HOME ALONE DOGS AND ANXIETY

                                 HOME ALONE DOGS AND ANXIETY.

Once upon a time,  perhaps in the fabled ancient past,  dogs spent their days out-doors working at their master’s side.  These days our dogs spend most of their people’s workdays at “Home Alone “ waiting for their masters to come home.

Dogs have a very powerful link to humans, and a strong bond develops between a dog and the pet’s owner.

Dogs belong in packs and when they are domesticated, they look at their families as their packs.  They need to be social and they need attention.  We are their confidence and their security and their leader or a pack leader.  Leaving them alone is traumatic.  Pets become down when owner’s go to work leaving their dogs alone.

Research in Britain has one in four of their eight million pet dogs suffering from depression caused by stress of being left alone by busy owners.

Sure we have our lives that are extremely busy, so it can be difficult to give our dogs as much attention as we need to  as we rush around like maniacs to get things done, by neglecting the dog he can feel the burden.

                                                     SEPARATION:

Sometimes, a dog separation anxiety is our own reproduction.  We like our dogs to be with us, and when they are puppies we take them everywhere for socialization.  We pat them, talk to them, play with them, reward them regularly when we are at home and the next moment – boom, they are alone.  This is a blow hot, blow cold confusing situation to them.

Some dog owners don’t allow their dogs to relax.  They feel they have to touch them, talk to them and generally disturb them, and naturally the dog thinks his job is to entertain the owner all the time.

Even when you are at home, leave the dog alone some times.  Do not pay attention to it all the time, or he may expect it all the time.

From the beginning teach your pup to be quite and settle down for a stretch of time.  When he is with us do not attempt to constantly interact with him.  Let him have his space.  Let him entertain himself with toys, ‘His Toys’.

LEAVING YOUR DOG HOME ALONE FOR THE FIRST TIME:

Plan bringing your new puppy home by taking a day or two or perhaps a week off from work.  That will give you some time to help the dog to adjust to your routine.

It’s not a good idea to leave a new puppy alone for a long stretch right at the beginning.   Start with just 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 20 minutes and so on up to 45 minutes, then an hour.

Give your dog lots of exercise,  walking is a bonding ritual.  It is something most dogs enjoy and it helps them come closer to the owner.  It also helps the dog rid of any pent-up physical,  mental and emotional energy.  The calmer you can get your dog the better.

If leaving your dog in a kennel is not an option, then leave the dog in a small area of the house with a baby gate in the doorway.

Give him chew toys or puzzle toys and cut back on his meals, so that the dog will be more interested in the toys.

WHEN LEAVING HOME:

When leaving home, don’t provide any clues.

No koochy-koo byes or ‘bye baby, I’ll be back soon’.

Go through your leaving routine quietly. Do what you always do when you’re leaving.

Pick up your keys,  put on your shoes,  cap or whatever you do before you leave in a normal way.   Ignore your dog and act casual and leave.

When you return home, greeting rituals should be kept short and without great excitement.

The dog learns to disassociate these actions.  Get him to get familiar with your actions that he accepts it.

On your return if something is not to your liking,  do not, on any account, punish, scold or be angry with your dog. Consider it your fault if something has gone wrong and how to overcome it.

Smothering your puppy with affection and attention all the time when you are at home

primes the pup to really miss you when you are gone.

·         Stay calm yourself.  If you are anxious,  your dog will also feel anxious.

·         Don’t feel sorry for the dog.  He is lucky to have a safe,  warm place to stay.

·         Stick to routine.  Leave the dog in the same place every time.

TIPS BEFORE LEAVING HOME:

·         Exercise your dog with a walk and by playing games well in advance of leaving.

·         Make sure the dog does his pooping and peeing before he returns from his       walk.

·         Leave a radio on instead of the TV, it takes less electricity.

·         If you’re coming home late, leave a light on.

·         Leaving an old sweater or T-shirt with your scent on your dog’s bed will          sometimes help.  Renew your scent on this garment by leaving it at the bottom of    the dirty laundry.

·         One useful toy is a ‘Kong’.  It is a rubber toy and can also double as a chew toy.  It has a hollow center and can be stuffed with food and treats.  The dog has to get it out using their paws, mouth, by picking it up and dropping.  Helps keep the dog busy and focused for long periods of time.               

                                                         Kong Toy

LONG AND SHORT SEPARATION:

Sometimes your long absence will be unavoidable,  so be prepared if an emergency arises going away on work or a vacation,  you will need reliable friends and neighbors,  or money to pay for a boarding kennel or a pet sitting service.

If your job keeps you away from home into late hours,  someone should come home at least once during the day to socialize with your pet and take him out to do its business.  Separation anxiety can make your dog disruptive and destructive.

DOG WALKER:

If your budget allows, employ a dog walker or a dog sitter,  who can check on your pet during the day when you are not at home.  Check with your vet to recommend one,  and conduct an interview to find a good match

DOGGY CARE:

Doggy care much like human child care facility,  provides a safe and enriching environment for pups.  Inquire about hygiene, space, feedings, accommodation and how fights are prevented.   Ask for references you can talk to.

                                                 DOG ANXIETY.

We love our dogs and miss them when we’re out of the house.   But our dogs miss us even more or sometimes too much.

Leaving your dog alone for a long time can result to his destructive behavior and howling, whining or on your return you may find your house as if it was hit by a hurricane.

These are signs of ‘Separation Anxiety’.

