Rescue dog afraid of being in moving car

[SusanGleiner]

6 mos. ago I adopted a 4yo Jack Russell mix. She is very anxious about the crate and we are managing that (with your advice). However, she is very scared when the car moves. She jumps in willingly but panics when it starts to move. Paces, pants,drools. If I leave her in the car to go into the grocery she becomes very destructive and has torn the seat cover, chewed the seat belt in half, and always escapes from her harness which I tether her to the seatbelt for safety.

[Adrienne]

Hi Susan,

Welcome to the forums!

This may be a case of a dog being stressed in the car, but there also may be some concomitant anxiety about being left alone which can cause her to associate the whole car ride with being left alone. I have a few questions to better understand what you may be dealing with as these issues may require quite different approaches. 

1) Does she seem to cope better if somebody remains with her in the car when you go to the grocery store?

2) Does she also pace, pant and drool when you must leave her alone in the house? Is she very clingy to you, following you everywhere? Have you been crating her when you must leave the house and she has been struggling with that?

3) Has she always acted this way since you got her? Even before her knowing you would go into stores?

4) Does she ever vomit in the car?

5) Does she seem to relax if you drive somewhere and you stop the car and stay in the car with her?

6) Is there a way to not leave her alone in the car? Like can she stay with a family member at home of can somebody come with you and take her for a walk as you go grocery shopping? 

Thanks, this extra info will be helpful. 

[SusanGleiner]

I rescued a 4 yo jack russell mix 6 mos ago. She is a wonderful pet but becomes fearful when in a moving car. She did not appear to be afraid to get into the car-just jumped right in- but becomes very anxious when it starts to move. She acts like a caged animal - following a set path from the back seat to the front seat then down to the front seat floor back to the front seat and back to the back seat over and over. I have put her on a “run” in the backseat for safety but now she cries and cries. Any suggestions?

[Adrienne]

Hi Susan,

This sounds like very anxious behavior. How often do you take her on car rides on average?

I responded to your question on this on Dec 17th, with some further questions. I was trying to get a few clues in hopes of differentiating whether this can be a matter of anxiety of being in the car versus a possible anticipatory fear of being left alone.  Have you seen that? Thanks for the extra details. 

 

[SusanGleiner]

Thank you for responding to my problem

1) she my be slightly better if someone else remains in the car.

2) She is so anxious when alone in the house that she becomes very destructive. I have been desensitizing her to the crate but she still has a long way to go. I have been following your method. She will stay quiet in the crate unless I go out the door of the house. She is less clingy than when I got her but still keeps a close eye on me.

3) yes. She has been this way since I got her

4)Never vomits

5)Yes

6) I have had a sitter come to stay with her at home occasionally and she is fine with the sitter - but that is $$. Yesterday I gave her leash to a friend while I went into a restaurant to order food and she squealed and jumped the whole time I was inside.

I live alone so there are no other people here to care for her.

Susan Gleiner

[Adrienne]

Thank you so kindly for the extra details, they are very helpful!

I am adding some of the other details you added in your other post and your answers so far so I can have full access to al your specific situation. 

"I rescued a 4 yo jack russell mix 6 mos ago. She is a wonderful pet but becomes fearful when in a moving car. She did not appear to be afraid to get into the car-just jumped right in- but becomes very anxious when it starts to move. She acts like a caged animal - following a set path from the back seat to the front seat then down to the front seat floor back to the front seat and back to the back seat over and over. I have put her on a “run” in the backseat for safety but now she cries and cries. Any suggestions?"

1) Does she seem to cope better if somebody remains with her in the car when you go to the grocery store?

 She my be slightly better if someone else remains  in the car.

 

2) Does she also pace, pant and drool when you must leave her alone in the house? Is she very clingy to you, following you everywhere? Have you been crating her when you must leave the house and she has been struggling with that? 

 

 She is so anxious when alone in the house that she becomes very destructive. I have been desensitizing her to the crate but she still has a long way to go. I have been following your method. She will stay quiet in the crate unless I go out the door of the house. She is less clingy than when I got her but still keeps a close eye on me.

 

3) Has she always acted this way since you got her? Even before her knowing you would go into stores?

 

Yes. She has been this way since I got her.

 

4) Does she ever vomit in the car?

 

Never vomits

5) Does she seem to relax if you drive somewhere and you stop the car and stay in the car with her?

