Is it separation anxiety?
Comments (1)There is an epidemic today amongst certain veterinarians and dog trainers. They hear an owner say that their dog is destructive when they leave, chews up the couch, digs up the backyard, etc. For many veterinarians and dog trainers their first response is “Oh no… Separation Anxiety!” They figure that if the dog is being destructive while the owner is gone that it must be separation anxiety. Their response is to load the dog up on anti-anxiety drugs and pills. Many times they are shocked to see that the behavior still continues. Or perhaps it doesn’t continue but the only reason it doesn’t is that the dog is so drugged and lethargic that he sleeps all day.
Separation anxiety is a real, honest to goodness, disorder. It is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. The ‘wiring’ is a bit off and the dog is not able to process information and stress the way that a normal dog can. Separation anxiety is actually quite rare. If you were to read stats on anti-anxiety medication, though, you wouldn’t believe it. Vets are prescribing these meds by the bucket-full in hopes of changing dog behavior. The problem is, if your dog doesn’t really have separation anxiety, it doesn’t help to medicate.
So what causes destruction if it isn’t separation anxiety?
Most dogs are destructive because they can. Their owners are gone and they get bored. Dogs by nature are prone to chew and dig, that is what dogs do. A well trained dog understands that digging is not appropriate and that chewing should only be done on approved items. A dog that hasn’t been properly conditioned to be alone and hasn’t been trained what is acceptable is likely to get destructive. Separation anxiety? No, simply a lack of training.
Other dogs are destructive out of anxiety, but not separation anxiety. Remember, separation anxiety is an actual chemical disorder and is a real, physical problem. Anxiety is simply feeling nervous because the owner is gone. These are completely separate problems and should be treated as such. If your dog is simply anxious about being alone your dog needs training, conditioning, and such to teach them how to be isolated for hours on end, not drugs.
How to know if it is separation anxiety
So even though most cases of separation anxiety are misdiagnosed there are still plenty of dogs with this disorder. These are dogs who aren’t capable of being calm and under control on their own when left alone. It is tough to diagnose but there are several signs that may tell you that your dog has separation anxiety. Here are four main signs for diagnosing separation anxiety:
1- Destruction is localized around exit points. You may find that the dog digs at the front door or chews off the door frame. You may find that an outside dog digs incessantly next to the back door. A dog with separation anxiety will often associate the exit point with the act of you leaving. They will therefore focus on that area as an outlet for their stress.
2- The dog can’t calm down. Many dogs will whine when their owners leave. If the dog will whine, howl, and bark for eight hours straight while Mom or Dad are gone you may have a dog with separation anxiety.
3- Destruction is taken to the extreme. A dog that is left in a crate may dig and bite at the door to the point where they rub their paws bloody. An entire front door may be destroyed. A bored dog may also do this so be careful with using this as a sole means of diagnosis.
4- Drool. Dogs with separation anxiety may drool in excess. Drooling is often caused by stress and if the dogs has separation anxiety he is very stressed. If you come home to a pool of slobber this could be a sign of separation anxiety.
If your dog truly has separation anxiety the best course of action is proper medication mixed with behavior modification training. Find a qualified trainer and a qualified vet to help you fix your dog’s problems.
Question about food aggression
Comments (0)This is a recent question I received from a reader of my website:
Question: My boyfriend and I have a 9 month old Akita/Chocolate Lab mix who weighs about 42 lbs. We got him when he was 8 weeks old and have spent a lot of time training him. He can sit, lay down, stay, dance…very clever dog.
The major issue at hand (there are other minor ones) is this: This morning, I asked Jackson to sit, stay a few feet away while I got his breakfast ready -like every morning and evening. I called him over to eat while I held his bowl in my hand. We’ve been working with him to not be so defensive over his food. He gulps it down without even chewing. He ate calmly, chewed his food, and was relaxed. I set his bowl down to let him eat and I stroked his head. He was fine. I grasped him by his shoulders and slid him backwards away from his food… he absolutely lost it! He snarled, snapped at me (he missed) so I swatted him. He snapped at me one last time I took his food away and kenneled him.
