How do you get rid of separation anxiety in dogs?
Posted on Nov 08, 2008 under what is anxiety |I have a year old border collie mix who has separation anxiety. She barks constantly and is destructive when we aren't home. We are getting complaints from the neighbors. We have used muzzles, vibrating collars, and pharamone treatments to get her to stop and she still isn't. We also have resorted to crating her. Any advice?
Crating the dog is a good start. It won't help cure the separation anxiety, but it will prevent the dog from continuing to destory your belongings. A few of the following suggestions can be used alone or in conjunction with each other:
1) Place the dog in the crate while you are at home for short periods of time. Let the dog see that you are still there. However, do not pay any attention to the dog. If the dog barks, ignore it. Don't talk or yell at the dog. After the dog has stopped barking, walk over and without saying a word or showing any affection, let the dog out of the crate. The point of this exercise is to untrain the dog from knowing "I will bark and they will come".
2) If ignoring the dog in the crate doesn't help, and the dog continues to bark and bark and bark, another alternative is to use a loud noise to deter the dog from barking. This was the tactic that ended up working for me. Place the dog in the crate while you are at home. Everytime the dog begins to bark, you want to use something to make a loud noise. (The noise should NOT be you yelling or speaking with the dog - the dog wins when it hears your voice). I recommend putting some pennies in an empty soda can and placing a piece of tape on the opening. When shaken, the noise is obnoxiously loud, and should stop your dog from barking. With the dog in the crate, every time the dog begins to bark, without saying a word, shake the can of pennies loudly for ten or so seconds. If the dog starts barking again, repeat. Repeat, repeat, repeat. This should help with the barking problem.
3) Your routine. Dogs are extremely perceptive and will pick up on your pre-departure routine. For example, my dogs see me pick up a pair of shoes and they know that I (and they hope them) will be leaving the house. Chances are your dog's anxiety kicks in long before you walk out the door. Placing the dog in the crate before you perform the act (e.g., putting on shoes, grabbing keys, etc.) that triggers the "my owner is leaving me" anxiety should help. One thing that might help distract the dog as you leave in the morning is a Kong toy. The Kong toys are hollow and can be filled with treats that the dog will have to work to remove from the toy. This should help distract your dog while you slip out of the house in the morning.
4) Homecoming - When you get home, the first thing you should do is NOT let the the dog out. Go get a glass of water, read through the mail. Let the dog see you. If the dog is barking, DO NOT let the dog out of the crate. Wait until the dog calms down or use the penny-can to stop the dog from barking. Then let the dog out. Do not fawn over the dog, do not lavish attention on the dog, do not touch the dog. The goal here is to show the dog that your homecoming is not an event. It is a daily occurrence, nothing special. Lavishing attention on the dog when you get home will only add to the dog's anticipation and anxiety when you are away. After fifteen or so minutes of being home, give the dog the attention you want. The key is to disassociate your attention and your homecoming from each other.
4) Exercise. Border collies are working dogs. They are very intelligent and need to put that intelligence to use. They need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. A lot of the times destructive behavior is the result of not only separation anxiety, but also boredom and pent up energy.
The muzzles, collars and medication will not cure separation anxiety, they are short term solutions. Stop the muzzle, stop the collars or the medication and the dog will pick up right where he/she left off.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
I would try rescue remedy from the health food store first. If that doesn't work you can get stronger things from the vet. And you can use petsafe bark collars. I like them and petsafe is great at helping you.
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September 12th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
There is medication (corticalm) that you can get with a vet script - it has good reports.
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September 12th, 2006 at 12:31 pm
They have some toys out there that can help with this. You can put treats in them, and the dog can push it around to get the treats out, and you can also record your voice and it will play your voice when they knock the toy around, it's called the Talk to Me treat ball. My dog loves it.
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September 12th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
YOU ARE THE MASTER! MAKE IT OBEY!
Thorazine works well, as does Benadryl. Maybe even a little alcohol. or you could just yell at it to shut up!
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September 12th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
She needs a companion, another dog with the same temperament, maybe a little calmer, to keep her occupied. I hate crating hyper dogs.
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September 12th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
If you have try to be more calm when you are with her at home. She's home alone and then if you come home and go crazy w/ affection for her - the contrast is so stark - that's what is creating the anxiety. You have to try to be calmer when you are at home. Teach the dog to just sit and be quiet while you're home. When you get home, say hello and pet the dog - but be calm, don't go crazy after the dog.
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September 12th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
try leaving a radio with soft music on turn the volume up so it is comfortable to listen too
also try leaving the TV on something that you would be watch when you are home
i have cable with music and i put classical music on it seems to work so they cant hear everything outside
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4 dogs
September 12th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
I would just keep her in the kennel when you are not home.