Yes

6) Is there a way to not leave her alone in the car? Like can she stay with a family member at home of can somebody come with you and take her for a walk as you go grocery shopping? 

 

 I have had a sitter come to stay with her at home occasionally and she is fine with the sitter - but that is $$. Yesterday I gave her leash to a friend while I went into a restaurant to order food and she squealed and jumped the whole time I was inside. I live alone so there are no other people here to care for her.

 

I will shortly provide some insights and suggestions based on the info provided. Thank you for your patience. 

[Adrienne]

OK, once again thanks for the details, very helpful.

Here's just a recap of all the info you provided, so to skip this, just go straight to the bold part. 

 So we have 4 year old Jack Russell mix that you rescued 6 months ago. She jumps in the car willingly but is scared when it moves. Paces, pants, drools. Never vomits. When you leave her in the car to go into the grocery she becomes very destructive and has torn the seat cover, chewed the seat belt in half, and always escapes from her harness which you tether her to the seatbelt for safety.  She  also acts like a caged animal - following a set path from the back seat to the front seat then down to the front seat floor back to the front seat and back to the back seat over and over. You recently put her on a “run” in the backseat for safety but now she cries and cries. She does slightly better if somebody is with her and she seems to relax ,but will cry and squeal the whole time you're inside the store. 

At home, she is anxious when left alone and becomes very destructive. She is very anxious in the crate and you have been trying to desensitize her.  In the crate she is rather quiet in it until you go out the door. She is less clingy now, but still wants to keep an eye on you. 

 

So I am seeing a variety of issues here. I am afraid that we may dealing here with a possible case of separation anxiety. Such dogs tend to act clingy when the owner is around and their anxiety may start building up when they start noticing early signs that the owner is about to leave the house. Such anxiety is not typically seen too much in cars because in many cases, dogs are kept in cars for very brief periods (like the time to pay at the gas pump or grab a soda) however, with dogs who won't tolerate being left alone even for just a bit, and if we happen to leave dogs in a car for longer periods of time, this can eventually poison the feeling of safety often associated with being in cars and brief absences. 

Dogs with separation anxiety also tend to struggle with being crated. They associate it with owners leaving and when in a panic-like state being closed in a crate can increase their sense of helplessness. This doesn't apply to all dogs, but many do seem to struggle. So it can be that the car moving is just a predictor that you will eventually leave, just as closing your dog in the crate before leaving the house predicts your absence.  Because separation anxiety causes dogs to be in a panic-like state, this may be the reason why you are struggling in desensitizing her to it. It has assumed too much of a bad reputation and when your dog is in it, she's too over threshold to learn. Dogs who tend to panic in crates due to separation anxiety, sometimes can be more prone to learn to be alone if left in a more open confinement area: a dog-proof area where you can practice leaving her alone very gradually. 

However, there are other possibilities as well to consider. It could be that, on top of having anxiety of being left alone, your dog may also happen to have car anxiety. To test this theory, you would have to take her on frequent car rides without ever leaving her alone for some time and see if her anxiety decreases over time, sort of like dogs who are crated when we are always right next to them versus when being left alone. After some time, they tend to learn to no longer fear being crated because it loses some of its negative reputation.  

Some dogs may also show anxiety when the car moves if they're suffering from some motion sickness. I know you said that your dog never vomits, but sometimes drooling can be a sign of nausea. Nauseous dogs tend to get anxious. Sometimes the car ride is too short or smooth to make them vomit, but they are nauseous nonetheless. However, to further confuse things, drooling is also seen in dogs who have separation anxiety, so it would be interesting to know if your dog also drools when you leave the house and she is left alone. 

A good way to assess a dog for separation anxiety is recording the dog's behavior when left alone . The recording doesn't have to be long (usually 20 minutes will do) and it can give you an insight on what your dog is doing when left alone. Ideally, you should be able to remotely monitor your dog while you're out just so you can come back quickly in case she starts getting in trouble or destroying things. You can then show the most revealing parts to your vet for help of a diagnosis. Many vets are trained to some extent in treating separation anxiety because they often prescribe anti-anxiety meds for them and work along with behavior professionals. Medications don't typically work alone but must be used along with behavior modification. If your dog doesn't drool at home, but in the car does, your vet may also prescribe some anti-nausea pills if he suspects there's some motion sickness as well at play. 

