The Well-Tempered Pet, Madison Pet Gazette, June 1997

By Sharon Savage, M.S.

As a behavior consultant, I often treat wonderful dogs that recently have been adopted from shelters. After the owner's initial surprise at how well-behaved the new dog is, the pet's manners seem to vanish overnight. While the owner is away at work, walls are gnawed, accidents occur, or neighbors complain that the dog has begun howling.

These problems are all symptoms of "separation anxiety". But there is good news: separation anxiety can be prevented before it ever begins.

Separation anxiety is distress at being separated from the owner. In the case of shelter dogs, which have already experienced abandonment, the dog may bond with the new owner immediately, then panic when he leaves for work. Separation anxiety usually manifests itself as destruction at points of exit (chewing floors, walls, or crates), vocalization, inappropriate elimination, or self-mutilation. The first two behaviors are attempts to reunite with the owner, while the last two are products of the anxiety itself. Separation anxiety is differentiated from other behavior problems in that symptoms only occur during the owner's absence.

To understand what causes separation anxiety, consider the following scenario: after adopting a dog, you take a few days' vacation and spend every moment with your new pet. You leave for work Monday morning and return home nine hours later to an exuberant greeting session with your biggest fan.

However, emotional arrivals make stress-prone dogs spend each successive day obsession about the fabulous reunion scene that awaits. After several days or even weeks, you arrive to find a problem has occurred. You punish the dog, causing him to become more anxious the next day. The dog relieves his stress by engaging in the original problem behavior. The cycle of separation anxiety has begun.

Once started, separation anxiety can only be cured through a grueling program (2-4 months) of behavior modification. Fortunately, the problem may be prevented by following the same program for just a few days with newly adopted pets.

Plan about five days in which to get to know your new dog. Much of that will be spent encouraging his independence. Practice random departures by putting your dog where he'll stay while you're at work, saying an unemotional "see you later," and leaving the house. Return after 5 seconds (to start with) and ignore the dog. Practice 50-100 departures a day for several days, gradually increasing the average length of your absence.

Anytime you leave for more than a few minutes, give your dog a special treat (like a beef bone of Kong toy stuffed with liverwurst or peanut butter) that he only gets to have while you are gone.

Make your presence and absence be of about equal value to the dog--don't let your ego interfere! If you really do need to leave for a long period during these first few days, leave your pet at "doggie  daycare" or with a friend. Once your dog can tolerate practice departures of 30 minutes, he's probably ready to spend half days alone. Visit your pet during lunch time for the first few weeks and you should be well on your way to a separation anxiety-free pet.