I'll be Home Soon: How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety. by Patricia B. McConnell Ph.D

Author:Patricia B. McConnell Ph.D.
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Published: 2010-09-20T04:58:00+00:00

f you are sure that anxiety is what's driving your dog's inappropriate behavior, your job is to teach your dog a new reaction when you walk out the door. Imagine your dog being as excited as my dog Pip is when I leave for work: "Oh boy, oh boy, there she goes, maybe I can steal the cat food again." Rather than being overwhelmed with dread, your dog can be at least mellow about your departure, and possibly even downright pleased. What's critical is to be clear that you are trying to influence your dog's emotions, rather than training your dog to perform an obedience exercise. It's your dog's anxieties that create the problems, so it's the internal state of the dog you need to work on. Keeping that in mind, follow the steps outlined below.

1. Never correct destruction or accidents after the fact.

Sure she looks guilty when you walk in the door and the kitchen has been remodeled. But that doesn't mean that she "knows" she shouldn't do it and is just doing it for spite. What she "knows" is that if you come home and there's a chair in toothpicks or puddles all over the carpet, you're going to launch into a dramatic display of anger. Her appeasing posture is designed to avert your wrath. So don't be fooled by her groveling and slinking around she's waving a white flag so you don't shoot, and it won't have the slightest impact on what she does the next day when you're gone. Don't believe me? You're not alone, the belief that dogs "know" that they shouldn't chew on the couch is a very hard one to give up. If you find that you can't believe me, you might ask yourself if scolding her when you return home is working. If it's not, for whatever reason, perhaps you might want to consider another alternative, unless of course you enjoy returning to inside-out couches.

If you are sure that anxiety is what's driving your dog's inappropriate behavior, your job is to teach your dog a new reaction when you walk out the door.

If you do come home and throw a tantrum, you probably won't stop the chewing, but you might end up with a dog who becomes truly anxious about being alone in the house, because sometime, somewhere, you're going to come home and yell at her. Actually, I should put this section under "How to Create Separation Anxiety in Your Dog" because scaring your dog when you come in the door is a great way to do it.

Get in the habit of coming home with no drama, no matter what you find. If it helps, take your frustration out on a pillow later when your offending best friend can't hear you. Or, use my favorite reaction when I'm enraged: in a sweet, loving voice I say something like: "I hate every tiny hair on your furry little body." Saying those words, although your tone is full of love and affection, is oh-so satisfying after yet one more piece of bad news in a lousy day.

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