So I will be following up in my next post with some tips for addressing the anxiety when the car moves, the anxiety when she is left alone in the car and the anxiety when she is left alone at home. These are three issue that may require three different approaches, but you will need to have a recording and a talk to your vet to make sure to get an accurate diagnosis. Separation anxiety is often nicknamed by behavior professionals "the great imitator", because it can mimic a variety of other things. For example, Jack Russell are notorious for acting destructive when left alone, but this often occurs just out of their great needs for mental stimulation and frustration more than true anxiety. 

[Adrienne]

Scared when the car moves:

Often, rather than suffering primarily from anxiety, dogs get scared in cars secondary to car sickness. Often car sickness and motion sickness go hand in hand, leading to a chicken-or-the-egg dilemma (dogs can even have a combination of both!), but often behind a case of car phobia is a case of car sickness acting as the leading culprit.

Dogs are naturally prone to car sickness because their sense of balance in their brain is much better than ours so they become particularly susceptible to the motion of cars. Puppies are particularly predisposed to car sickness, and many luckily outgrow it with help, but not all dogs outgrow it as they mature. Also, dogs who have never been in cars or very little may be more prone to car sickness. Since your dog is rescue, we really don't know how often she was taken on car rides, so it may all be new to her. 

Dogs prone to car sickness tend to salivate excessively, lip their lips, yawn and drool. They may also pace, pant, shake, and swallow often, and some even manage to vomit. What makes things particularly challenging though is, as mentioned, the fact that dogs who are primarily anxious, also tend to drool, pant, shake, whine and pace when stressed, so often it is not possible to entirely distinguish one case from the other.  In  general though, dogs who are motion sick tend to feel better once the car stops moving although it may take a little bit of time to feel better.

 Other dogs may be anxious in the car due to being noise sensitive and may act fearful upon hearing car honks, the sound of traffic and even the clicking turn signal. Some dogs are scared of rumble strips and speed bumps. And then, some other dogs may be afraid of their insecure footing, like when you use the brakes and your dog doesn't expect it. This is often an issue in dogs who are scared when the car moves. 

 Attention should be paid on whether dogs anxious in the car appear to act fearful of specific stimuli or situations they are exposed to when in the car.  Of course, dogs may also have fear of a combination of things/situations and the fear may generalize from one thing to another leading to a form of generalized anxiety. 

And then, there are dogs simply anxious in the car because they associate it with going to unpleasant places or being left alone. Dogs have a very strong perception of things and many dog owners swear their dogs know the way towards the vet's clinic and the way towards the dog park. When turning towards the vet, these dogs start panting and shaking, when turning towards the dog park, they start acting excited with happy anticipation. In dogs fearful of being left alone, they may associate being in the car with being left alone if this happens frequently enough. 

As seen, there may be several causes for dogs acting anxious of car rides. Treating the anxiety therefore varies based on the underlying cause. Below are some general tips that tackle various underlying causes of fear of car rides in dogs. 

For motion sickness. 

If you suspect motion sickness, avoid feeding your dog at least a couple of hours prior to the car trip. Vomiting is more likely to happen when your dog travels on a full stomach.

Motion-sick dogs may benefit from breathing some fresh air. Keep a window lightly cracked open, can provide relief.

Schedule frequent stops to help your dog feel better and avoid roads with too many bumps and curves. 

Motion sick dogs may also benefit from antinausea medications. You can ask your vet whether it may be worthy doing a trial to see if it helps.

For anxiety due to movement of the car: 

For anxious dogs, scared of cars moving, you may need to implement behavior modification using desensitization and counterconditioning. 

You can read about these two behavior modification methods here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning

This mostly entails taking baby steps in a systematic way while also creating positive associations.  Here's an example;

Start by allowing some fun time in the car while it's stationary. Give toys and treats and then end all the fun once your dog is asked to go out of the car. Rinse and repeat several times. Eventually, turn on the car, while offering some high-value treats and lots of praise. Stop feeding the treats, once your dog is asked to get out of the car.  Progress gradually to driving the car for just a few seconds while a helper feeds treats or gives the dog a fun toy.

Gradually increase the length of these trips, but randomly mix in some short trips as well.  If, at any point, the dog shows signs of anxiety, the process should be halted and the exercise must resume at a level the dog was able to tolerate and gradually built from there. 

Consider that behavior modification may take weeks or even months of daily training to see results. 

Calming aids may be helpful for anxious dogs. We will see more on these in the next post about fear of being left alone in the car. 

