Rethinking Separation Anxiety

Rethinking Separation Anxiety: Understanding Separation Distress in Dogs


Do you suspect your dog suffers from separation anxiety? It's time to reconsider. Your pet might instead be experiencing separation distress, a less severe but equally impactful condition. By understanding this distinction, you can better address your pet's needs and improve their quality of life.


Separation Distress: More Common Than You Think

Unlike separation anxiety, separation distress is not as extreme but still impacts a dog's well-being. It's often triggered by lifestyle factors and mental issues such as noise phobias, fear, stress, boredom, frustration, and high arousal, among other things.


The Telltale Signs: Separation Anxiety vs Separation Distress


A key distinguishing characteristic lies in the dogs' activity levels during separation. Dogs with separation anxiety maintained their activity level throughout the entire separation period. On the other hand, dogs with separation distress displayed decreased activity levels the longer they were alone.


A study by Konok et al. (2011) shed light on another of the behavioural differences. Dogs with separation anxiety didn't exhibit any more intense greeting behaviour than those without, but they were not easily calmed when reunited with their owners. This is probably due to the fact they are all worked up from their contact level of activities (coping behaviour) while you have been gone.



Why a Home Camera Can Make All the Difference

Home surveillance isn't just for security; it's also a useful tool for understanding your pet's behaviour in your absence. Here's why installing a home camera can be beneficial:

  1. Understanding what’s actually happening: Video footage can provide insights into your pet's behaviour during the periods you are not around.
  2. Identifying potential triggers: Cameras can help catch potential triggers of distress, such as noisy neighbours or unfamiliar sounds.
  3. Read their body language: Understand the emotion/ cause behind the Behaviours
  4. Measuring reaction time: By observing how long your dog reacts to your absence.


Hopefully you’ve learnt something here and understanding that if you’re treating this distress case and an Anxiety case, you’re going to get no where with training. Leaving the house for a few seconds and then minutes and slowly increasing the time is not how we help most of separation cases and this is exactly why.


The Separation Series has officially started on MK9Plus.com and is going to be one of the biggest yet, due to all the info and help you will be getting/ needing to understand and truly help your specific dog. 


Welcome to Modern and Qualified Dog Training! Join MK9Plus.com Now, FOR FREE 

Location: United Kingdom

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Changing dogs behaviour on walks, without training

It's All About Your Dog's Window! This window is what ruins recall, creates obsession, and leads to hyperactivity in your dog. By "window," I mean their window of opportunity! Two hours a day is the most common duration I see people taking their dogs out for, and that's amazing, so keep it up. However, one thing you have to keep in mind is, if you aren't providing your dog with outlets or mental stimulation at home, you're training your dog to empty their energy reserve within those two hours every day, because that's their window of opportunity to live their life. Side Note: We also have to consider the nature of these walks. If we have a dog that isn't bred for exploring and hunting, like our sight hounds, scent hounds, or terriers, relying solely on walks for stimulation may not be enough. Many dogs are bred for specific tasks, and it's perfectly fine to fill most of their outdoor time with those tasks. Remember, that time is for them, and t
Read more

4 Ways to Fix Hit & Miss RECALL!

For dog owners, hit and miss recall can be both frustrating and anxiety-inducing. Walks shouldn't be dictated by chance, but should instead offer moments of leisure and bonding. If you find yourself battling with this issue, here's a guide to understanding unpredictable recall, full lessons are on mk9plus.com 1. Addressing Frustration The Root of Desperation: Many dogs are innately frustrated. This makes them desperate to chase every scent or dog they come across. Understanding and addressing this pent-up energy is crucial. They often feel this way because they aren't provided the right outlets to expend their energy. 2. The Significance of Vet Checks Health Matters: A lot of dogs manifest behavioural issues due to underlying health concerns. Hyperactivity can sometimes be a symptom of issues such as stomach problems. Ensuring regular vet checks can rule out medical causes for erratic behaviour. 3. Understanding Your Dog's Window Beyond Walks: It's a common misconce
Read more

Bored Dogs… the real issue

If your dog is bored, don't just try to keep them occupied. They'll get bored of that, just like they did before. Instead, ask yourself, "Why is my dog always awake?". This is what will lead to major behavioural issues over time and behavioural problems are what we call symptoms of underlying issues. Boredom means your dog is lacking what they really need, so looking for ways to keep them occupied is not the advice to look form. Dogs require 18 to 20 hours of sleep per day, and when they're asleep, they're not bored. However, this is only achievable if they're engaged in activities that meet their needs while they're awake (living the right life fro them). It's not always about doing more; it's about doing the right things. There's more to having a dog than just trying to tire them out. To achieve this, we need to understand what our dogs were bred for. Even if you don't know your dog's breed, because you know know the breed, we can
Read more