Canine separation anxiety

Separation behaviors – lose the crate?

Question:
I am trapped in my own home because of my Shih Tzu. He is a wonderful dog, but he goes bonkers when I leave. I have him caged because of his destructive behavior. Now he is sopping wet when I come home, panting his head off, his cage is all wet and his feet are a mess. Please help me, I love him.

Dr. Nichol:
Nearly all dogs with separation anxiety are wonderful – except when they’re home alone. They do not rip up the carpet, dig holes in a wall, tear down the blinds, or even jump through windows to “punish” their people. They’re overwhelmed, panicked, frantically trying to escape. I’ve treated the broken nails, cut lips, and fractured teeth. It’s very sad.

The brain pathology that drives these freakouts is complex. Severe cases are challenging but we can help most of them improve by implementing research-based treatments – for life. They’re never cured. Take a few big tummy breaths and roll up your sleeves.

Step one is a thorough diagnosis. What!!?? Isn’t it obvious? Well, let me say this about that. Applying the same treatment to every dog with this miserable affliction would only help some of them somewhat. If we want the best possible outcome for every suffering dog and human, we must uncover every detail.

Unless you live off the grid in a cave, I’m betting you have a smart phone. Invest $13 in a table top tripod (Amazon). Snap in your phone and aim it at your unhappy little guy to gather evidence twice – once with him crated and again, on a different day, with him loose indoors.

Dogs watch their leaders. Those with separation anxiety focus with great intensity, missing nothing. Start your spying mission by carrying out every detail of your pre-departure ritual as though you’ll be gone all day. Include all personal quirks, habits that only you and your Shih Tzu would know. Switch on the video camera and leave; I mean really leave. Your dog will catch onto the ruse if he doesn’t hear you drive away. After 30 minutes you’ll have vital evidence that will make success possible.

Treating separation anxiety

You drag yourself through the door, after a long day, and in your face is the wreckage inflicted by your desperate and repentant dog. How do you feel? Angry, sad, guilty? Why is this happening? Where did you go wrong? Your friends’ pets don’t trash the house when their people are at work or grocery shopping or just out for dinner. It’s expensive to repair and it’s frustrating. You are not alone. Separation anxiety is common.

If you and your lovely Shih Tzu moved into a cave in the wilderness he’d stay by your side, accompanying you on hunting and gathering expeditions. His genetic tendency for this miserable affliction wouldn’t even matter. Maybe you’ll sell your house and buy a spear and a big black kettle. On the other hand, if you two stay in the contrivance of your house, we’ll put modern medicine and learning theory to work.

Those 30-minute videos you shot after leaving home: one with your Shih Tzu crated and another with him loose inside: Did he freak-out faster in his crate? When free to roam his home, was he pacing and checking the door and windows? Where was he more agitated? Did his panic begin to wane? We can tailor treatment to his needs.

You can slowly teach your dog to abandon his escalating heebie jeebies as you get yourself gussied up for work. Desensitization to predeparture cues means frequent handling of your keys, shoes and jacket, brushing your teeth or whatever triggers your pupster’s anxiety. Independence training can also make a difference. Give your good boy a loaded food toy and tether a few feet from your chair. When he’s relaxed, following lots of repetition, increase the distance until he’s calm, then anchor him such that he can see only a little of you, and then finally move him around a corner. Another method, graduated absences, will have you outside for progressively longer durations.

To make any difference, these well-founded methods must be repeated ad nauseum for months and then, for no apparent reason, the wheels can fall off. Don’t be discouraged. And don’t try one remedy or solution, and then another and another.

Your dog’s separation anxiety can improve

Those videos of your sweet dog, home alone and suffering with separation anxiety, have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that it is he who has desecrated your house and not some lurking poltergeist. Leaving him stuck in his crate is a setup for failure. With only the rarest of exceptions, confinement, with no hope of escape, heaps intense panic onto an already overwhelmed pupster. Your Shih Tzu’s prodigious production of saliva and for many other caged dogs, urine and feces, are clear signs of a nervous system gone off the rails.

Treatment begins by never again allowing the little guy to inflict damage. You must prevent his freak-outs at any cost because, with repetition, his brain would undergo physical changes that foster more of the same. Until he’s ready, and it may take a while, he should never stay by himself. He can frolic and cavort with others of his ilk at a good doggy daycare like K9 Resort. In-home pet sitting services are another good option. Or maybe a stay-at-home friend will host play dates. Some dogs with severe separation anxiety do fine in their person’s parked car, but that’s off the table in summer.

