Separation anxiety is a disorder that not only occurs in human beings, but also in dogs. You may find that your dog exhibits certain behaviors when he or she is left alone. This goes beyond simply whining or looking a bit sad when you leave. Instead, it is a dramatic response that occurs almost every time you leave the house. Owners may find that their dog cries, howls, chews, digs, pees or defecates inside the house even if when they are trained not to do so. They may also scratch, claw and bark.
While professionals don't totally understand why this occurs, it is important that owners realize that the dog is really feeling panicked because the owner is leaving, and they dog or puppy is not out to be mean or to punish their owner for leaving. Some things which heighten the likelihood of separation anxiety include your dog or puppy not having spent a lot of time alone or if you or your family are gone for long period of time. For example, if you go on vacation and then come back your dog may panic when you leave the house again, because they aren’t sure when you might come back.
If your dog has had a real bad experience, for example getting hit by a car or prior abuse, then they may not want you to leave their side. If there has been some big changes in the family, such as you taking a new job and you now have a different schedule, if you have recently changed cities or if your son or daughter goes off to college, this may cause mental anxiety for your dong.
There may be other things going on besides separation anxiety. Therefore, there are some important and specific markers to look for to make sure that this is what it is going on with your dog. If your dog only acts out when he or she is left alone or if they follow you very closely while you are at home, if they are very frantic or too excitable when you come home or when you are getting prepared to leave the house, these are major clues that your dog is suffering from separation anxiety. Your dog being fearful of going outside by themselves is another big clue.
If your dog is dealing with separation anxiety, you may want to leave them with a piece of your clothing that has your scent on it. This may help calm them down. When you come in and out on the house don't make a big fuss. You may even want to not acknowledge your dog for a few minutes and then calmly speak to him or her or pet them. When you leave the house, let them know that you'll be right back. If you find that some of these things do not work, you may want to talk to your vet and ask them about anti-anxiety drugs. Leaving your pet with a family member or a friend when you are going to be gone for either short or long periods of time may also be beneficial.
I have had my 5-month old Doberman for a month now, and she has extreme separation anxiety. She came from a house where they had three dogs, a litter of nine, and 6 people living in the house. She was also their favorite because she would go up to them and cuddle with them, etc. The people I got the dog from were a little more lenient than me in what they let their dogs do. For instance, they let the dogs go into the food bag and get food whenever they wanted, and they did not crate their dogs. I believe in crating, and scheduled meal times, etc. The puppy follows me around the house, does not focus on eating unless I’m standing beside her, and defecates in her crate (and in my car) when I leave her alone. She does not do this all the time, but it is hard to predict when she will or when she won’t. When I have to come home or come back to the car and clean up crap all the time, it makes me not like the dog. What do I do? I am at my wits end. Please help, or else I will have to give this dog away.