Dog Separation Anxiety
Dog destroying the house when you leave
Ways to cure or reduce your dog's separation anxiety
1. Give them plenty of exercise
2. Crate your dog if needed
3. Give them an indestructible toy when you leave
4. Medicate as a last resort
Dog separation anxiety is becoming a more common complaint among dog owners. It is not known what exactly causes separation anxiety in dogs but it could be partly due to the busy lifestyles most of us live. In years past, dogs worked for the family and didn’t spend as much time with their owners indoors, lounging on the couch. They were used for herding, guarding, and even pulling heavy loads. The dogs in days gone by were not considered family members as we consider them today. They were valued for their usefulness to their owners but were treated as dogs.
A Change in job description for dogs- from working to family members
In present time, more and more dogs are living their lives indoors and on the laps of their owners. They develop a much closer bond with their owners and essentially, don’t have a job. I believe that a dog that doesn’t have anything to do will develop bad habits due to boredom or excess of energy. Combine that with the owners working 8-10 hours a day and the dog begins to develop neuroses. That is not to say that a dog that receives tons of exercise all day long cannot develop separation anxiety but it is less likely in my opinion. Whatever the cause, if you have a dog with separation anxiety, you know the frustration and damage that can result.
Dog Separation anxiety manifests itself in destructive behaviors occurring when the dog is left alone. Some of these behaviors are chewing, digging, pawing at doors or windows, barking, howling and even urinating and defecating. The behaviors generally happen within the first 15 to 30 minutes after the departure of the last person but tend to cease after the 45-minute mark. It is important to note here that a dog with separation anxiety is not doing these behaviors to exact revenge on his owners for leaving. The dog is truly in a state of panic and fear and is simply responding to those feelings.
Get Them Exercise!
So, what can you do, as an owner, to help eliminate separation anxiety from your dog’s life? 
My first recommendation is to make sure your dog is getting enough exercise. A simple 15-minute walk around the block will not be enough. Your dog, depending on his size and breed, will need a minimum of 30-60 minutes of exercise a day. A good rule of thumb is that your dog should be tired at the end of the exercise and should be moving slower than usual. Be careful of weather and don’t exercise outside in too hot or too cold weather without taking the proper precautions first. Throwing a tennis ball, Frisbee, or retrieving dummy is one example of good exercise. Swimming is another great way to help your dog burn energy as long as weather permits. If you are a runner, biker, or roller blader, take your dog with you. Gradually build up the length you travel so as not to overexert your dog. Get creative and get moving; it will be good for both of you!
Crating your dog
Second, I recommend crating your dog when you leave. If you don’t already have one, see the Puppy Crates and Crate Familiarization sections on this website to get your dog comfortable in a crate
The crate will prevent your dog from doing any destructive chewing to your furniture, valuables, or even baseboards and banisters. Once your dog is getting a sufficient amount of exercise each day and is comfortable in his crate, I think you will find that the destructive behavior is minimal.
Also, practice putting your dog in his crate for various intervals of time and not just when you are leaving. Try putting him in the crate for five minutes while you walk to the mailbox and then return, letting him out of his crate.
Next time, try leaving for twenty or thirty minutes, then return and let him out. If your dog only goes into his crate when you are going to be gone all day, of course the crate and routine will make him anxious. But, if you vary the amount of time he stays in his crate from minutes to hours, you will teach him that going in the crate doesn’t necessarily mean he will be locked up for a long time.
This should also help alleviate some of the stress he may feel every time you leave. If your dog is still exhibiting anxiety, say by chewing his bedding or crate, or even himself, you should introduce a distraction to help your dog with your leaving.
Indestructible toy
Thirdly, I recommend giving your dog an indestructible toy that he can use to entertain himself while you are away. A Kong (see Puppy toys) is a great chew toy that is hollow where 
you can stuff treats inside, or better yet, smear peanut butter or squeeze cheese around the inside of the Kong and then stick it in the freezer.
After you put your dog in his crate, give him the treat filled Kong and then, leave the house. This will begin an association that whenever you leave the home, something good happens to your dog (he gets a yummy treat). It will also reinforce the crate as a positive area to be.
When you come home, let your dog out of the crate and make sure to take up the Kong so that your dog only has access to it when you are away. This will keep the Kong novel and will prevent your dog becoming bored with it.
Medication as a last resort
If your tired, crated and Kong entertained dog is still suffering from anxiety, you may need to consider medication. I usually only go to medication as a last resort but in some cases, it may be necessary.
If your dog is causing damage and injuries to themselves while in the crate, medication should definitely be considered. Discuss with your veterinarian the different types of anti-anxiety medications and work with him to come up with a dosage low enough to take the edge off but not sedate them.
The hope is to someday wean your dog off of the medication completely so, the lower the dose you begin with, the quicker the weaning process will occur.
