Separation anxiety - different than High Impact

[Chris Lehmann]

Hello all.
Just adopted out a young female (~1 1/2 yrs) to a wonderful young couple. She is doing reasonably well, and they really like her. Today they went to work the first time and the girl got out of the crate - easy enough to fix (hopefully).
What I need help with: they let her out in the yard to do her business - she wants to come in right away if they do not stay out there with her. She will paw on the door, and run back and forth to the two entry doors, and not calm down.
Aside from protecting the wood work, can any of you come up with suggestions on how to desensitize her? I'm sure they are willing to work with her, but need some guidance.

Thanks in advance.

[BowWowMeow]

It will take her a while to settle in. For now I'd recommend that they go outside with her, teach her a pee and a poop command and then bring her in after she's finished. She may never be comfortable staying outside on her own.

Rafi is like this even now. He sits in front of the door and looks inside and if I forget to give him the "Go Pee" command he won't even go in the yard but just turns around and stands or sits at the door waiting for me. He just doesn't like to be out on his own. I've taught him to stay out at the cottage when he is wet from swimming but even then he just lies next to the door. This is pretty typical gsd behavior, even when they're not rescues.

[IllinoisNative]

My dog, who is almost eight years old, still won't go outside without me except to potty. He goes out to potty and immediately comes back in.

I agree with BowWowMeow. What I would recommend is that they go outside with her until she learns to potty out there and they establish a routine. Eventually they can open the door and she will do her business but she may never be comfortable to just stay out there by herself.

With a new dog, I wouldn't just open the door and let her go outside without me anyway. I want to know that she's actually going potty and what is coming out of her...lol. I like to monitor bowel movements just to make sure everything is okay. I'm "anal" that way.

[Stosh]

Same here- we have 8 acres, nothing but woods surrounding us but I can put them out and they're glommed up against the back door on the deck and they love an audience when they use their 'bathroom'- an acre and a half fenced area. I agree that the new owners should keep her company- tell them to get a glass of wine and enjoy!

[High Impact]

Zoot refused to go out alone at first as well. I always went out with her and gave the peepee command and praise when she was successful. Now she goes right out without even looking back at me. If I walk out on the deck then she will grab her frisbee which sits right by the back door to play after she is done. If I don't go out with her then she quickly does her job and comes right back to the door.

All I can share is my little experience with a young pup and hopefully it helps. I would assume that a 1 1/2 year old will begin to become less anxious very quickly as trust is developed with the new owners.

[crisp]

Here is a good read on seperation anxioty. I apologize for the length.

Understanding “Separation Anxiety”
By Jenn Lewis, MS

“Separation Anxiety” is one of the most misunderstood and poorly handled behavioral problems that I have come across in all my years of working with dogs.
It is also one of the most destructive within the human pack in both physical and psychological terms.
I have encountered so many people at their wit’s end, afraid to leave their dogs alone for fear of the damage he/she might do to the house and furnishings.
People try everything…they spray chewing deterrents; they lock the dog in a room or in a kennel, some even resort to taking the dog with them everywhere they go.
None of these things will solve the real problem however, as they don’t address the real reason that the dog is expressing this much anxiety in the first place.

Dogs are not humans.
Still…when we humans are at a loss to understand something we turn to what we know best…ourselves. Unfortunately, our human tendency leads to anthropomorphizing and utilizing interventions that have no effect.
Even using the term “separation anxiety” brings to mind the little child who becomes terribly afraid when their parent leaves them for any period of time.
The truth however, is quite the reverse in a dog’s view of the world and their predicament.

