“The Culture Clash” Chapter 2

Hard-Wiring: What the Dog Comes With (Predatory and Social Behavior)

Part 3

Welcome back! Let’s get into chapter 2 part 3 of The Culture Clash!

Separation anxiety can make your dog destructive, depressed, and anxious. Being left alone is never fun, but we can at least make them comfortable. Dogs can have a kind of panic attack and can lead to them eating walls and doorways. Signs of anxiety can be reactions prior to departure (panting, pacing, salivating, trembling, lethargy, and hiding) and anorexia when left alone.

Thankfully, separation anxiety can be treated with “a combination of gradual desensitization and anti-anxiety medications.” Please, do not punish your dog hours after the chewing has happened, or even minutes after. If you weren’t there to redirect, there is nothing to punish without making the dog more anxious and confused. When your dog is punished, remember that they have 2 reasons to be upset: they were alone, and they will be punished when their owner returns.

The best treatment for separation anxiety is systematic desensitization: a technique used for phobias. The idea is to teach the subject to relax, then you introduce the fear stimulus at the level your dog can tolerate without anxiety. Then, you relax them again. Take this in baby steps. If your dog shows fear, take a step back.

Some dogs need a safety cue, perhaps a radio, while you’re training. This way, the radio cues the dog that a short, non-panic inducing absence will happen. This is “reliable pairing with tolerable levels of aloneness that establish it as relaxing.” If you have to leave the dog alone for long periods of time, don’t put the radio on. You must work up to long stretches of time before leaving the dog alone with the radio on all day. You can practice leaving your dog alone in various rooms in your house to prepare them for your absence.

Double dog households are a great trend happening. Be aware that 2 dogs means double the food, medical, and accessories expenses. It also doubles the clean-up in the home, time, grooming, training, and the amount shadowing to the bathroom. The bond between the dogs can be very strong, especially if the dogs are littermates. Spending time individually with the dog is very important as well as keeping them apart at times, so they are desensitized to it.

Although there are some drawbacks, they are social creatures that wear each other out. It makes being alone easier for them because they have a playmate.

Thanks for tuning in today, and I’ll see you next Thursday!