Dog Separation Anxiety
I fully believe that if you do a combination of all of these tips (save the medication for severe cases only), you will virtually eliminate Dog Separation Anxiety and the stress you and your dog both feel when you get ready to leave and your house will remain intact.
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I have a 9 month old poodle chihuahua mix who has horrible separation anxiety, I've tried to teach him to say in the kitchen which is very large, so I purchased a 36 in. metal gate and he hops over it, I've also tried to let him stay loose by closing off all bedroom doors and bathroom doors only to come home to find that he has EATEN the wall to wall carpet off the floor, now he's back in his crate which he hates, he acts like it's a form of punhisment, even when I put his toys in with him...when I return home, I have also found that he's eaten and digested both of his kong toys...demolished his pull rope and destroyed his bowl that is attached to his cage for treats...I'm at wits end and if I can't get this problem corrected, I'll have to get rid of him...I do not own the home I'm in I am only renting and cannot afford to replace wall to wall carpet...
my one year old dog is a magical one. I love him to death but him getting out of his kennel every single tine we leave the house is putting huge weight on my marriage. Because not only do I have an anxiety disorder but also ocd he gets out poops and pees everywhere. Tears up everything. I try to make him ad happy as I can. I can't leave my house eith out it becoming a wreck. He has first fiqured to break yhe black thing he lays on in the kennel than figured out he can walk around slowly by pushing up with his head and back on the kennel to pull things into his kennel to distroy anything. Now he figured out hpw to get out of the kennel even with four pad locks and tons of bungee cords to keep him from preying it open. Still does not stop him. He is way to smart but I can not Handle it. Not can afford to get him training. Hes a very good dog. Listens greats plays great. Just he always distorys my house to whete I can sleep untill its clean and my husband doesn't help and it causes us to fight.
I have a 7 year old german shepherd mutt. In the past couple of years he has developed SEVERE separation anxiety and I am totally out of ideas. I have crated him (he bent all the bars of the crate with his nose and I came home to him bleeding with his nose all swollen). I have gotten him a kong and put treats, peanut butter, real meat inside of it and he totally ignores it when he thinks I am leaving. I have tried the leaving multiple times so he gets used to it routine, and he flips out every time. We designated a room that he always hung out in as his room, barricaded the door, and I would spend hours with him in there before I left to try and get him to calm down and he never would. I have medicated him, and we are currently working on the dosage because while the medication chills him out throughout the day the moment he thinks I am leaving he totally flips. I am totally out of ideas. He has broken through windows, destroyed multiple doors, jumped from the second story of our house. I just don't know what else to do for him...please help. Any ideas will be most appreciated. I hate seeing him like that but I have to work!
I think you are doing the right thing by continuing to feed him in his crate and also having him sleep in there at night. I think the fact that your dog is only having problems when you leave is mainly because he knows your routine almost better than you know it. He watches you get up in the morning and get ready for work. He knows that once you get totally ready that you are going to put him in his crate and leave. I see you have tried giving him treats when you put him in but have you ever given him anything that could keep him occupied for a while after you leave? A treat may get him to go in initially but it has no lasting reward to make him want to repeat that behavior in the future. I would recommend a kong or some hollow indestructible toy that has peanut butter or squeeze cheese smeared around the inside so that he has to work to get it out. Even better is to put it in the freezer and the give it to him frozen so the treat lasts even longer. He should only have access to it when he goes into the crate for you to go to work and as soon as you get home, you should take it away. This will keep it novel and help him have something to look forward to when you get ready to leave. The fact that he doesn't really freak out when he's in there but just resists going in is his way of throwing a small temper tantrum. Fortunately for you, I would not classify this as separation anxiety, just a protest to you going to work for a while.
Any suggestions for my 6 1/2 month Basset who HATES going in his crate when I leave for work? He eats his meals in there, sleeps in there at night (goes in fine at night) and only whines in the early morning to get out (another problem). He is alone in there from 9AM-12 only and it's gotten to the point where I have to physically put him in there in the morning. He will not go in on his own. I've tried chew toys, cheese and even hot dogs. I could put a Tbone in there and nothing. For the first month he would go in on his own and now I feel like he KNOWS. I don't think anything traumatic happened to him in there. Any suggestions welcomed! Thanks!
To the poster who inquired about crate size:
Put your pup in a crate he/she can stand up and turn around in.
I used a large crate for my ridgeback puppy because I knew he would grow in size. He never pottied in the crate. I suggest feeding your dog in the crate... in all corners/ areas of the crate-- This will discourage potties... most dogs over 8 weeks will try to avoid going to the bathroom where they eat.
Don't feel guilty about crate training. My dog started to love his create once I started feeding him in it. You might also try hiding a stinky treat for him to find on his own. This will encourage him to think of the crate as a happy place.
