Separation Anxiety
Label:
Reads
We have to work (well most of us) or we have a life (most of us) and sometimes our lives don't revolve around the dog, we need time away. But what happens when that time away becomes a pain in the butt? Sometimes we start to regret getting the dog in the first place if you knew this would happen, we get frustrated because you can't just waive a wand and have your dog be okay with you leaving and fights can start between a family.
When working with any rescue dog, this is one of the main problems I run into, reason being: dogs that have been abandoned by their owners, then switched to a new environment with new people, then again and again. Some rescues are passed around 7 or 8 times before finding a forever home. No wonder they have separation anxiety! Everytime they possibly became comfortable, they were thrown to the next person and so on. Unfortunately it is sometimes unavoidable and dogs are passed from person to person and the side effects on the dogs' emotional state can be catastrophic for him or her resulting in euthanasia.
Separation Anxiety can be caused by the following
- Traumatic events in a young dog's life may also increase the likelihood of the development of very strong attachments. These events include; early separation from the mother dog, deprivation of attachment early in life (puppies kept in pet shops or animal shelters), a sudden change of environment (new home, stay at a kennel), a change in owner's lifestyle which results in a sudden end to constant contact with the animal, a long-term or permanent absence of a family member.
Preventative Training
Puppies - Training should be started the day you get your puppy to ensure the dog is conditioned to being left alone and it's not all that bad, the owner always comes back.
TAKE TIME OFF WORK when you get your puppy or rescue. This I can't stress enough, so many people get a puppy then leave it alone at home for 8-10 hours the next day and then for the entire week.
Think about it from the pups perspective; was taken away from it's home with his or her littermates, driven in a weird car then put in a new environment, fell asleep, woke up and saw a couple people then everybody left and the pup is in a brand new place, scared and no one around, what happens.....he panics and the cycle begins.
Week 1
TAKE TIME OFF WORK when you get your puppy or rescue. This I can't stress enough, so many people get a puppy then leave it alone at home for 8-10 hours the next day and then for the entire week.
Think about it from the pups perspective; was taken away from it's home with his or her littermates, driven in a weird car then put in a new environment, fell asleep, woke up and saw a couple people then everybody left and the pup is in a brand new place, scared and no one around, what happens.....he panics and the cycle begins.
Week 1
- Do not leave your puppy alone longer then 4 hours at a time -this should be until he's 4 months old, then you can slowly start increasing time 1 hour per month. (6 months = 6 hours) Maximum a dog should be left alone for is 7-8 hours without access to outside for bathroom break.
- Condition the dog to you leaving - place a KONG filled with goodies on the ground and walk out the door for a moment and come back in. If the pup is eating the KONG walk out again for a minute and come back in. Repeat increasing the time slowly. By the end of the week you should be able to leave the pup alone for 4 hours without a peep.
Week 2
- Tire your pup out before planning to leave. Go for a short walk or play a game until the pup is looking tired. Then give him a KONG filled with yummy stuff and leave for a couple minutes, come back in to check how he or she is doing, if they're fine, leave for good this time.
After week 2 your dog should be well adjusted into his or her new home and comfortable being left alone.
Adopted - If you have a rescue, you need to #1 determine if the dog has any separation issues.
Testing for separation anxiety : This can be done by leaving the dog alone for 15 mins (after you've let the dog settle in for a day or two), leave as you normally would, grab your keys and coat and walk out the door, lock it and move out of sight and BE QUIET. (If you have a camera, place it filming the door or living space where you left the dog). If the dog barks, ignore him or her take note of how long the barking continues for, go back in after 15 minutes as long as the dog is NOT barking, howling, whining, scratching ect. If the dog doesn't stop, call the house (this should interrupt the behaviour) then walk in Next is to figure out a treatment plan with your local Dog Behaviourist or Dog Behaviour Consultant.
If the dog is fine, follow the same preventative treatment for puppies.
If the dog is fine, follow the same preventative treatment for puppies.
Training
This involves slow systematic desensitization, changing the emotional reponse of your dog when you leave, which takes time. Separation anxiety, realistically is very hard to treat because not everybody has the time or freedom from work needed to successfully treat it.
However there are options if you have a busy schedule.
1) Hire a dog walker or friend to come by during the day and follow the same training protocol when they leave. (this helps your dog have 2 or more chances to learn that when someone leaves, they don't leave for a long period of time).
2) Bring your dog to a reputable doggy daycare for the days you can't train with your dog
When you manage the problem (doggy daycare, dog walker) paired with training (systematic desensitization - leaving at short periods at a time) separation anxiety can be quite treatable.
However there are options if you have a busy schedule.
1) Hire a dog walker or friend to come by during the day and follow the same training protocol when they leave. (this helps your dog have 2 or more chances to learn that when someone leaves, they don't leave for a long period of time).
2) Bring your dog to a reputable doggy daycare for the days you can't train with your dog
When you manage the problem (doggy daycare, dog walker) paired with training (systematic desensitization - leaving at short periods at a time) separation anxiety can be quite treatable.
Vote For Luna
Click on the link below to vote for LUNA to be the next Fido dog! Thanks!
http://www.fidocastingcall.ca/dogs/6743
Tricks & Behaviour Modification
Label:
Reads
When Tricks Can Be Helpful During Behavioural Therapy
When it comes to learning that your dog has a behavioural problem, most people get pretty upset at their dog, themselves or both. Usually people think one or more of the following:
A) their dog is out to get them (dominate them to take their 'alpha' role in the pack) - I love how people think dogs are these incredibly smart master minds that are power hungry, but really they're not that intelligent nor out to seek power from humans.