For severe cases, it is best to consult with a dog behavior professional. Behavior modification is delicate work, if we don't do things correctly, we risk exacerbating things. Therefore, behavior modification for safety and correct implementation should be conducted strictly under the close  in-person guidance of a professional in the field such as a veterinary behaviorist  (DACVB) or  certified applied animal behaviorist (CAAB). These professional can also prescribe meds to help the dog be calm long the process. The help of a dog trainer using force-free behavior modification focusing on desensitization and counterconditioning and with extensive experience on anxiety  can be enlisted as well (although cannot prescribe meds, but may refer to a vet for that.) 

 

[Adrienne]

Anxiety when left alone in the car: 

Desensitize your dog to being left alone. The good thing about anxiety in the car is that usually one doesn't leave for too long. So this works to an advantage. To help your dog cope, you would therefore have to start with very brief absences (like just 1-2 seconds) and keep coming back making sure to not cause your dog to go over threshold. You can read more about threshold levels here;

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

In your dog panics the moment you close the car door, you may therefore have to just start by walking around the car  and entering it repeatedly before progressing to leaving out of sight.  Repeat several times until she seems comfortable with that. Then gradually increase criteria, by increasing distance a bit, maybe walking in a larger circle around the car and then coming back. Once she's OK with that, you can start walking farther away in one direction, but then coming right back. Then move on to briefly being out of sight for a second but coming back. 

Important: Keep increasing gradually distance and duration, but make sure to also mix in shorter and briefer absences into the mix so that your dog doesn't panic because she senses the increase in difficulty. 

Create Positive Associations 

When you work on desensitizing your dog to your brief absences, it's also important to create positive associations with them, by giving your dog some super duper high-value treats to give while you leave. Make it clear that the treats are given contingent upon your leaving. 

Ideally, it may help if your dog is trained to start eating when you tell her it's OK to. Simply place the treat in front of her, move away and right before going out of sight, tell her it's OK to start eating. Estimate how long it will take your dog to eat the treat and strategically come back when she's done eating (alternatively remotely monitor her). 

As you make your absences slightly longer, you can try giving treats that are slightly bigger or that take longer to eat. For example, a stuffed Kong or a Lick mat smeared with some peanut butter or canned food may work out. 

If your dog is too stressed to take treats, then that means she's too over threshold and you'll have to split the exercise into easier steps. Take a few steps back and make your absences shorter until she's fine with that before increasing the level of difficulty. 

At some point, you may be able to go to a store to make a quick purchase and come back to a dog who is relaxed and just finished enjoying a goodie.

Graduation time: go to a drive-through. Once your dog gives signs of tolerating your longer absence it's time to pat yourself both on the back and celebrate on your next outing. Go with your dog through a drive-through and get yourself and your dog something high value like a burger (if it's safe for her to have that). Let the burger release the tasty aroma for the drive and build your dog's appetite anticipation. Then eat your burger nearby your dog letting her watch you and making her hungry. Then go run your errand in a store and give your dog the burger only (or a portion of it) to eat while you're away.

Use remote monitoring: to further kick things up a notch and know how your buddy is doing, invest in some remote monitoring gadget to watch how your dog is doing while you are in the store. This offers you the advantage of knowing when you can return. Nowadays, technology has gone a long way. There are even great cameras that allow you to talk to your dog and even deliver goodies while you are away. One such camera is the Furbo camera, which has rave reviews from many dog owners.

Consider Calming Aids. There are several calming aids on the market that can help dogs who are anxious about being left alone. Here are a few ideas:

Leave your dog with an article of clothing that smells like you (even better, a bit stinky, so check your laundry basket). Leave your clothing only if you're absolutely sure your dog doesn't ingest it or eat parts of it. 

Play some calming music when you must leave the car. There are several CDs made to calm down dogs. Through a Dog's Ear, is one of them. On top of calming dogs down, music can help buffer outside noises. 

Try a calming shirt. These are snug-fitting shirts meant to apply pressure to various pressure points, creating a sensation similar to swaddling a baby. A popular brand is Thundershirt which can also be used to treat car anxiety and separation anxiety. 

Experiment with pheromone-based aids. These are synthetic versions of special chemicals that helps calm and soothe dogs. You can find them under the form of sprays (spritz some on your dog's blanket prior to car travel) and collars. 

