Separation
Anxiety
Q:
How do you stop a 4-year old dog from
urinating on the rugs due to separation
anxiety? We have had him for about 4 months
and can't leave the house for 10 minutes
without him eliminating on the floor.
He is a wonderful dog but very insecure.
Thanks for any help you can give me.
A:
First
of all, it would be helpful if you hired
a professional trainer (who uses only
positive methods) to determine if the
cause of this problem really is separation
anxiety. The trainer will get a complete
history of the dog including his diet,
daily routine, how long the behavior has
been going on, what training methods have
been tried, whether there are other animals
in the house, etc.
It's
possible this is a learned behavior. Some
dogs have inadvertently been taught to
eliminate whenever their humans leave
the house and the dog thinks that elimination
at these times is a perfectly normal thing
to do.
It's
critical in situations like this to never
punish a dog or correct him even a second
after he has eliminated. There's no such
thing as, “He knows he did something
wrong because he acts guilty.”
Of
course the first thing you need to check
out is his health to make sure there are
no physiological problems contributing
to the situation. That being said, if
he truly is insecure, three things are
necessary:
- Set
him up for success. That
means don't let him eliminate in inappropriate
areas while you're gone. Baby gates
are one option to managing this situation.
- Change
the way he feels about being left
alone . This is easy but
requires a professional to set you
up on a step-by-step program.
- Training
. Training your dog to do
different behaviors increases confidence.
Your training should include gradual
departure and return routines so he
becomes assured you will always return.
Our
DVD, The
Dog Whisperer, will really help
in the training aspect (www.dogwhispererdvd.com).
Also, my book, The Dog Whisperer ,
has a section on separation anxiety. And
I also suggest the book “ I'll
Be Home Soon ” by Patricia
McConnell, which also deals with separation
anxiety. (Go to www.dogwise.com.)
I
hope this helps. |