Nearly all wigged-out dogs can eventually improve and stay home alone a for few hours or even all day – if their anxiety is controlled. Safe medications, without side effects, are essential. Reconcile (fluoxetine) is approved for dogs, it’s chewable, and it’s given just once daily. Cheaper generics are best avoided because they are poorly absorbed by many dogs.

Your preparations to leave home are no secret to your nervous Nellie; his anxiety ramps-up at the first hint that you might …OMG! – walk out the door. Any response from you at these times, even a glance, would validate his fear. Just like the leader of a free-living canine group, you must completely ignore as you get ready to leave, as you exit your territory, and when you return. Your excursions into the wide, wide world must become non-events.

Withhold your dog’s meal until you’re ready to get ready. Then put his furry self in another room with a food-dispensing toy like a Twist ‘n Treat and switch on the Furbo.

Separation anxiety – meds make a difference

If the pacing, panting, barking/howling, and damage of separation anxiety keeps repeating, it will continue to worsen. People get frustrated. They’ve tried everything – except the right medication. Some worry about drug safety as their dog’s suffering reaches new depths. There’s no need for that.

We don’t use sedatives or tranquilizers. Modern antianxiety medications like Reconcile, Clomicalm (clomipramine), and Effexor (venlafaxine) have been subjected to exhaustive research. I’ve seen them make a huge difference. Side effects are possible but they’re unusual and minor and not acceptable. We adjust dosages and treatments so every creature in the house can succeed and feel fine. Only minor separation anxiety cases have a shot at improvement without meds.

With a tailored structure your dog stands a strong chance of becoming downright civilized when he’s home alone but, to get there, you’ll need to lead him with baby steps. Repeat your short absences, monitoring his emotional state while you’re away. Truly helping these freaked-out pets requires change and it takes time. Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Your dog needs relief from his insanity, whatever it takes.

A Furbo is a combination video camera/speaker/remote-activated treat dispenser that will show you what your dog is doing while you’re gone, letting you talk to him and build his confidence. He won’t know you’re a stalker unless you share the videos on Facebook. Drive away and watch the Furbo video on your smart phone – but not while you’re driving, please. You can give simple commands for tricks or other fun stuff, then tell the kid how smart he is while reinforcing him by having the Furbo spit out a treat – all on the app.

As-needed medications can be added. Trazodone, clonidine, or gabapentin can further settle your pupster’s nerves but only if given a couple of hours before you leave. If you need to hit the road quickly, you can give Sileo gel between your fine boy’s lip and gum. It’s safe with all of the above and it controls fear and anxiety in just 20 minutes. You’ll know what’s working just by watching the little fur ball on your Furbo app.

Separation anxiety needs modern treatment for success

A recently published study established what veterinary behaviorists have long understood about separation anxiety: physical discomfort is often a major factor. Inflammation of the stomach/intestines and joint pain can lurk beneath the surface. Eating nonfood items, licking surfaces or the air or even lip licking are symptoms of chronic nausea. Infected teeth and gums, smoldering ear infections, and itching skin frequently contribute to freak-outs when a dog is home alone. If we want the best results, we can’t afford to miss anything.

Your boy isn’t just lonesome for companionship; his anxiety skyrockets when he’s separated from you. Adding another pet might ignite a strong friendship but would be very unlikely to prevent your little guy from losing his mind when you’re away, unless the new dog looks just like you, but hairy all over and walking on all fours. I’m not seeing it.

There are alternative treatments. The Calmer Canine delivers microcurrents of targeted pulsed electromagnetic field signals to the brain’s fear center. It’s helped some of my cases but it works best when used alongside the right meds.

How about CBD? For dogs with arthritic pain it’s been added to medications like carprofen with some benefit.

People with day-to-day anxiety have felt better with CBD but pets don’t appear to get as much relief. If you’d like to try it for your dog, I recommend the Elle Vet brand. It’s supported by robust research and it’s safe with antianxiety prescription medications.

Supplements like valerian (Rescue Remedy), l-tryptophan, alpha casozepine (Zylkene), l-theanine (Anxitane), and CBD (Elle Vet) have only made the difference for dogs with separation anxiety that’s so mild that, without video monitoring, it would never have been recognized. Carefully chosen medications, along with research-based behavior modification, will be the only path to success.

Separation anxiety is never cured; even with resounding improvement, the wheels can fall off at any point. Sadly, some pets have been relinquished to shelters, their people believing they’d be better off in a different home. Please don’t take that path; your Shih Tzu’s best shot is with you. He’s strongly bonded. Losing you would inflict serious damage. Go to my website, drjeffnichol.com. Click the Videos tab and type separation anxiety into the search bar.