Why Do These 5 Myths Keeps Circulating About Separation Anxiety?
Have you ever had a pet dog with separation anxiety (SA)? Had a friend whose dog has SA? Do you have a pet now who you wonder has SA?
I can honestly say that we had the best SA dog ever. Sandy was adopted after she was picked up on the streets, she was the first of many senior pooches we adopted to live out their final chapter with us. She jumped out of a window within the first week of being adopted while I was out of the house and later would climb out of a car window. The thing is she was the gentlest soul who could be taken anywhere so our SA pooch went to our workplace and even got written into the lease by the building landlord, and my mother lived with us so she was never left alone. I didn’t know what I know now to help Sandy but honestly because of who she was and our household situation, we didn’t experience what most SA pet parents feel, overwhelm, frustration, and isolation.
I’m going to say Myth #1 is: Thinking that Letting a Dog “Bark it Out” Will Resolve Things.
I think people in my generation might have heard and used the “cry it out” method to get a baby to sleep alone, ie basically leave them alone, they likely will scream (& scream some more), but the idea is that they will eventually “learn self-soothing”. A lot of pet parents misunderstand SA and will try this approach and find that their dog escalates rather than learns to ‘self-sooth’ and the situation can become unsafe, e.g., a dog harming themselves.
SA is a fear of being left alone and or separated from people. When we fear something, it’s hard to stop the physiological chain reaction that gets started. Think about how you’ve felt when you’ve encountered something that elicits a fear response in your body – your heart beats faster, breathing becomes rapid, and panic can set in. Your dog isn’t being spiteful, isn’t bored and acting out – they can’t control their behavior when the fear sets in. Repeating them going into panic mode is simply letting their body rehearse a lot of behaviors that you really don’t want them to practice.
Myth #2: Use a Crate to Help. For many dogs with SA, crates add to the panic. Maybe it adds another layer of isolation, we don’t know as our dogs can’t tell us. I just know that for a lot of pet parents I’ve worked with who have anxious dogs, a crate isn’t a safe place and dogs can risk severe physical and psychological damage being left in a crate. If your SA dog is destructive and you’re worried about leaving your dog free roaming in your home, you may try an ex-pen or chew and destruction proof the room rather than confining them in a crate.
Myth #3: Give Your Dog a Food Puzzle or Chew for When You Leave. For a SA dog this often becomes a cue that you will be leaving like when you bring the leash out and your dog knows that they are going out. A lot of pet parents tell me that their dog won’t eat the kong or the best bully stick until the humans are back home. When dogs are scared, they often don’t eat so food isn’t the answer. Some SA dogs don’t lose their appetite and have a different way to show their stress or they may fall apart after a certain period of time from finishing their kong. It’s better to work on helping your dog grow positive feelings with your departure than trying to use food props.
Myth #4: Don’t Coddle Your Dog, Let Them Know Who’s Boss. SA is a fear and a dog’s response is panic so it’s ok to try to comfort your dog. Offering attention to them doesn’t cause SA nor does letting them go out doors ahead of you, or sleeping on the furniture cause SA. The alpha pack mentality has been debunked, it’s time to let it go.
Myth #5: There’s a Quick Fix on Amazon Prime. So many pet parents can share a laundry list of quick fixes they’ve spent money on which made zero difference. The method that will make a difference is based in science and is slow and at times may feel like watching paint drying on the walls for the humans involved. It’s slow and gradual exposure to desensitize the dog to departures, changing their feelings from feeling like the world is ending when they are alone to being comfortable with the situation.
Let’s do better for SA dogs and their pet parents, we can do it.
Cheers, Tracy
