“Is my dog barking too much due to Separation Anxiety?”
Canine separation anxiety refers to your puppy or dog’s fear as a result of being separated from you — the pack leader. This specific nervous condition becomes worse and worse, without training or behavioral intervention, and will begin to happen every time you leave the house. It may even begin to happen every time you leave the room.
Since dogs are pack animals, by nature, your dog feels most secure and comfortable when he is part of the pack. His pack may be headed by a human, but it’s all the same to him.
“So my dog is anxious. Why is this such a problem?”
The resulting behaviors, caused by separation anxiety, will be things like excessive barking, whining, chewing up everything in sight and going potty (on purpose) in the house. Your dog may exhibit just one of these symptoms, or maybe all of the symptoms. Excessive barking is very likely to be one of the main manifestations. Not sure if your dog is barking and whining while you are out? Your neighbors may be able to fill you in!
“What can I do about Separation Anxiety?”
Crate Training
One of the recommended methods for alleviating the problem is to crate-train your best friend. You will most likely have to help your pooch overcome his apprehension about his new ‘house’, so plan on spending some time on this in the beginning. Place the crate somewhere where he will feel safe and comfortable to enter and also exit. Leave the door open at first, and let him get used to coming and going as he pleases. Never, ever drag him or force him into the crate. It may take a few days for him to feel okay about his new digs. Over time, he should actually begin to prefer the crate as a place to sleep, relax or get away from things that make him nervous or uncomfortable.
Once he is comfortable with coming and going, begin to shut the door for 5-10 minutes at a time, while you remain in the room. Praise him, but don’t coddle him and feed his insecurities. Gradually increase the time spent in the crate, with the door latch closed. Leave the room for awhile and then return.
Always praise him for good behavior. Don’t reward whining or panicked behavior. Act calmly yourself, as if nothing should be bothering him. Reward his calm, quiet behavior with a treat or positive words.
Plan to work with him over a period of several days, before just locking him in and leaving for work. Practice asking him to get into his crate and then getting your keys and leaving the room. Eventually, leave the house for a couple of hours, while you go to the store. Soon, he will be ready to accept his crate for an entire day while you are gone to work. Always, always make sure that he has had the opportunity to relieve himself prior to locking him into the crate for an extended amount of time. If you have worked up gradually to this point, your dog should no longer be barking excessively, whining and acting out when you leave. He will feel safe, secure and calm inside his crate.
If all goes well, the barking problem that is a result of separation anxiety will be resolved. And won’t your neighbors be happy?!
{ 5 comments }
Help, I have a 2 year old lab mix. I live in downtown Tulsa,OK. The back of my home is surrounded by a 6ft privacy fence. The gate is also six feet, but it is slatted (open)so, my dogs can see everyone and everything, including all trafic on the bike trail across the street that goes by my home.
I also have an Shepard/Chow mix. (very sweet dog and never barks at anything). Here is my problem. Everytime I go out and start to get into my car my Lab goes insane running the gate back and forth, jumping up and down and barking like crazy. And as I leave he gets more insane, with the same behavior. I can hear him barking inside my car almost a block away.
I have to keep the gate locked because of living downtown, so I can’t quickly open it to try and correct him.
I try to verbally correct him, but it just makes him worse.
Do you have any advise? I am absolutely deperate.
Terry
Hello Terry,
You definitely have a problem on your hands, and if it doesn’t get corrected, the neighbors may begin to complain (if they have not already). In this case, because of the two dogs, I would have to recommend that you hire a local dog trainer — one that comes to your home to give private lessons. This way, the trainer can see the behavior and the environment and come up with a plan for correcting it.
Hope that helps.
Cathy
I just moved into a new apartment and my dog who usually is okay with her crate is now barking incessantly when left at home alone. I will employ your suggestions, but is there anything else I can do?
Hmmm….clearly your dog is reacting to the new environment. Maybe you will need to go back through the steps of crate training again, slowly working back into the more lengthy times in the crate. Just my thoughts, anyway.
I am not a dog trainer by profession — just a dog owner and dog lover. This may take a bit of time and some patience, to help your dog get readjusted. If it doesn’t get better in a month or so, consider hiring a local trainer to come and consult with you. You may be able to purchase a small package of lessons with the trainer, so you can get some one-on-one help. Keep checking around. It may not be terribly expensive. Certainly worth it to not make enemies with your apartment complex manager and your new neighbors.
Best of luck to you,
Cathy
My neighbor has a basset hound and now a collie. We’ve been asking them nicely for almost 2 yrs now to get the basset to curb its barking. It starts the minute they leave at 7am and doesnt stop until they get home 12-14 hours later. The poor thing is left outside all day long and only has interaction when they feed it at night. We live in Las Vegas by the way where the temperatures get extremely hot and cold. They think now that we’ve resorted to making a police report that we are harassing them. But after 2 years of bringing it to their attention and me working nights and sleeping during the day…or lack of sleep I’ve started to experience physical side affects from the barking. What else can we do to get them to take care of their dog and be better dog owners?
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