Consider calming supplements. Some mild cases may benefit from some calming supplements that are sold over the counter. Examples include Vetriscience Composure, NaturVet Quiet Moments and  Zesty Paws Calming Bites. 

Moderate to severe cases may require the intervention of a dog behavior professional. It goes without saying that in some cases, the anxiety be just too much and the dog may refuse food and be unable to relax no matter how hard we try. Seeking the aid of dog behavior professional such as board-certified veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) or a Certified Applied Animal Behavior Consultant (CAAB) would be important. These professionals can guide you through the correct implementation of behavior modification and may also prescribe medications to help lower your dog's threshold so that it becomes easier to work with them. 

 

[Adrienne]

Anxiety when left in the home:

The process is similar to when being left alone in the car. It uses desensitization and counterconditioning and care is needed to not allow the dog to go over threshold. 

One of the most challenging parts of separation anxiety behavior modification is that it requires management when the dogs aren't in "training." This means that to "protect" the hard work and preventing dogs from rehearsing the problem behavior absences should be avoided during the behavior modification process. In other words, if you are at the point in the process where your dog can successfully remain calm in a room for 15 minutes in your absence, you may need to hire a pet sitter or have a friend stay with your dog if you need to stay away for longer.

 Helping a dog suffering from separation anxiety is not an easy task. Many dog owners wonder how long it will take and there's no easy answer as each case is different. The more a dog has been rehearsing the problem and the more severe it is, the more work may be needed. Severe cases may require the addition of medications and the assistance of a professional as some dogs are just anxious at any time of the day on top of during owner absences.

Interactive toys, treats, food, a mat, baby gates and some technological gadgets such as remote monitoring devices and/or automatic treat dispensers are used in the exercises. Although optional, the use of these technological gadgets come extra handy considering that they allow to monitor dogs remotely so to evaluate whether it's a good time to raise criteria or whether a dog is being pushed too hard.

A safezone will also need to be established. This safezone is the dog's confinement area where the exercises will be performed. For comfort, it is best to use an area that is central to family activities such as an office, kitchen or living room. Dogs who enjoy their crate, exercise pen or playpen and love to lounge in it, can have it placed in the safezone as long as these enclosures remain open as some dogs with separation anxiety suffer from concomitant containment phobias. A safezone should be blocked out by a baby gate or in homes with open-plan layouts, a super wide gate may be needed.

 

Tier 1: Protocol For Dogs Who Follow Owners Room- to- Room

 

One thing many dogs suffering from separation anxiety share is extra clingliness, so much so, that many dog owners have started to nickname their dogs "Velcro Dogs." These dogs follow their owners from one room to another and like to sleep by their owners' feet so to be the first alerted when their owners are about to get up and walk around.

 

This component of treatment for separation anxiety in dogs needs its proper protocol since it would be non-productive starting practicing outdoor absences if these dogs aren't even able to tolerate brief absences within the home. The goal of these exercises is to gradually build on distance until the dog can be left in a room while the owner is in another.

 

On top of these exercises, it's ideal to encourage these dogs to sleep at night on their own bed or mat and sleep there as well during the day (rather than sleeping constantly on the owner's lap, glued to the owner's body or at the owner's feet).

 

Note: some dogs are particularly attached to one person. To start the exercises easily, it is best to start with the person the dog is less attached to and then progress using the person the dog is attached to.

 

Step 1:

 

The first step entails having the dog to be able to relax and cope without following their owners everywhere. These dogs need to learn to perform brief sit/stays or down/stays on a mat or other comfy place while the owner walks around, but initially remains always in the dog's sight.

 

Initially these sit/stays and down/stays should be very brief for just 1-2 seconds while the owner just takes a step or two away in various directions and then returns to reward. Criteria is then raised with the owner just walking a few steps away (3-4) and then returning to reward.

 

Gradually, distance and duration can be added, but it's important to make sure to not make increases in time and distance predictable as dogs will soon come to predict this increase in difficulty and may grow incrementally anxious. To avoid this, mix in shorter (less time) stays and closer stays (less distance) frequently. For example, 2 second stay, then 4, then 3, then five, then 1, then 4, then 6, then 2 etc or 2 steps away, then 1, then 3, then 4, then 1, etc.

 

Distractions at some point can be added as well. Clap your hands as you walk away, count to five out loud, turn your back to your dog, lift your arms, walk around your dog etc. If your dog ever breaks the stay just say a casual "oops" and send your dog back to the area where he was asked to stay. Resume the exercise, this time making it a bit less difficult before progressing to asking for more.

