Understanding Separation Anxiety

One of the most common enquiries I get from whippet owners is help with reducing separation anxiety in their dogs. Separation anxiety can be common on the breed. It is often displayed as a dog who may pace, cry, howl or soil themselves when their owners leave the home. There can be a huge variation in how it is displayed from dog to dog with some dogs only mildly vocalising from time to time while others may be panting and howling relentless.

Why Does My Dog Have Separation Anxiety?

It is important to understand a dog with separation anxiety isn’t doing it out of spite or out of stubbornness. The behaviour is often the equivalent of a dog having a panic attack when alone. It is a behaviour that is the result of a deep emotion. While the internet is full of conflicting opinions, we know that this behaviour is NOT the result of coddling a dog or giving them too much attention. Your dog sleeping in your bed for example is not the cause of this ! It is often a mix of genetics, experiences or just a lack of structured positive associations.

How Can I Cure Separation Anxiety?

Separation Anxiety is complex and one of the the things we want to be doing is ruling out pain. Did you know that pain is often a huge driver for behaviour problems? This can cause dogs to pace to try and relieve that pain when quiet which can create negative associations of pain with your absence; you leaving the house. Ruling out pain and working with a vet physio is really worth investigating.

When working with separation anxiety it is all about create positive success with you being alone, so that they realise that you come, and you go and it is NO big deal. We can work on reducing your dogs separation anxiety and creating more independence in the home with your whippet. It just requires a clear plan, structure and tailored training.

How Can I Create Positive Associations If I Can’t Leave My Dog Alone

It is often a case of finding what your dog CAN cope with, and repeating that. Can your dog cope when you get up and go outside? No? Can they cope if you go to the front door? No, then can they cope when you get up and go halfway to the front door? You need to find the point they can cope and repeat that in a burst of around 15 minutes to help your dog realise it doesn’t mean a negative associations. This is a process of desensitization. Each day you can increase the challenge- as long as they don’t get distressed.

Should I Leave Them To Cry It Out?

If your dog is distressed when you leave during training, you should return. This is NOT reinforcing the behaviour as you may initially think. It is instead teaching your dog you return when they need you, and helps to prevent your dog developing a bigger negative feeling about you going out. You ideally are looking to ensure that when you go out, they are not left longer than they CAN handle. This may mean enlisting friends, family, dog walkers or sitters while you work on this behaviour. The goal is creating those positive associations of you going, and returning without them being anxious or frustrated.

Will A Crate Cure Separation Anxiety?

It is often commonly advised that the best thing for separation anxiety is to give your dog a kong in their crate…however if it were that simple, then most people wouldn’t have dogs with separation anxiety! For many dogs being locked in a crate where they feel trapped if they have separation anxiety is only going to fuel their distress further and create a more negative association with you leaving. Instead the more freedom the better (remove any risks of course)

This can often instantly reduce issues for many dogs when they realise they are not trapped . While a kong or some treats can seem like a really good way to help reduce your dogs anxiety, often it doesn’t help reduce the problem. This is because for some dogs they will see the kong as a cue to you leaving, which they already find scary. While for others it may distract them for a few minutes, only for them to then realise you have gone and become distressed.

Separation Anxiety can be something that is exhausting to deal with as owners, and most will need some support at least on the starting points. Whippet Wonders offers separation anxiety case support via zoom, helping you and your dog to get back on track.

https://whippetwonders.co.uk/training