Separation Anxiety and Back-to-school Anxiety

I've had a few questions about this lately and although I don't have kids, I do have a good deal of experience in the separation anxiety department. My German Shepherd mix Lily, was diagnosed as having separation anxiety at about 10 mos. and I was told by the behaviorist that we worked with, that she was the worse case she had ever seen. Not really the kind of award or recognition one wants to receive, but none the less I was determined to work through it with Lily and make our situation a better one. These are a few tips that I've learned both with Lily and through working as a Vet. Tech. and coming across anxiety issues on almost a weekly basis and can certainly be applied to those of us who either have children heading off to school or are returning ourselves.

It's very important to not pay attention to your dog or lavish them with affection as soon as you return from being out of the house. It's your first instinct when they come running to the door looking like they haven't seen you in years but RESIST! You should actually ignore them for a good 15-20 minutes before you leave the house and 15-20 after coming home. Obviously you want to take them out to relieve themselves, but only after they calm down do you pay attention to them. Toys that dispense food like Kongs, Buster Cubes or the fantastic line of Premier toys are something you want to fill with good-tasting stuff (jerky or peanut butter works) and give it to your dog maybe 10 minutes before leaving. You want it to be something that they like so much that they don't even notice you leaving. Make sure it is something that will last for a while, as the first 30 minutes after you leave the house are the most distressing for your dog. Tip: freezing peanut butter makes it last longer.

There are certain cues that our dogs pick up on which cause stress, as they are well aware of the specific things you do before leaving them: the shower, putting on your coat, grabbing your keys, even the alarm are cues for them to become anxious, as your departure is imminent. Desensitization is something that you can do so that they don't necessarily associate those cues with bad things. Set your alarm for various times during the day. Walk around putting your coat on and off. Grab your keys and put them down at all times of the day. You get the idea. This applies for dogs whose family members are heading back to school too. Getting your stuff together and leaving the house at different times of the day, but only for a few minutes will help desensitize them as well. The trick is for that time to be very brief and for there not to be any stress during that time. This is where the Kongs and interactive toys come into play. Gradually have the times out of the house become longer, but with no stress! It's a good idea to start practicing this a few weeks before going back to school if you can.

It's very important for dogs with separation anxiety to get plenty of good, hard exercise. This means running, chasing a ball, etc. for at least 30-60 minutes a day. Come on--it's good for us too! I always ran Lily for a good half hour before I left the house in the morning, and made sure she had gone potty so as not to find that in the house when I returned. Day care is a fabulous option too. A tired dog is a happy dog, is what I say. Training classes are a great idea too--Dog Talk's semi-private class is the one we went to. It's a positive based clicker-training class and Michelle is awesome!

There are medications that can be used with anxiety in dogs. But, you need to realize that you can't just give the meds and expect it to be fixed, unfortunately. They need to be used in conjunction with a behavior modification plan so talk to your Vet..

If you have ever found yourself in a panic-y situation, you have some idea of how these dogs feel. Our behaviorist told us that separation anxiety dogs think when you leave the house, that you're never going to return! How sad is that? It's important to realize that punishing them for their behaviors doesn't work. If you feel like your situation is so severe that you've considered giving up your dog, please contact your Veterinarian or an animal behaviorist. I know from experience, that sep. anxiety is tough to work through but it's so rewarding when you can actually get it under control or to a managable level. Lily was an amazing dog and I learned a lot from her--wouldn't change a thing!