Hope that helps
~Anne
Need some help. I have never had a dog to do this. I have a bichon and when we leave the house she tears up everything.We have tried to crate her in the plastic crates but some how she gets out and destroys the house so now we have a metal crate do you think this will work?
You will want to get a crate that is big enough for him to stand up completely and be able to turn around but not so big that he can potty in one side and sleep in the other. It isn't cruel to put your dog in a crate that size because he will have plenty of room to maneuver. I would probably take your dog with you to a Petsmart or some pet store to ensure you get the right size crate for him.
I would not put water in the crate with him because 1. he will drink it and will have to potty and/or 2. he may spill it, especially if he gets anxious and is moving around quite a bit inside the crate.
I think you are making the right choice by investing in a crate. He and you will be happier in the long run. Make sure to read the crate familiarization section and take some time to get your dog comfortable being in it. This will help prevent any stress behaviors associated with the crate itself.
Good luck and let me know how it works out..
Could you advise me as to the appropriate crate size for my 12 lb. Dachshund mix? I rescued him a year and a half ago and he definitely suffers from separation anxiety. We recently moved and has destroyed the kitchen door by scratching at it in an attempt to break out during the day while we are at work. I have tried leaving him out in the living room, where he can sit in his favorite chair and see out the window all day, which he loves. What I don't love about that is that he finds sneaky spots to urinate, which I often don't even find until a day or two later.
So, I figure I need to resort to crating him during the day, which I know he isn't going to like. I feel bad about leaving him in a crate that is small, but I know that a larger crate would encourage him to urinate in the crate. Do you have any advice as to what a good compromise would be? How do you leave water for your dog if he is crated?
I am sorry to hear that your dog is just now starting this behavior. Is it a hyper type behavior or a nervous behavior? It could be (if it's nervous pacing) that something could have happened while you were away that frightened him when he was in the crate. It could be anything. A loud noise, a thunderstorm, maybe he hurt himself temporarily (caught a toe or had an unexplainable pain) and now he's associating that with the crate. He thinks that whatever happened that was scary happened because of the crate. In order to fix a problem like that, you need to make the crate the most rewarding place for him to be. Lots of attention and praise when he goes into the crate and is calm. Try the kong stuffed with treats that he only gets inside the crate. Try not to let him out of the crate until he is calm and not pacing. It will take some time to get him comfortable in there again but anything good should come when he is calm in his crate. You can also try teaching him a down behavior and put him in his crate then ask him to down. Try with short intervals at first 10-15 second downs and gradually build up. If he learns that he should be laying down in the crate and that's when the reward comes, he may stop the pacing. In the meantime, try not to coddle him or reward the pacing by giving him any attention. Move his crate into another room for a while if you aren't able to sleep at night.
If his pacing is an excitable pacing, I would recommend more exercise. Most problem behaviors occur because the dog is bored and not getting enough exercise. Mental and physical stimulation for about an hour a day is ideal and will ensure your pit will welcome the down time that comes along with the crate.
Good luck and let me know how it works out..
hi yall i need help here i have had this pup since birth his mommy is my dog and my pup was fine crate training him and now he is 7 months old and why does he go back and worth in his cage like he is a crazy pup i have to put pups and dogs in crates when i am gone or in bed i need help with this he is drving me crazy thank u
Bridget,
There are a couple of things you can try.. The kong idea is a good one to relieve stress in a dog right after you leave. Smear some peanut butter or squeeze cheese inside the kong, freeze it and give it to her right before you leave. Then, as soon as you get home, take the kong away so that she only has access to it when you're not around. I would recommend that you keep her in the crate to minimize any damage to herself or your home.
Also, try faking like you are leaving sometimes. Go through your normal routine of getting ready and putting her in the crate, get your keys and leave. The difference is you will come back after maybe five or ten minutes and let her out. Vary up how long you leave her in the crate and be near enough to know when she is quiet. That is the time to let her out. Don't let her out of the crate if she is in the middle of crying or you will reward the crying or destructive behavior. The idea is to teach her that she may or may not be in the crate for a long time. If sometimes she goes in and then gets out after a couple of minutes, it will relieve some of the anxiety she may be having. That paired with making the crate a very rewarding experience when you leave may help with the situation.
I try not to recommend this unless the case is severe but, if she begins to cause injury to herself, you may want to speak with a veterinarian about putting her on a very low dose anti-anxiety medication.
we have a 1 yr. old female boxer who is deaf. when we leave the house she wrecks, she goes nuts in the crate.she likes the crate when we're home...when no one is home she cries,licks and now has bent the metal door open. we tried a plastic crate but the same theng happens. what do you suggest? thank you, bridget
I'm sorry you thought this information is for only puppies, it is actually for dogs of all ages. For more training videos for adult dogs, please reference the dog training section on top.
I think it's great that people rescue from the pound, there are so many dogs that need homes. Thank you for doing your part.