B) play the blame game - blame it on anything that is relevant in your dogs life (breed, spouse, friends, other dogs, environment ect)
C) think you are the reason for your dogs problems - you messed up somewhere along the way
Usually it's a mixture of all three. We over complicate our dogs, dogs are simple creatures that are in a alien world so sometimes the communication between human and dog gets lost in translation. Mainly because humans have a completely different communication system then our four legged furry friends.
How are tricks and behavioural modification alike?
3. For you -A basic understanding of how to teach the trick, you can't teach a dog something if you don't know what you're teaching.
4. Time
3. For you -A basic understanding how your dog should react in the problem situation at hand, such as not reacting on leash to another dog while on a walk, you can't teach this to a dog unless you know how to.
4. Time
5. Management in some cases
If people had the same thoughts on behavioural therapy as they do with tricks, many complex problems could be avoided
Example:
PROBLEM AT HAND: Dog reacts to other dogs while out for a walk (on-leash reactivity)
Think of the trick (final goal) as having the dog walk by another dog without any reaction. You would first write out a program/plan of a behaviour chain (many different goal behaviours paired together to give us the final product) example of a bang "you're dead" trick : You need a 3 goal behaviour chain to produce the final result.
1. Have your dog sit pretty (Stick em up)
2. Have your dog lay down (Fall down to play dead)
3. Have your dog roll on his side (To play dead)
Final result - play them all together and you have "bang you're dead" trick, eventually you just need to start the trick and the dog will finish it by herself because it has become muscle memory.
So for the problem behaviour (on leash reactivity) you will need a 3 goal behaviour chain to produce the final result.
1. Teach the dog a leave it cue ( to be able to get your dogs attention in a high arousal state)
2. Teach the dog a "watch me" (look at the handler)
3. Teach your dog the "lets go" command (keep walking)
Final result - play them all together everytime you see a dog on your walk and eventually your dog will know the drill and offer it without commands given because it has become muscle memory.
Always remembering that your dog isn't out to get you, believe me, there have been absolutely no evidence that dogs are out to rule the world starting with their families. And that dog's will always do what is most reinforcing to THEM.
If your dog has a serious behavioural problem, don't try to fix it on your own if you don't know what you're doing, you could end up with a more complex problem on your hands that will take more time to fix.
Read More..
When it comes to learning that your dog has a behavioural problem, most people get pretty upset at their dog, themselves or both. Usually people think one or more of the following:
A) their dog is out to get them (dominate them to take their 'alpha' role in the pack) - I love how people think dogs are these incredibly smart master minds that are power hungry, but really they're not that intelligent nor out to seek power from humans.
B) play the blame game - blame it on anything that is relevant in your dogs life (breed, spouse, friends, other dogs, environment ect)
C) think you are the reason for your dogs problems - you messed up somewhere along the way
Usually it's a mixture of all three. We over complicate our dogs, dogs are simple creatures that are in a alien world so sometimes the communication between human and dog gets lost in translation. Mainly because humans have a completely different communication system then our four legged furry friends.
How are tricks and behavioural modification alike?
When you think of teaching your dog a trick, what's involved, what do YOU need to do to get that final result?
1. Patience
2. Something to motivate your dog to initially perform the desired behaviour3. For you -A basic understanding of how to teach the trick, you can't teach a dog something if you don't know what you're teaching.
4. Time
When you think of behavioural therapy, what's involved, what do YOU need to do to get that final result?
1. Patience
2. Something to motivate your dog to listen to the handler and perform a desired behaviour that we need.3. For you -A basic understanding how your dog should react in the problem situation at hand, such as not reacting on leash to another dog while on a walk, you can't teach this to a dog unless you know how to.
4. Time
5. Management in some cases
If people had the same thoughts on behavioural therapy as they do with tricks, many complex problems could be avoided
Example:
PROBLEM AT HAND: Dog reacts to other dogs while out for a walk (on-leash reactivity)
Think of the trick (final goal) as having the dog walk by another dog without any reaction. You would first write out a program/plan of a behaviour chain (many different goal behaviours paired together to give us the final product) example of a bang "you're dead" trick : You need a 3 goal behaviour chain to produce the final result.
1. Have your dog sit pretty (Stick em up)
2. Have your dog lay down (Fall down to play dead)
3. Have your dog roll on his side (To play dead)
Final result - play them all together and you have "bang you're dead" trick, eventually you just need to start the trick and the dog will finish it by herself because it has become muscle memory.
So for the problem behaviour (on leash reactivity) you will need a 3 goal behaviour chain to produce the final result.
1. Teach the dog a leave it cue ( to be able to get your dogs attention in a high arousal state)
2. Teach the dog a "watch me" (look at the handler)
3. Teach your dog the "lets go" command (keep walking)
Final result - play them all together everytime you see a dog on your walk and eventually your dog will know the drill and offer it without commands given because it has become muscle memory.
Always remembering that your dog isn't out to get you, believe me, there have been absolutely no evidence that dogs are out to rule the world starting with their families. And that dog's will always do what is most reinforcing to THEM.
If your dog has a serious behavioural problem, don't try to fix it on your own if you don't know what you're doing, you could end up with a more complex problem on your hands that will take more time to fix.
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)