Like us, dogs have anxieties and fears.

A dog’s anxieties may not be the same as our own anxieties, but they do cause stress and physical reactions just the same. They could be caused by many reasons.

SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY:

When humans are anxious, we may pace the floor, bite our nails, crack our knuckles or play with our hair.

Dogs may also pace, groom and more.  Some dog anxiety may lead to property destruction, may cause us harm, snap at us or may simply be undesirable to our understanding.

This may include:

1.       Non-stop barking, howling or whining.

2.       Chewing up furniture, shoes, garbage or anything else in sight.

3.       Pooping, peeing in the house, in the crate or other confinement areas.

4.       Eating his own poop.

5.       Aggression towards people, dogs or other animals.

6.       They can become withdrawn or inactive.

7.       Reasons could include moving to a new house, new spouse, a new baby or       adding a new pet.

8.       Your dog follows you from room to room, unwilling to let you go.

9.       Death of his owner or death in the family, and he doesn't get the attention he       used to.

10.   A house full of holiday visitors. Children who played and pampered him, suddenly      ends.

11.   Their eating and sleeping habits change and no longer wants to go for walks.  Take caution, consult your vet.  These habits could also be due to health       problems.

12.   Don’t ignore the fact that your dog can’t tell you when he or she feels sick.

Canines could exhibit symptoms of depression when there is something physically wrong with them.  It is important to seek veterinarian care if depression symptoms persist for a period of time.  Your vet can do blood tests and give your dog a through physical examination to determine if there is a medical reason for your pet’s depression.

Apart from human absence, anxiety in dogs can also be due to change in schedule, change in residence, death of his partner-pet,  being abandoned or surrendered to shelter.

CONFINEMENT ANXIETY:

A dog gets anxious when he feels trapped or confined.  If a threat should arise, a confined dog may be unable to escape or flee.

If you crate him, don’t lock him inside.  Keep the door open so he can stretch about.  You could throw a cover over the crate so it becomes his den to sleep.  Keep his favorite toys or a few chew toys in.  Do not keep water or food bowls in the crate or it might tilt and make his bed wet and soggy.

NOISE ANXIETY:

When young children hear scary noises at night, they often run to parents and you normally soothe the child of his fear.

Unfortunately for a dog that is afraid of noise, no amount of explaining or consoling will help.  There is no guarantee that a noise phobia can be totally resolved.

A dog becomes fearful when exposed to loud or unusual noises, for example noisy vehicles and machinery, fireworks, vacuum cleaner, sirens, thunderstorm to name a few.

It is important to remember, that you should refrain from giving excessive attention or punishment for fearful behavior.

ANXIETY DURING THUNDERSTORM

For some dogs, rain and thunderstorm can be stressful.  A highly effective remedy during storms is distraction.  You can play a game of fetch with a ball, toy or place empty tumblers apart with a treat hidden under one and ask him to find his treat.

Hide and seek is another great game and easiest to teach, with two humans players, one to hold and stay with the dog while the other human goes and hides.  Encourage him to find the one who’s hiding.  The person hiding can make a big fuss over the dog once he’s found. 

There are many indoor games you can play with your dog.

This distraction will be a positive support to help him learn that fun time starts when rain begins. 

WHAT WON’T HELP:

To help your nervous dog to calm down and relax, your first natural instinct would be to hold and cuddle him.  This action positively reinforces the nervous behavior and he would expect it in future too.

Unfortunately, this is not a healthy solution for the dog.

FEAR OF FIREWORKS

Summer time is firework time. We have Canada Day, USA Independence Day, France with Bastille Day.  Festivals like Diwali, Chinese New Year etc.

Many dogs and cats react to fireworks as individuals.  While some may not react, many pets get injured, killed or get lost by panicking and jumping from heights or through closed glass windows and bolting out through doors and gates.

Watch out for these anxiety signs of pacing, panting, drooling, hiding, vocalizing, nuzzling, climbing on people or tend to drink more water.

For many frightened pets, just staying in a crate or in a ‘safe’ room behind closed door is all that is needed.  Give your pet food rewards.  Offer your pet his favorite toys or food puzzle toys,  have him practice his tricks with you,  play with him.

              Some severely anxious pets may benefit from drugs.  Talk to your veterinarian

              about what is best for him.                                                                          

The goal is for him to learn that fireworks result in highly pleasant rewards. 

TRUE SEPARATION ANXIETY AND PRETENTIOUS ANXIETY:

There are two types of anxieties, true separation anxiety and a pretentious anxiety. In the latter it is simulated as the dog knows he will get attention if he acts badly.  For some dogs even being verbally scolded or even punished is rewarding because he feels he was noticed.

Sometimes negative attention can be a reward where the owner is unaware that certain needs of a dog are not being fulfilled.

WHY PUNISHMENT MAKES IT WORSE:

It is natural for owners to be angry if they return to find damage to their home, mess in the house or your neighbors complaining of your dog’s barking and howling.

Any punishment given on returning home is ineffective.  Dogs associate punishment with what they are doing at the instant they are punished and so your dog will not connect the telling off.  It is not that your dog cannot remember what happened, just that it is natural to think the punishment is for what is taking place at that moment, rather than what your dog did hours earlier.

Punishment is not only ineffective but it is also likely to make the problem worse.

This adds to his already anxious fear of being left alone, the animal is now worried about the owner returning home.

                                We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults.

                                 Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical dog attachment.

                                                                                                   George Eliot.