After sharing this with my boyfriend (who did not witness this), he was very upset and feels Jackson may need to be put down for fear of being untrustworthy. I, however, do not feel that it necessary and would like to work to overcome this. Jackson has done this once or twice before when he was a few months old (always toward my boyfriend - not me) as well as once with a raw hide when we took it away.
Can anything be done? What do you suggest?
Answer: Food aggression is obviously a very serious issue and I would strongly recommend you look into hiring an experienced trainer that knows how to deal with this type of issue. In the meantime here are several steps to helping you fix food aggression:
1- Hand feed your dog for the time being. This is annoying. This is gross. But this can also be very helpful. It forms a very real link between you and your dog and helps the dog understand that food comes from you. Hand feeding helps your dog look to you as the source of life. For many dogs this isn’t necessary but for a dog like yours he needs to understand that a proper relationship means dependence on you.
2- Gain dominance. Dominance is not something you can force on a dog. Using proper obedience training techniques, though, you can show your dog that it is good to be submissive. Now, you mentioned in your email that your dog obeys some commands. How reliable is he? There is a difference between a dog obeying because there might be a treat or obeying because of sound training techniques. Treat training does not help you earn respect. It is important that your dog obeys, even if there is no treat involved, even if there are distractions involved. What that means is that your dog needs to stay even when someone knocks on the door, come when called even when he wants to chase a cat, sit even when he is feeling aggressive. When you attain this level of obedience you will also have achieved a high level of respect. A dog that has respect for you would never think of showing aggression to his owner.
3- Use proper corrections. It doesn’t work to ‘ground’ a dog by putting him in his kennel. This may work with kids, but not with dogs. At times when you feel like your dog is prone to show aggression I would have him on a leash and training collar. As he shows aggression give him a few firm corrections as you tell him no. I wouldn’t hit or use your hands to correct. This makes the correction too emotional and bully-ish to the dog. Any correction should be free of emotion so that the behavior itself, and not an angry owner, has a negative consequence.
Good luck.
Going to your vet for dog training information?
Comments (1)Okay, I may get a lot of flak for writing this but I think it needs to be said. I love veterinarians. I think they are great. I think that if your pet is sick you should take them right away to the vet. Vets serve an amazing purpose to the community.
With some exceptions, though, the veterinarian is not the place you want to go for information about training your dog or fixing unwanted dog behaviors.
Why you shouldn’t visit the vet for dog training information
There are several reasons why you shouldn’t visit the vet to get dog training and behavioral information:
1- Veterinarians don’t receive much behavioral training in school. The vast majority of courses at veterinary schools focus on animal health, obviously. Vets do receive some instruction on behavior but at most schools it is minimal. These students aren’t paying to learn how to train a dog, they are paying to learn how to treat a dog. In my experience vets are just as prone to buying in to dog training myths and mistakes as the general public.
There are numerous vets, however, that are very well versed on dog behavior and training. Most of these vets, though, have acquired this training on their own, independent of school. When asking your vet advice on dog behavior it would be wise to first inquire about their behavioral experience and then base the response on their background.
2- Veterinarians see dogs at their very worst. Think about it, what kind of dogs does the vet see every day? He sees dogs that are freaked out, nervous, and stressed. These dogs in no way want to be associated with the vets office or the vet himself. This is a very bad backdrop to be learning about dog behavior. Vets are able to learn a great deal, normally, about stressed out behavior, but not too much to be able to help you with your behavioral issues.
3- Health and behavior often are interlinked. Much of the time, though, negative behavior is independent of health issues. Most bad behavior is learned through improper communication in the dog/person relationship. So let your vet advise you on the health aspects and a professional dog trainer advise you on the behavioral aspects of your dog.
Would you go to your pediatrician to find out how to get your child to stop throwing fits or to eat their vegetables? Probably not. The same applies to your dog. Seek out the proper professionals for each of your canine needs.
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