SEPARATION ANXIETY
A lot of boxers can suffer from separation anxiety at some point, but will often display symptoms in different ways. Most boxers are prone to some level of anxiety if left alone for long periods of time, but this does not always mean they have “separation anxiety”; it is fairly common for a boxer not to want to be left alone very often!!
Separation anxiety can manifest itself in many ways. The dog can either just be generally anxious around the house, following you around during the day or crying, or your dog can be destructive when a left alone and may mess in the house. There are many degrees of SA, but the treatment for them all is more or less the same, and that is to make the dog less dependant on you and your company. There are many ways to achieve this, and we have set out some basic ideas and instructions below.
Pack Order
A happy, calm, submissive dog is one who knows his place in the pack order. If you boxer thinks it is in control of the pack, they may become anxious when they feel they have to protect it. Establishing pack order is very important from day one, whether with a puppy or a rescue dog. There are a few simple steps to take to ensure your boxer knows where he comes within his pack – which should be last, even after the youngest child!
- When leaving or entering the house with your dog, always make sure they are last in or out.
- Make sure that feeding times are not set around your feeding times. For example: make sure you have your breakfast before your dog
- Make sure they understand that you have control over their food by occasionally lifting their bowl while they are eating (care should be taken if this is a rescue dog to ensure there are no food aggression problems first!!)
- Do not let your dog “dominate” you by standing over you or on you (unless in play!) A dominant dog will try and stand over you to establish hierarchy.
- Do not let your dog “hump” your leg – this is a dominance thing, even with bitches!
- Try and maintain a “no go” area. For example: don’t let your dog in the same room you are eating or your bedroom. This tells them quite clearly that you are in charge of where they go in the house.
- Interact with your dog on your terms. If they try and initiate attention then ignore them for 5 mins or so before inviting them to play with you.
- Discourage your dog from jumping up at a window/door and barking at passing people/dogs etc. Do not let him/her think that they are in charge of protecting the property.
- Do not let your dog chase off other dogs or people from its boundaries. Again, this gives them the impression that it is their job to protect the property/grounds and may cause them stress if they feel they are unable to do so!
- If you want your dog to bark at the doorbell, make sure they understand that once you are at the door, their job is done and they should go and lie down quietly.
- Make sure that all play etc is on your terms and initiated by you, this enforces the idea that you are in charge of everything!
- Remember that your dog is a dog and does not have human emotions. Humanizing your dog will only increase its anxiety levels
Tips & Hints on dealing with Separation Anxiety
Ironically the best way to help your dog with its separation anxiety is to actually make yourself more separate from your dog! This is to lessen its dependence on you and so they don’t automatically feel anxious if you are not within its sight, which allows them to be calmer when you are not around. Once your dog is in a calm state of mind and isn’t suffering from separation anxiety, you can ease up on some of the tips below. You should, however, make sure that you keep all these tips in mind and they should be acted upon regularly to maintain your dog’s healthy state of mind. If your dog regresses at all, then you should go back to basics and repeat all the steps once more until the dog is calm again. You will soon find your balance and will understand what tips you need to maintain and which you can relax on and still keep your dog happy.
- Try and maintain a “calm” household. The calmer everyone else is in the home, the calmer your dog will be!
- Praise positive behaviour but it is essential that you ignore any “stress” behaviour. If your dog is crying or whining, distract it with a squeaky toy or a silly game. By comforting the dog you are reinforcing the anxious behaviour. If your dog is pacing and stressed, try and ignore the behaviour and praise the dog when it is calm. This is very difficult for an over stressed dog as the periods are calm are few and far between, but careful observation will prevail!
- Make sure your “comings and goings” are as calm and quiet as possible. When you leave the house, DO NOT pay any attention to your dog or its behaviour. Try and avoid any play or intense attention up to 15 mins before you leave the house to ensure that your dog is in a calm state when you leave. Try and make sure it cannot see you leave from a window or glass door. Remember, that once you pick up your keys or put your coat on, then you are setting a chain of events for you leaving. This is when the dog will start to stress, so try and leave everything close the door and make this part of your departure as quick as possible.
- Try and vary the doors you use. If you regularly use the back door, they use the front door every now and then, so the dog isn’t focused on you coming back through one particular door.
- When you come back into the house, IGNORE the dog. Take off your coat, put kettle on etc and, once the dog has calmed down, then you give some fuss and praise. This is to make sure that you coming and going is not a huge event in your dogs life.
- If there has been any destruction, just clear it up, ignoring the dog at all times. A dog will take on board any kind of attention, be it positive or negative. If you shout at your dog while you are clearing up, you have given it attention for being destructive!! It is vital that you ignore any behaviour you do not want to reinforce.
- If the dog is not sleeping in your room and remains downstairs or in another room, make sure you follow the above instructions for bedtime and morning time.
- If your dog is following you around the house, just shut a door behind you. If the dog cries or whines, ignore it and then re-enter the room, ONLY when the dog is CALM! When you re-enter the room DO NOT fuss the dog, just carry on as normal. If you can leave through one door and enter through another, that is ideal. It doesn’t have to be every time you leave a room, nor do you have to stay out for very long. This just teaches the dog that it doesn’t need to be with you all the time. Do this regularly until your dog stops following you around.
- If your dog is stressed when you are out, try leaving them in one room. This cuts down on the amount of “emptiness” around them and may make them feel more secure. Put their bed in a corner or under the stairs etc, somewhere where they feel a little more enclosed.
- CRATING WILL NOT SOLVE SEPARATION ANXIETY AND SHOULD ONLY BE USED IN EXTREMIS
- If your dog is destructive, try and leave them in a safe and secure environment where you can relax and limit the amount of damage they can do to the property and how much they can endanger themselves.
- If you do have to go out, try and make sure your dog has had plenty of exercise. A tired dog is rarely a stressed dog!!
- Leave a radio or television on quietly in the background.
- There are various pheromone diffusers on the market and can be used on a collar or a plug-in.
- Give them a distraction toy, like a treat ball, puzzle toy or a Kong to keep them occupied.
- Build up the time you leave them. Go outside for 5 mins then 10, then 15. Remember to ignore them each time you re-enter the house.
- What happened yesterday may not happen today. If your dog was stressed yesterday, it could be calm the next day and will act accordingly.
- Check your dog’s food. Boxers cannot handle a lot of protein, so check the levels – they shouldn’t be over 20%
- For extreme cases, your vet can prescribe Clomicalm.
- Separation anxiety takes lots of TLC ....... Time Love and Consistency!
This information is not intended to replace that of your vet or any other professional advice. If you are at all uncertain or ever feel that your dog is unwell, please seek your vet’s advice in the first instance.