Separation Anxiety and Isolation Distress

Is it Separation Anxiety or Isolation Distress?

Separation anxiety “is a serious emotional problem where the dog becomes panicked when his owner leaves. Dogs with full-blown Separation Anxiety act as though they are in terror about your departure, and about being alone in the house while you’re gone.” — Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., I’ll Be Home Soon

“Isolation distress means the dog doesn’t want to be left alone – any ol’ human will do for company, and sometimes even another dog will fill the bill.” — Pat Miller, Whole Dog Journal, July 2008

Causes

We are not entirely sure what causes SA or how it develops, but here is a list of possible contributing factors:

• The dog’s personality – there may be a genetic predisposition to SA or ID
• Re-homing, such as a dog who has had to be re-homed multiple times or even just once or a puppy who has just left the warmth of his littermates
• A dog who has never been left alone
• A dog who has been through a traumatic separation through the death of a family member (human or animal)
• The dog or a family member has an extended hospital stay, separating the dog from their family
• A dog who has experienced some sort of trauma while alone (an attempted or successful burglary or a fire, tornado, or severe storm)
• Noise phobia
• Old age
• The arrival of a new family member (human or animal)
• Leaving the litter at too young of an age
• The family moving to a new home or downsizing from a house to a condo/apartment

Diagnosis

Just because your dog has an accident in the house while you are out does not necessarily mean your dog has SA. It could be a housetraining issue. Your dog barking when someone (such as the mail carrier) comes to the door also does not indicate your dog has SA. And if your dog chews a pillow when you are gone, it may not be SA. More than likely she was bored or under-exercised.

On the other hand, if you arrive home and your front door has been shredded, the couch has been eaten, your dog is panting, salivating, or hiding behind the couch, or there are piles of excrement and puddles of urine throughout the house, you should consider calling in a professional dog trainer/behaviour counselor to provide you with an accurate diagnosis.

Diagnosis is commonly done by getting a complete and thorough history on the dog’s behaviour, training, medical issues (if any), and what the daily routine in the household is like. Many times videotaping or using Skype during your absence will help with the diagnosis and assist with the treatment plan.

Treatment

Separation anxiety and isolation distress are some of the most debilitating conditions to deal with for both your dog and YOU! The good news is there are treatment options for these conditions, and in most cases these are very successful. The bad news is that it takes time – sometimes months. With my own dog Angel it took almost a year, but we survived and with patience and consistency you can too.