SEPARATION ANXIETY
                          By Dave Carty


Destructive behavior is a tough nut to crack, but it can be corrected at
least to a point
                                                                                  By Dave Carty
IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOUR DOG TRASHES YOUR HOUSE UPON 
YOUR DEPARTURE, IT IS DISPLAYING A PANIC REACTION AND IS NOT TRYING TO 
"GET EVEN" WITH YOU.

It was not a pretty sight. A buddy and I had been gone less than 90 
minutes and upon returning home we were confronted by a disaster.My young
spaniel,Poke had ripped down the living room curtains,torn out the 
back of the recliner,knocked a five-gallon bottle of spring water off 
the kitchen counter,uprooted houseplants and last but not least 
defecated from one end house I was renting to the other. Only the 
presence of my friend kept me from throttling the dog.

It had become abundantly clear in the short time I had owned him that 
there was something wrong with my dog, but I didn't have a name for it. 
Twenty-five years later,I do:separation anxiety.

If separation anxiety isn't some­thing you have dealt with in your own 
dogs, be grateful. For the rest of us, I will describe some of the 
symptoms of the affliction that, in all likelihood, have become much too 
familiar.

Separation anxiety is a panic reaction in dogs that,however briefly, 
have become separated from their owners.The list of symptoms is as long 
as it is nefarious: chewing, defe­cating,pawing at windows and doors, 
barking, whining, urinating, extreme activity upon your return, 
depression,and/or hyperactivity.The common thread is that regard­less 
of what your anxious dog decides to do while you are gone,it will never 
be pleasantly surprising.

Why do some dogs behave this way? There are a number of reasons.The dog 
may have been poorly socialized as a pup,separated too early from its 
mother, may have had a traumatic experience early in its life,undergone 
a sudden change in environment,or my personal favorite may simply.have 
a squirrelly streak that manifests as destructive behavior.Why the 
animal behaves the way it does isn't nearly as important as knowing that 
separation anxiety can be cured, or at the very least considerably 
lessened.

Dogs with separation anxiety typically have an overly close attachment to
their masters. They follow him or her from room to room, sleep on or 
beside their bed at night, and seem to most owners annoyance to be 
constantly underfoot.A simple solution is to house the dog in an outside 
kennel part of the reason,I'm sure,so few professional retriever 
trainers spoken with ever mention having been cursed with the problem.

But the majority of us with one or two dogs and understanding mates keep 
our dogs inside at least some of the time,which to my way of thinking is
the proper order of things,doggie phobias be darned.
It is important to remember that when your dog trashes your house upon 
your departure, it is displaying a panic reaction and is not trying to 
"get even" with you. That can be a tough concept to warm up to when you 
arrive to a living room full of newly shredded furniture, but research on
the subject assures us this is true.

And, because the dog's reaction is panic, not revenge driven, the cure 
lies in easing its fear.Typically, dogs will be most destruc­tive in the 
first 30 to 45 minutes after your departure. If you can get your dog to 
relax for this length of time,then you will have the worst of its behavior
under control.The way to do that is to gradually condition the dog to 
your comings and goings.Although it seems con­tradictory, do not make a 
fuss over your pooch when it begins to dis­play anxiety just prior to your
departure,ignore the animal. And when the dog turns itself inside out 
upon your return, do the same.

To begin conditioning your dog,leave the house repeatedly,but only for a 
minute or two.Just before you go establish a"safety cue,"some­thing you 
can do or say every time you leave that your pup will associate with your
return. Offering him a chew toy will work, but it is probably easier just
to say something reassuring, like"I'll be back"or"be a good dog"whatever 
you like. In time, the dog will associate the familiar safety cue with 
your short-term absences, and it will be more comfortable with the longer
absences to come.

Upon your retum, let your dog settle down before you pet or greet it. 
Then go through the same routine again,increasing the length of time 
you are gone with each departure.Again, do not fuss over your dog before 
or just after you return.Ignore the dog completely or at most give it a 
perfunctory pat on the head.When your dog is handling departures of up 
to 90 minutes, it should be good for much longer periods of time.

In most cases,you will have to lessen your contact with the dog in the 
home, too.This doesn't mean you have to banish it from your affections 
forever,just until its super-anxious reactions decrease.A few years ago
when I acquired another dog with symptoms dis­tressingly similar to the
spaniel I had owned 20 years earlier,I found that,in addition to 
desensitizing my pup with timed departures,I had to keep her from 
sleeping under my bed at night,as well.I moved her pad to the living 
room, closed my bedroom door,and after a few days of hurt feelings 
(hers and mine) we were both fine.

Happily, my precautions paid off.Today,she is not symptom free she still 
shadows me when I move around the house but she no longer chews up 
newspapers and magazines when I'm gone,or upends the kitchen trash. 
And because of that,my anxiety about leaving her alone has all but 
disappeared.

MIND GAMES Does your dog chase its tail regularly? Do not laugh. 
The animal,likely,is bored,in need of additional exercise,or both