Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety in dogs describes a condition in which a dog exhibits distress and behaviour problems when separated from its handler. Separation anxiety typically manifests within minutes of departure of the handler. It is not fully understood why some dogs suffer from separation anxiety and others do not. However hounds, other 'pack' orientated breeds (Huskies) and breeds which bond deeply with an owner (Russian Black Terriers) are the most affected. The behaviour may be secondary to an underlying medical condition. A visit to the vet is always recommended if a dog's behaviour changes suddenly.

Typical behaviours

Dogs suffering from separation anxiety typically exhibit these behaviours:

• Following handler excessively
• Pacing
• Excessive salivating
• Vomiting
• Destructive chewing
• Barking, howling, whining
• Urination, defecation in the house
• Self harm
• Digging and scratching at doors or windows in an attempt to reunite with the handler to the point that their claws will bleed.

Causes

The cause of dog separation anxiety is unknown, but may be triggered by:

• A change in routine - this is the most common cause and usually occurs when the puppy is first bought; they are lavished with attention 24x7 until the owner has to go back to work.  At that point they are suddenly 'ignored' for up to 8 hours at a time
• A traumatic event - such as being hit by a car or being attacked by another dog. Dogs need to be taught that these are isolated incidents, however what usually happens is that owners try to 'reason' with the dog and try to explain it in human terms i.e. why they shouldn't go near other dogs, or why the main road is a scary place. Dogs do not learn in this way, dogs learn by repetition so in this instance the repetition that is enforced by the owner is  that other dogs or cars are bad.
• Major life change (e.g. new home, new baby, death of a family member)
• An underlying medical condition

Treatment for separation anxiety in dogs

Whether the dog suffer anxiety due to breed nature or it is an 'owner addict' or its had a sudden change the process of dealing with is the same. Training the dog in tasks or by setting boundaries that will boost a dog's confidence and prepare it to be on its own.
 

A really good confidence booster for both you and your dog is an unseen, untethered stay on the high street.  Other things that will also help the process are:

• Making sure the dog is exhausted before you leave.
• Leaving and returning home quietly, without fuss.
• Practicing leaving to adjust the dog to your departure.
• Feeding the dog before you leave.
• Leaving the radio on.
• Giving the dog something to do such as a large cardboard box to shred.
• Medicating the dog with over-the-counter calming products.

Crate training is another way of overcoming separation anxiety. The crate is not treated as a prison, but introduced to the dog as a safe haven. The dog should be trained to go into the crate whenever he is tired or whenever people are busy within the room. It is his place to go and lie down out of the way. Once the dog is going regularly into the crate and being treated for doing so, start to withold the treats until the dog has been in there for one minute and not come out. Then two minutes, then five, then ten etc building this unto one hour with you in the room. This can be done whilst you are catching up on your soaps, ironing etc. Then go back and restart the process but this time building up to the hour whilst you are not in the room i.e. get the dog to go into his crate then walk out of the room. After one minute come back into the room, treat the dog (if he has stayed in the crate) then build as before up to one hour. Now start the process again but with you leaving the house.

As of 2012, a San Diego cable channel is offering "Dog TV," a cable-based television channel especially for dogs whose owners are away. The programming, created with the help of dog behaviour specialists, is colour-adjusted to appeal to dogs, and features 3-6 minute segments designed to relax, to stimulate, and to expose the dog to scenes of everyday life such as doorbells or riding in a vehicle. The channel's proponents have indicated positive reviews from a humane society shelter in Escondido, California. The "doggie resort" hosts of the opening party for Dog TV in San Diego reported that some of their dogs seem to enjoy watching the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. The show's creators anticipate that dogs will watch Dog TV intermittently, throughout the day, rather than remaining glued to the set.

Another technology based solution for calming separation anxious dogs is a software named Digital Dogsitter. The user first records his or her voice to the software. When the dog is alone, the software listens to the dog and analyses the incoming audio through the computer's microphone. Whenever the dog barks or howls, software plays the owners voice to the dog and the dog stays calm.

Drugs

These are available but only to be used when everything else has been thoroughly tried and tested.

Dogs can also be treated with psychotropic drugs, such as anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs. A recent trend in treatment is the use of psychotropic drugs in animals to treat similar psychological disorders to those displayed in humans and mitigate the behaviour related to these disorders. These connections between human and animal psychopharmacology can help to explain how similar neurobiology can be among different species.

Similar to humans, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs, or tricyclic anti-depressants are used to treat anxious and depressive behaviour in animals. One study tracked the effectiveness of clomipramine, a tricyclic anti-depressant, in reducing compulsive behaviours through administration of a tricyclic anti-depressant in dogs. Behaviours displayed by these dogs include but are not limited to tail-chasing, shadow-chasing, circling and chewing. The study found that after one month of daily administration of the tricyclic anti-depressant clomipramine, these compulsive behaviours decreased or disappeared in 16 out of 24 dogs. Slight to moderate behaviour mitigation was shown in 5 dogs. These results suggest that clomipramine can be beneficial to canines displaying anxiety behaviours.

Fluoxetine, an SSRI used by humans under the brand name Prozac, is now prescribed to dogs under the brand name Reconcile. Another study found that dogs which were being treated with both Reconcile and Behavioural Modulation Treatment compared to dogs receiving a placebo and behavioural therapy called Behaviour Modulation Treatment, were much more successful at mitigating behaviours related to separation anxiety. After 8 weeks of treatment, 72% of the dogs given fluoxetine displayed fewer adverse behaviours (Excessive salivation, inappropriate urination/defecation) while only 50% of the placebo group had mitigated these behaviours.

Benzodiazepine Treatment

Benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam, are anxiolytic medications. Benzodiazepines have also shown to be beneficial in the treatment of stimuli-evoking anxiety, or phobias. One study on storm phobias found that 30 out of the 32 canines involved in the study had reductions in anxiety behaviour after being treated with alprazolam. However, this study suggests that the best way to benefit from benzodiazepine treatment is when it is being used in conjunction with Behaviour Modulation Treatment and an anti-depressant.

Adverse Effects

The most common adverse effects related to fluoxetine treatment were decreased appetite, experienced by 23% of the dogs in the study, and lethargy, experienced by 39% of the dogs in the study. Some canines actually experienced worsening anxiety and aggressive behaviour.

In the study with clomipramine, 9 dogs underwent withdrawal after discontinuing treatment. 5 of those dogs were successful in overcoming the withdrawal, while 4 dogs relapsed. With regards to these results it is important to note that these sample sizes were relatively small, so we should be cautious about making hasty conclusions. However, these studies have given us a look at one of the many variables regarding psychoactive drug withdrawal.

With regards to benzodiazepine treatment, it has been found that canines can develop dependence to these types of medications and go through a similar withdrawal process as humans. For example, their seizure threshold is lowered and anxiety relapse can occur after stopping benzodiazepine treatment. Similarly to treatment of human anxiety disorders, benzodiazepines are a last resort treatment, due to their addiction potential.

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