Separation anxiety
Separation anxiety is a very distressing behaviour to have to cope with – both for the dog and their owner and it is not a niche problem. It is estimated that as many as 55% of dogs in the Uk struggle with separation anxiety, but in reality, that figure may well be a lot higher.
With the number of owners I have enquiring about SA training and the prevalence of the problem, I wanted to break down the different types of separation related behaviours, as separation anxiety is often used as a blanket time when there are, in fact, three main categories that dogs will fall into with their distress. ‘Separation anxiety’ is not a category in itself.
Isolation distress
This is a dog who cannot cope with being alone, without people. As long as they have a person with them, then they are fine.
Hyper-attachment
This is a dog who has an unhealthily strong attachment to a particular family member. They cannot cope without this person, even if other people remain with them.
Frustrated dogs (FOMO)
This is a dog with ‘fear of missing out’. These dogs are not feeling anxiety at being left alone, but frustration at not being involved. These dogs tend to have quite a low tolerance for frustration in general (for example, they may be reactive). These cases tend to involve younger, high-energy breeds who are not having their needs met.
Often, the behaviours displayed present in the same way as isolation distress or hyper-attachment but because FOMO doesn’t come from a place of anxiety/fear, it requires a different approach in treatment, so it is important to rule out FOMO in SA cases.
Signs that your dog is distressed in your absence include: barking, whining, pacing, excessive drooling, inability to settle, destruction and toileting inside.
If your dog is struggling with being apart from you then identifying the type of SRB that your dog has is the first step in treatment for them. No matter how impossible the situation may seem, it is absolutely possible to help your dog with the right support.
As many as 80% of behavioural issues in dogs are driven by an underlying medical issue, so it is important to speak with your vet about running a health check in the first instance.
From there, it is a case of long-term commitment to the training to teach your dog that being alone is not something to be scared of. If your dog is showing signs of SRB, or you would like advice on if your dos is anxious in your absence, click here to drop me a message.
