Its goal is to eliminate or reduce the exaggerated, emotion-based reaction that an animal has to a specific thing – like other animals, certain people, noises or situations/places. Note that this approach usually only helps in mild cases of anxiety because highly anxious dogs often won’t eat when their owners aren’t home.ĭesensitisation means to make the dog less sensitive. For example, the dog can be fed his/her breakfast and some tasty treats in a kong type of toy every morning before the owner goes to work. The dog can be fed all of his/her daily meals in special toys. As soon as the owner returns home they remove these special toys so that the dog only has access to them and the high-value foods inside when he/she is alone. To develop this kind of association, every time the owner leaves the house, they can offer their dog a kong type of toy stuffed with food that will take them at least 20 to 30 minutes to consume. Over time, the dog learns that whatever they are anxious about actually predicts good things for them.įor dogs with anxiety when separated from their owner, counterconditioning focuses on developing an association between being alone and good things, like tasty food. It’s done by associating the sight or presence of a feared or disliked person, animal, place, object or situation with something good, that the dog likes. It changes an animal’s anxious reaction to something to a relaxed reaction instead. This is done with all of the pre-departure cues so that they no longer predict departure, which no longer leads to an anxious response, and become less important to the dog and easier to ignore.Ĭounterconditioning means to re-teach the pet to have a pleasant feeling and reaction toward something that they previously feared or disliked. Consequently, the dog learns that picking up the keys does not mean anything. Using the picking up keys as an example, through habituation, the owner picks up the keys, the dog becomes alert and anxious and comes to the owner the owner ignores the dog and goes about their routine the owner does not leave the house. Examples include picking up keys, putting on shoes, packing a briefcase, etc. The goal is to disassociate the pre-departure cues from the actual departure. Habituation is a decrease in response as a consequence of repeated exposure to a stimulus. This helps to prevent anxiety escalation and is accomplished through habituation, counter-conditioning and desensitisation which are explained below. picking up car keys) and re-teaching the dog that the ‘routine’ no longer predicts departure. This involves changing how the dog perceive pre-departure cues (e.g. Decreasing the anxiety associated with departure Upon return, owners should try to greet the dog softly, calmly and quietly, and attend to the dog only when the dog is calm and quiet. In an attempt to decrease the level of anxiety that these dogs exhibit prior to owner departure, owners should try to ignore the dog 15-30 minutes prior to leaving. It involves ignoring attention-seeking behaviour and rewarding the dog for being calm and relaxed. The goal here is to facilitate the dog becoming more independent and less anxious. Management tips Changes in pet-owner interactions They can either help you directly or they may offer referral to a behavioural specialist who uses humane reward-based training. Owners should consult with their veterinarian for advice. It involves changes in pet-owner interactions, changes in leaving and returning routines, decreasing the anxiety associated with owner departure, teaching the pet how to be left alone and other environmental changes and management. The goal of management and treatment is to teach the dog how to be calm and relaxed when the person to whom the dog is attached is absent. Behavioural responses can include toileting in the house, destructiveness, excessive barking, digging or pacing and attempting to escape, among other distress signs. Anxiety is characterised by signs of distress when affected animals are separated from an owner or family group (or sometimes another animal) to who the animal is attached. Many dogs can become anxious when separated from their human family. Dogs are highly social animals who generally prefer to live in groups.
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