Last month, I wrote about one issue for dogs related to the COVID pandemic, which is that many dogs have to learn to trust and tolerate people wearing masks in public places. A second issue was suggested to me by veterinarian Dr. Beth Kirby of Companion Animal Clinic in Blacksburg, VA when she wondered whether the return to work among many pet owners would be associated with an increase in separation anxiety and distress. For pets already prone to separation anxiety, or for those adopted into a home during COVID who have not had to tolerate separation from their human family members thus far, a return to work, travel, and social outings among pet owners may be difficult for many pets.
Separation anxiety is characterized by any of three areas of behavior – vocalizing (barking, howling, crying), destruction (chewing furniture, household items, window frames, etc.), and/or house soiling (urinating or defecating in the house) – that occur only or primarily when the owner is out of the home. Many other reasons for these behaviors exist, so a pet behavior professional or veterinarian should rule out causes for these responses such as boredom, lack of enrichment, or incomplete housetraining, for example, before labeling the behavior as separation anxiety. Dogs (and some cats) with separation anxiety sometimes show additional responses such as excessive clinginess, following family members room to room when they are home, hopping up anxiously when they prepare to leave the home, or trying to run out of the door with family members when they leave. While not all pets show all of these signs, many show some combination of them. In severe cases of separation anxiety, dogs can injure themselves in crates or free in the home, and may cause significant destruction to property while home alone. Treatment for separation anxiety is multi-pronged and can include systematic desensitization, independence training, enhanced enrichment and exercise, environmental modifications in the home, and/or medication.
In the current circumstances, some dogs may become accustomed to their family being home so much of the time and come to rely on that level of contact and community, thus feeling the loss more heavily when families abruptly return to work, school, or community outings again. The best way to help ensure your pet adjusts well to these new freedoms is to begin gradually. When your family is ready to return to society, as it were, begin in small stages, running short errands or working part of the day outside of the home, then returning to provide companionship for your pet again. If your dog is typically crated when home alone, practice some crate sessions again if it’s been awhile since the crate has been used. Whether she is crated or free in the home, check for signs of anxiety when you return, such as accidents in the house (in an otherwise housetrained animal), chewed up household items, or scratched or chewed doorways or windows. If she is crated, look for signs of disturbance or attempts to escape from the crate, such as marks on the bars, the dog bed bunched up in one corner. Look for signs of anxiety on your dog as well, such as drool marks or heavy panting, broken nails or any other bodily marks, or diarrhea or vomiting. If your dog shows these signs, she may indeed be suffering from separation anxiety in your absence and a more systematic behavior plan will need to be implemented in order to address it. In these cases, you should contact your veterinarian for a referral to a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist for an individualized treatment plan.
It is important to remember that we are the center of the world for many dogs and cats, and they have come to enjoy and rely on our increased time and availability at home these last few months. Help them to adjust as we return to the wider world by taking some time to set up short departures, provide simulations that feel like a shorter version of an old work day, and set up for plenty of enrichment and play opportunities to tire them out in preparation for their longer days home alone to come.