 

Many clingy dogs follow their owners every time they get up from sitting. If your dog gets ready to follow you every time you are sitting on a chair or couch, and you put your hand on the arm rest or put down the remote, practice sit/stays and down/stays as you repeat these actions over and over. Then increase criteria, and start to get up repeatedly from your chair/couch/. Then get up and take a few steps and may be even walk around your dog and go back to sitting.

 

These exercises should be done until fluent and the dog appears totally relaxed and no longer eager to follow. End the sessions with a jackpot of treats.

 

Step 2:

 

Gradually increase distance/duration. With longer duration, it's best to request down/stays to prevent tiring. Take more steps away (from standing or sitting) and for gradually longer times and start going out of sight.

 

Ask your dog to down/stay on a mat as you briefly get out of view behind a wall or door for a split second, then return and reward. Repeat several times as you gradually mix in shorter absences and longer absences and shorter distances with farther distances, making sure to not allow you dog to detect an incremental pattern of difficulty.

 

You can mix in brief errands too such as opening/closing a closet, grabbing a beer from the fridge or closing a window as long as they don't cause you to be out of sight for too long.

 

These exercises should be done until fluent and the dog appears totally relaxed. Always end the sessions with a jackpot of treats.

 

Step 3:

 

Increase more the distance and duration. Install a baby gate, hide several treats around the enclosed area, send your dog there and have your dog explore his new confinement area and find the goodies. Leave the baby gate open for a couple of days so that the dog can freely visit and discover goodies in there.

 

Next, practice briefs stays as you get in and out of the baby gate and return. Stay always in sight. Gradually increase the time you stay out as always mixing in briefer stays with longer ones, but not more than a minute in length.

 

At some point, get out of the baby gate and start preparing a stuffed Kong that can be easily unstuffed in just a minute or so. Place the stuffed Kong behind the baby gate where your dog can see it and smell it and cannot get it. Your dog should try to get the Kong. Wait for a little bit of frustration to set in such as your dog trying to paw it or whine. Grab the Kong and give it to your dog as you remain in view at a distance behind the baby gate for 1 minute. Return inside.

 

Repeat, reloading the Kong again making it more challenging to unstuff and then less challenging, so that you can increase the the time you stay out as always mixing in briefer stays with longer ones. Try to return when you know your dog is just about to finish unstuffing his Kong.

 

Step 4:

 

Start incorporating the treasure hunt game, using a portion of your dog's meals as outlined in the course. Have your dog sit/stay or down/stay as you get a portion of your dog's meal allowance and hide the kibble around. Have your dog watch you in anticipation and then as you leave the room and release your dog. Allow your dog to hunt as you are briefly out of sight.

 

Return and repeat the exercise hiding the remaining portion of your dog's meal allowance and leaving as your dog goes on his hunt. As always, gradually increase the time you stay out of sight, mixing in briefer stays with longer ones, but not more than a minute in length.

 

Alternatively, in lieu of the treasure hunt game, you can stuff a slow food dispenser such as a Kong Wobbler, Buster Cube or regular Kong with the kibble and let your dog work on it while you are away.

 

At some point, start delaying your returns a bit so that your dog has finished hunting or eating from the Kong but doesn't appear to anxious about running out of food and being alone.

Tier 2: Protocol for Uncoupling Pre-Departure Cues

Dogs are masters in reading body language and learning all the cues that culminate into our departures. It's therefore not surprising when they start acting nervous when dog owners get up, have breakfast, and then put on makeup, shave, brush hair, put shoes on and grab the keys. These are all pre-departure cues that put dogs on high alarm, as these cues have been chained one to another and associated with departures.

 

Uncoupling these associations requires some work. The work encompasses desensitizing to the pre-departure cues and breaking up their associations with the departures. These exercises are done when not leaving the home. Make sure that you therefore have time set aside for this.

 

To start, compile a list of behaviors you perform normally when going to work or head out and identify the ones your dog seems to react to. Then, place them in order chronologically, starting with the one that is farthest away from leaving the house.

 

You will then work on exposing your dog to these behaviors starting with the first and then chaining them one by one until the dog becomes uninterested in them as they lose value due to them no longer leading to departures. For instance, if your list looks something like this: put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys and walk out the door, your exercises will look something like this: (please note, sit on the couch/watch TV is an example, you can do many other things that your dog associates with you being home like knitting, washing the dishes etc.)