My oldest dog “Abby” is the one who taught me firsthand just how traumatic (for human and dog alike) this problem can be.
Abby would follow me around endlessly, tear up the house when I was gone, and cry furiously whenever I was out of sight.
Of course I know now, that in the first few years of raising Abby I did absolutely everything wrong.
I left food down for her when I would go to work.
I greeted her joyously when I would return home. Unwittingly, I allowed myself to become her subordinate.
Abby would follow me everywhere. “How sweet” I thought….
“She loves me so much she wants to be with me all the time”.
I was somewhat correct.
Abby did (and fortunately still does) love me very much.
It wasn’t that she wanted so much to be with me however, what she really wanted to do was make sure I was taken care of.
While I had mistakenly believed that I was the parent and she the child…Abby saw our roles as quite the opposite.

It was only when I truly came to understand what was going on that I was able to resolve the problem and relieve Abby’s distress.
I put my study of psychology and behaviorism to the test.
I dove deep into the study of dogs and pack behavior. It was then that I carefully created interventions and methods of communicating (in a language she would understand) that I was the pack leader…not Abby. Once I made the changes in what I was conveying to her, it took about 10 days for Abby’s anxiety to completely subside.
Even in the worst cases that I have worked with, I have found the same method to be effective (the longest taking a month).
The three main components of my method remain unchanged and unchallenged in their effectiveness.
In essence, to become the leader in our dogs’ eyes we must take control of the food, the walk, and the homecoming.

Over the course of my years living and working with humans and dogs, I have come to rename this problem in order to help portray a clearer picture of the problem. I call it “Alpha by proxy”.
In such situations, the dog has undoubtedly determined that he/she is the leader of the human pack.
With this position of course, comes the tremendous responsibility of making sure that all pack members are safe and sound.

Whenever I encounter this problem within one of the human packs with which I’m working I use the following example to help people see the more realistic human equivalent:
Imagine that you and your two year old child are safe at home. All of a sudden, your two year old goes out the front door and wanders down the street.
The door has locked from the outside and you have no means of getting to your child.
They are out there in the open, big wide world alone. You have no way of knowing if they are safe or not. You have no way to bring them back.
How do you feel?
What do you do?

This is how a dog feels in such an “Alpha by proxy” situation…terrified... for your well being!
When you come back, all is safe.
When you leave, they have no way of knowing if you are safe.
The anxiety of their position and the situation is overwhelming.
Anxiety needs a way out.
It comes out in obvious forms (i.e., clawing and scratching at the door, tearing up the blinds in order to try to get out and “save” you, etc.), as well as less obvious forms (i.e., fear induced bowel movements, chewing, barking and whining, etc.).
It is all anxiety.
It is all caused by the dog’s huge sense of responsibility…and feelings of helplessness.

Rest assured though, I have yet to come across a dog that cannot be relieved of this tremendous anxiety.
I have found however, that the only way to deal with this problem effectively is to remove the dog from the responsibility of being the leader.
This means that you must take on that position within the pack and relieve your dog from leadership.
The key is utilizing a dog’s own language to do so. Remember…dogs can’t speak human.
With a little effort though, humans can become pretty proficient at speaking dog.

Jenn Lewis is an avid dog lover and Clinician who lives and works in Wasilla, Alaska. She received her Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Alaska in Anchorage and has spent many years combining her knowledge of psychology with her study of dog/wolf pack behavior.
Combined with her years of experience rehabilitating dogs with behavioral issues, she has used these skills to create a method of living with dogs that brings harmony to the “human pack”. When not conducting behavioral training sessions or writing books, Jenn enjoys spending time with her pack enjoying the wilderness of Alaska together.
Jenn can be contacted via her website www.pandoraspetservices. com
or telephone (907) 232-0659.

A Guide to Healthy Dog/Human Relationships from an Alaskan Dog Behaviorist This book serves to educate readers about the intricate language of canines as well as how best to use this knowledge in order to create a harmonious “Human Pack”.
Clinician Jenn Lewis also explains how to deal with canine behavioral problems in a way consistent with her gentle approach to training and bonding with dogs. 120 page Full Color E-Book www.pandoraspetservices.com/books.aspx
Also available in paper back at www.Amazon.com

[High Impact]

superb article crisp