Many dogs
experience separation anxiety when left alone. They will often whine,
bark, cry, howl, chew, dig, scratch at the door, soil the house or
destroy your home and yard. We often unintentionally train our dogs to
behave this way because whenever they throw this kind of tantrum when
we leave, we quickly come back to reassure them, give them attention or
even a bone or biscuit. If you do this, your dog will soon learn that
he can control you with emotional blackmail.
Long, drawn-out farewells can create separation anxiety
problems by first exciting your dog and then making the isolation more
obvious when you're gone. Just when he gets all worked up and ready to
play, suddenly you disappear. With all this energy, your dog will
either try his best to get you to come back or he will have to vent his
energy in some other way. Since he can't build model airplanes or
invite his buddies over for a hand of poker, he does doggy things -
like chew, dig and bark.
Perhaps it is not separation anxiety after all! We often think our dog is destructive because he is angry and spiteful that we left him, but he could actually be
just trying to have some fun since there is nothing else to do. He may be relieved to be
able to do those things he normally can't do when you're home. He may be thinking,
"Thank goodness the owner is finally leaving! Now I can chase the cat, dig up the
tomatoes, get in the trash, and bark at the neighbors. They never let me do those things
when they're home."
Some dogs with separation anxiety are stressed, nervous and insecure when they are left alone. They express this
nervous energy in typical dog fashion - chewing, digging, barking and house soiling.