As soon as I typed that blog title, I started humming the Dolly Parton song of the same name! It's also what popped into my head when a client called to say she was returning to work and freaking out about leaving her dog home alone. She, like many dog owners, has been working remotely for the last year and a half. Her kitchen became her office and her favorite co-worker, her dog. She acquired this dog right before the lockdown last Spring, so consequently, her dog has really never been home alone for longer than about 20 to 30 minutes. My client is worried that when she returns to working outside her home again in September, that her dog will panic and either destroy her house, hurt herself, or both. She's also worried that she won't do well back at work without the dog there. She's gotten quite used to the dog laying beside her chair, providing comfort and support. My client is not alone in these concerns. Seems everyone is talking about their pandemic pups and separation anxiety. What we aren't seeing though are suggested solutions for coping with this very real possibility. I know I've talked about the treatment of separation anxiety many times over the years, but I feel like we need to revisit the topic with an eye toward the strategies and potential solutions.
First off, go ahead and acknowledge that you will miss your dog and she will miss you. Now that you've done that, start practicing being apart! Go for a walk without her, don't take her in the car when you go to run errands, etc. Don't have your groceries delivered, go shopping yourself. Set up a camera so that you can watch your dog while you are gone. If your dog is profusely panting, pacing, drooling, barking, whining, scratching at the door, or being destructive, she's in distress. If you crate your dog when you are gone, then look for vocalizations, panting, drooling, digging at the crate, gnawing on the door, scratching to get out, or tearing up bedding. Again, if your dog whines a bit when you leave, but then trots off to nap on the couch or watch birds out the window, she's fine. Keep an eye on her while you are gone and see if she goes to sleep or remains awake and vigilant the whole time you are gone. Dogs spend the great majority of their day resting, so they should be doing that whether you are home or not. If your dog shows any of the signs of distress noted above, then she may have separation anxiety. If she doesn't show any of these signs, she's fine, BUT you still need to think about what you'd like your dog to be doing all day when you are gone. By pairing your departures with fun activities like interactive, food-based toys, you not only make your departures less of a big deal for your dog, but you make your dog actually look forward to you being gone as they get something special then! Plus, a dog who has spent a half hour working on a frozen Kong toy, for example, is tired and ready for a nap. Your dog should have a few things to do while you are gone, but spend the majority of that time resting and patrolling their home turf to keep it safe. It's what dogs do.
If you have a job situation where your dog can return to your workplace with you, that's great! I wouldn't, however, plan to take them every day. It's nice to have variety in your life! Take your dog with you some days, leave them home some days, and maybe even send them to daycare (if they like other dogs!) or hire a dog walker to come in on a couple of days. It's good for our dogs to know that they can exist outside our immediate presence. It's good for them to interact with other people and other dogs in a supervised situation such as daycare or with a dog walker. And remember, just because you can take your dog to work with you, doesn't mean you should. If your dog has separation anxiety, just you leaving her behind to go to a meeting (or use the bathroom!) could cause her distress leading to barking or destructive behavior at work, which is a no-no. If your dog is anxious or aggressive about new people or other dogs, then taking her to work isn't a good idea. People will be coming in and out of your workspace and you need to be sure that's safe for those people AND for your dog. Plus, if your employer allows other dogs in the workplace, you need your dog to be okay with her canine co-workers there with their humans too.
So, what should you be doing now if you know your dog suffers from separation anxiety? First, you will want to set up an appointment with your veterinarian as drug therapy is often a big part of treatment. Second, never leaving your dog alone until she can be calm there is truly a key factor in the solution as well. This is because one of the first steps in treating the problem is removing the dog from situations that cause the anxiety. For a lot of dogs with separation anxiety, I recommend daycare since at daycare (versus a dog walker, for example), they can interact with new humans and other dogs and be crated or confined only under supervision, and barking and destructive behavior are curbed and/or redirected, if they are occurring. It's important for your dog to experience separation from you and have that go well. And for many dog owners with intense work schedules, daycare is the key to success.
Here is a general outline for the treatment of separation anxiety:
1. Never leave the dog home alone (even briefly until she has been taught calming techniques)
2. Crate train and/or x-pen train to build confidence when you are home (this helps curb the drooling, pacing, and destruction that so often occurs)
3. De-couple your departure cues (e.g. dress like you are leaving for work, but stay home; wear your pajamas and leave the house for a few minutes)
4. Only give attention to the dog when she is calm and deferential (any anxious behavior is to be ignored).
5. Increase her mental AND physical exercise everyday
6. Drug therapy (I usually recommend having a conversation with your veterinarian about your options, and starting with either Clomicalm, Elavil, or Prozac). Sometimes Xanax is needed if there is a panic component to the behavior as well. There are also some holistic options as well such as CBD treats or a DAP collar that may be worth exploring in conjunction with more traditional options.
It's best to prepare your pets now for your ultimate return to your job outside your home. Get your pet onto the schedule that you will be following on your work days. Set an alarm, get dressed and get ready for work even if you aren't going off to work quite yet (this is what it means to decouple departure cues!). When you are working from home, make those work hours count; spend your time working and not focusing on your dog. You can pay attention to them on your breaks! That way, they won't be expecting attention and interaction all day long when you aren't there to do so. When you do leave your house for brief periods of time, don't make a big deal of it; leave the house with zero fanfare and don't go over the top when you get back home. Reinforce your dog for being calm, not jumping up, spinning, barking, etc. While you are both excited to see one another, it shouldn't be a three ring circus when you get home!
It is hard to leave your dog behind and go back out into the real world. Don't make the problem worse by ignoring any issues your dog might have with you leaving, as the sooner you address those issues head on, the better the outcome. Don't let your guilt about returning to work make your dog anxious either. Dogs are good at picking up on human emotions; if you are ambivalent about returning to work, your dog will sense that and it may make her anxious on your behalf.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
My canine co-workers sleeping on the job again!
No comments:
Post a Comment