dogs
for when we go back to business as usual:
1. Find time to leave your dog alone during this quarantine. Act
as though you are going to work, or the kids are going to school. Go
through the same routine when you are getting ready. Act as if you
were preparing the dog for you to be gone for several hours. Put the
family in the car and take a drive while leaving the dog at home. If
you typically crate your dog, make sure your dog is spending time
in that crate. A dog with severe separation anxiety should never be
confined, as they may panic and will try everything to escape. Dogs
can cause serious injury to themselves in an effort to get out of a
crate; they may bloody their paws or break their teeth.
2. Start slow and vary the amount of time you are away,
particularly if your dog has had issues with separation anxiety
in the past. Leave for a couple of minutes and come back. You can
slowly increase the amount of time you are gone. The dog needs to
learn you are not leaving forever. It is best to mix it up so they never
know if it will be two minutes, 15 minutes, or three hours.
3. Expose your dog to typical signs of the owner leaving, but
without the associated negative experience. Right now, while we
are home, we can eliminate or lessen the intensity of these triggers
by simply doing them periodically throughout the day. For some
dogs, it is the sound of keys, putting on shoes, putting on makeup,
or picking up a purse or backpack. These things have become predictors
of the owner leaving. Most dogs will have increased anxiety
when they see or hear these pre-departure cues. When you pick up
your keys, carry them around, and give the dog a treat. When you
put on your shoes, walk around the house, and give the dog a treat.
Carry your purse or backpack around the house. These actions will
no longer cause the same negative emotional response. By doing
these things and not leaving and pairing the action with something
positive, like a treat or a play session, you are actually changing the
dogs mind about acts that once caused stress and anxiety. They will
no longer have a negative association with the keys, purse, or backpack;
the brain will instead trigger a positive emotional response.
And because you have trained them to not know how long you will
be away (see step 2), separation anxiety is less likely to occur.
4. When you leave your dog, you should give them something
wonderful, something they would not get any other time. For
my dog, sometimes this means a chicken scavenger hunt, a feeder
toy with yummy treats, a scoop of cottage cheese, a special treat
she loves, or any combination of these. When a dog associates your
leaving with getting something wonderful and special, they will
actually start to look forward to you leaving. For example, my dog
has not had a scavenger hunt or a scoop of cottage cheese since the
quarantine because these things are only given when I leave. I think
she is actually disappointed I have not left!
5. This is a hard one for most people: Keep hellos and
goodbyes brief. We think like humans, not like dogs, so we
think we need to have an emotional goodbye and an emotional
hello. This is not natural for dogs and should not be done. This
only makes your leaving and the anticipation of your return
more difficult for them. When you leave your dog, just leave.
They do not care that you are not saying goodbye. You are not
going to hurt their feelings. Your departure and arrival should be
emotionless. The calmer you are when you leave and return, the
calmer your dog will be while you are gone.
6. Make sure all of your dog’s needs are met. Dogs need
structure, exercise, mental stimulation, and attention. Making sure
your dog is well-balanced in these areas will lessen the potential for
unwanted behaviors and improve obedience.
These are things we can do while we are at home that will really
help our dogs down the road. These are difficult and stressful times.
I want to encourage you to take this opportunity to work with
your dog. If you have kids, this is a great time for them to engage
with the dog also. Teach the dog some new tricks, take them for
walks, or play hide and seek with the dog. This is a great time for
us to strengthen our relationship and build that bond we all desire
with our dog, while also working on things that can prevent future
behavior problems. Dogs are a gift; they love us unconditionally.
We should do all that we can to help them through this transition.
Separation anxiety is a serious condition and can be difficult
to treat. If you are unable to help your dog, and feel you need
professional help, contact someone certified in canine behavior or
ask your veterinarian. Please stay safe and enjoy this time we have to
be with our two-legged and four-legged loved ones.
Jamie Gregory has been training dogs for
more than 20 years. She is a Certified
Behavior Consultant Canine (CBCC-KA), a
Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-
KA) and attended E-Training for Dogs. She
has her own Indiana-based dog training
center, but finds it is more beneficial to work
with the dogs and owners in their own
environments. “Dog training is not my job, it
is my passion,” she says. Her accreditation
status can be found on the CCPDT Certified Counsel for
Professional Dog Trainers website.
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Summer 2020 33