Separation anxiety affects many of our dogs as it is and can be stressful for the dog and owners – not to mention causing friction between neighbours should the dog display barking/howling behaviours while its owners are not around.
At a time when many of us are returning (or preparing to return) to work, behaviours relating to separation anxiety may be magnified. Our canine companions have spent so much time with us during lockdown and are bound to have gotten used to having someone in the house 24/7. There may never have been a point where your dog has been home alone over the last two months. For dogs who have a history of suffering from separation anxiety, this means that old unwanted behaviours such as: whining or barking; chewing or scratching; self-mutilation, panting or urinating in the house could crop up again when you do go back to work.
Even if you have a dog who has never suffered from separation anxiety before, you may see some of these behaviours develop when you eventually get back to your regular working pattern.
How can I help my dog be content in their own company?
Luckily, there are several techniques to minimise the effect of your dog experiencing loneliness.
1) Be proactive: even if you are not due to return to work imminently, you should begin preparations with your dog now to get them used to being on their own again…
I think my dog will be happy to see the back of me. Your dog has never shown any signs of separation anxiety before, but then you have probably never spent so much quality time with your dog before either. Just to make sure your dog is prepared, try to take time away from the house and leave your dog in an area where they will stay when you do go back to work.
My dog has become overly attached to me during lockdown. As above but you may need to start small and build up to prolonged periods away from the house. The first step would be going out of the front door and immediately coming back in. Then, going out and waiting for a minute before returning, increasing the duration you are out each time. Your dog may be happy to be left for twenty minutes at the moment; the important factor in any area of dog training is to work at your dog’s own level, create trust and be positive, and build from there.
Help! My dog is super needy. If you have a particularly clingy dog who follows you from room to room, you could limit their access to particular areas in the house. Maybe shut them out of the bathroom, while you take a shower so they experience being in their own company but can still hear you in the next room. Start with short bursts of alone time and build up from there.
Upon your return for any of these steps, you must greet your dog affectionately but calmly.
2) Try to get into your usual work routine now. Get up and walk/feed your dog at the usual times and build some alone time for your dog into his daily routine.
3) Make sure your dog is getting enough exercise and mental stimulation. The very basic level of this is walking, however, there are many ways in which you can tire out your dog and boost his mood at the same time. Check out my ‘7 Ways To Exercise Your Dog Indoors’ post for some ideas. When you do get out and about with your dog, let them sniff: processing all that information from scents left by other dogs takes a lot of effort and is exhausting work for your dog.