 

Put on shoes, sit on the couch, watch TV (when you sit down and watch TV or read a book or go prepare a meal, do so for a few minutes each time)

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, sit on the couch, watch TV

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on the couch, watch TV

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, sit on the couch, watch TV

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door slightly, close door, sit on the couch watch TV

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, then back in, close door, return, sit on the couch watch TV

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on couch, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door (with you outside), quickly reopen door, close door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV.

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on couch, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door (with you outside), lock the door, unlock the door, return, sit on couch watch TV.

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door (with you outside), and increase duration of staying outside gradually, but for no more than half a minute (always mixing in shorter absences in the midst of longer ones), then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV.

 

Note: If your dog seems upset by any of these behaviors, you may need to split them further. For example, if your dog is doing well up until you start opening the door (like you catch your dog whining), then, you may want to split the action of walking to the door in further segments (e.g take a few steps towards the door, return, sit on couch, then, walk to the door and stand in front of it, return, sit on the couch, then, walk to the door and touch the knob for a split second, return, sit on the couch, then walk to the door and open the door a bit for a split second, return, sit on the couch. Do this until the door can be successfully opened without the dog worrying about it.

 

Tier 3: Exercises by the Door

 

Monitor your dog for signs of distress

These exercises are more difficult, and therefore, require dogs to be very well proficient at the previous tier level. Dogs should therefore have reached a point where they are fine with being left alone for up to half a minute as the owner stands behind the closed door.

 

Because these absences are longer and more distractions are added (car engine starting), it helps to provide some high-value long-lasting goodies for the dog to consume such as a strategically stuffed Kong with layers (e.g a layer of cookies stuck at the bottom, kibble mixed with peanut butter, a cookie stuck midway, canned food, another cookie at the top). For longer absences, on top of a Kong, an automatic treat-dispenser set to release treats at frequent intervals can turn helpful.

 

When providing goodies to consume for these absences, it's important to provide them as well while you are at home to prevent them from turning into a pre-departure cue signaling to your dog you are about to leave.

 

At this point, it may also be important to use some form of remote monitoring so to assess how the dog is doing and keep tabs on progress and/or setbacks. Body language should be carefully assessed. Anytime a setback is noticed, it means that one must work more on a lower level until the dog is perfectly comfortable with that level.

 

For example, if the dog becomes anxious upon being left alone for 8 minutes, more time should be spent practicing at lower times. Increments should be done in seconds rather then chunks of minutes always mixing in briefer times to make the exercises as variable as possible. Build the time gradually up to 30 minutes if possible.

 

Arrivals should always be no big deal. Ignore your dog as you walk in and just go straight to the couch.

 

Example of exercises:

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV.

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, spend a bit of time in the car, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV.

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, move the car a bit ahead and then back into parking space, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV.

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, drive the car around the block and then back into parking space, then unlock the door return, sit on the couch watch TV and so forth. Gradually increase more time spent away, mixing in shorter absences.

 

A Word About Treatment For Separation in Anxiety in Dogs

It's important to consider that slow and steady wins the race in behavior modification. It will take time, commitment and determination to attain results. The goal is to get a dog to be calm and reward that. Setbacks are always possible during behavior modification no matter how well planned the program. To reduce the chances of setbacks, it is best to perform separation anxiety exercises with the help of a professional for in-person evaluations and coaching. Once the dog appears calm in the safezone, it's time to generalize the behavior and practice in other areas of the house and with other family members.

Finally, remember that separation anxiety is often misdiagnosed and there can be other issues at play. Just to have an idea google " dog separation anxiety the great imitator," and you'll find an article divided in 4 parts written by a veterinary behaviorist and doing an in-depth list of potential differentials. 

Jack Russell in general can be very destructive when left home alone, so it would be equally important ensuring she has a lot of mental stimulation during the day through brain games (like the treasure hunt game, bottle game), food puzzles  and clicker training if she's not scared of the clicker. 

I hope this helps,

Please let me know if you have any other questions,

Best,

Adrienne 

[SusanGleiner]

I take her for car rides every day

[SusanGleiner]

Thank you for sending such a detailed plan. It looks like I have my work cut out! I’ll try to let you know how things are going.

susan

[Adrienne]

You are very welcome. Keep me posted on how things and go.

I am always here if you have any questions or need any further assistance. 

Best,

Adrienne