Check out this site.. maybe it will help.
http://www.2ndchance.info/sepanxiety.htm
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September 12th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Well I would suggest when you are home to try to give her care and attention but at the same time don't let her always be with you. stick her in a room by herself once in awhile so she gets used to it. Also training might help…
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September 12th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
Rescue Remedy worked pretty good for our dogs. But if that doesn't work you might try talking to a vet or even a trainer like at petsmart. I remember seeing something about that on Animal Planet's Good Dog U once too. They did baby steps and such, so you might try looking at their website.
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September 12th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
If you've tried everything your vet has recommended, you might want to look into medicating her. I know it's not the best option, but may be the only other thing to try. You've done the right thing with crating her, so she isn't destructive. There may not be a way to rid her completely of it. One thing you can try is to not make a big deal when you leave the house or when you come home. When I crate my dogs, I give them a treat so they are eating when I leave the room. I don't say a word to them. When I come home, I open the crate doors without a word, and silently walk out of the room. My dogs immediately go outside, then when they come in, I greet them. Can your dog see you leave out the door? If so, move the crate to a place where your dog can't see you go. I've noticed that makes a difference in my dogs. Good luck!
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September 12th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Crating is a must for separation anxiety. Any dog, in my opinion. To keep them (and your stuff) safe.
Get a kong, stuff and freeze it to keep her occupied.
Also, she may need to be put on medication. Separation anxiety is not something you can get rid of.
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September 12th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
Crating the dog is a good start. It won't help cure the separation anxiety, but it will prevent the dog from continuing to destory your belongings. A few of the following suggestions can be used alone or in conjunction with each other:
1) Place the dog in the crate while you are at home for short periods of time. Let the dog see that you are still there. However, do not pay any attention to the dog. If the dog barks, ignore it. Don't talk or yell at the dog. After the dog has stopped barking, walk over and without saying a word or showing any affection, let the dog out of the crate. The point of this exercise is to untrain the dog from knowing "I will bark and they will come".
2) If ignoring the dog in the crate doesn't help, and the dog continues to bark and bark and bark, another alternative is to use a loud noise to deter the dog from barking. This was the tactic that ended up working for me. Place the dog in the crate while you are at home. Everytime the dog begins to bark, you want to use something to make a loud noise. (The noise should NOT be you yelling or speaking with the dog - the dog wins when it hears your voice). I recommend putting some pennies in an empty soda can and placing a piece of tape on the opening. When shaken, the noise is obnoxiously loud, and should stop your dog from barking. With the dog in the crate, every time the dog begins to bark, without saying a word, shake the can of pennies loudly for ten or so seconds. If the dog starts barking again, repeat. Repeat, repeat, repeat. This should help with the barking problem.
3) Your routine. Dogs are extremely perceptive and will pick up on your pre-departure routine. For example, my dogs see me pick up a pair of shoes and they know that I (and they hope them) will be leaving the house. Chances are your dog's anxiety kicks in long before you walk out the door. Placing the dog in the crate before you perform the act (e.g., putting on shoes, grabbing keys, etc.) that triggers the "my owner is leaving me" anxiety should help. One thing that might help distract the dog as you leave in the morning is a Kong toy. The Kong toys are hollow and can be filled with treats that the dog will have to work to remove from the toy. This should help distract your dog while you slip out of the house in the morning.
4) Homecoming - When you get home, the first thing you should do is NOT let the the dog out. Go get a glass of water, read through the mail. Let the dog see you. If the dog is barking, DO NOT let the dog out of the crate. Wait until the dog calms down or use the penny-can to stop the dog from barking. Then let the dog out. Do not fawn over the dog, do not lavish attention on the dog, do not touch the dog. The goal here is to show the dog that your homecoming is not an event. It is a daily occurrence, nothing special. Lavishing attention on the dog when you get home will only add to the dog's anticipation and anxiety when you are away. After fifteen or so minutes of being home, give the dog the attention you want. The key is to disassociate your attention and your homecoming from each other.
4) Exercise. Border collies are working dogs. They are very intelligent and need to put that intelligence to use. They need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. A lot of the times destructive behavior is the result of not only separation anxiety, but also boredom and pent up energy.
The muzzles, collars and medication will not cure separation anxiety, they are short term solutions. Stop the muzzle, stop the collars or the medication and the dog will pick up right where he/she left off.
References :
September 12th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
There is some training you can do where leave your dog for different lengths of time so he will eventally get use to being out. you may need consult a trainer for more information.
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