Barking when left alone

[JIM STEFELY]

I have a 6 year old Australian Shepard mix.  He is very well behaved on and off leash. We're retired so he is with me or my wife most of the time.  We also have a terrier mix. When left alone he is not destructive in any way.  The issue we're having is when left alone he barks a lot.  I have set up a pet cam to see what is triggering the barking, but can't seem to determine the trigger. I'm guessing any noise he hears.    I have tried isolating him and the terrier in a room together with the windows closed (he can't see out the window)  doesn't seem to help. It doesn't seem to matter if he's tired from exercise or not.  The longest period of time I've observed him being quiet is maybe 5 minutes.  He doesn't seem to be agitated at all and generally lays down between barking sessions.   

He also barks in the truck if one of us is not with him (which is rare), so my thought is it's separation anxiety. 

Any suggestions?

 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there, welcome to the forums!

So sorry to hear that your dog barking when left alone. I have a few questions to further understand the situation. Separation anxiety shows many signs in common with other forms of barking. Differentiating them is not always easy. I know you said that he barks when left alone in the car, but many dogs bark in that circumstance too, but don't suffer from separation anxiety when left alone at home. 

1) Just to clarify, it's the Australian shepherd mix that is exhibiting signs of separation anxiety? 

2) How long have you had him and has he always behaved this way? Is this a new behavior?

3) If this is a new behavior, have there been any recent changes in his life? (recent moves, new baby, loss of pets, medical issues)

4) Does he tend to act clingy around the home, following you around or following other family members around?

5) Does he show signs of getting nervous as you get ready to head outside? Like when you put on a jacket, tie shoes, grab the car keys?

6) Does he engage in overly enthusiastic greetings upon coming back home?

7) Based on your recordings, would you say that the barking is continuous without any breaks? Or does he bark, then naps and then maybe barks 2-3 times and goes back to napping, repeating over and over several times? I know you said that, based on the recordings, he's only quiet for 5 minutes, but you also said he lies down between barking sessions, so if you are out for say an hour and he's only quiet 5 minutes, does that mean he's barking for a whole 55 minutes?

8 Any drooling, pacing, panting? Does he have any accidents in the home when alone?

9) Does your recording pick up any noises that he may be reacting to?

10) When he lies down does he ever get to really nap? or shows signs of trying to nap? Does he try to nap and then his ears orient towards something and he quickly gets up and barks?

11) Does he take any food while he's alone? Like if you leave him with something durable to chew, is he able to enjoy that?

12) Is he reactive towards noises/any noise phobias?

13) Do you live in a tight-knit neighborhood? Has anybody ever complained about the barking?

Thanks!

[JIM STEFELY]

1) Just to clarify, it's the Australian shepherd mix that is exhibiting signs of separation anxiety? 

    It is the Australian Shepard Mix that does the barking.  We tried leaving the terrier alone while he barked it wasn't very often. 

2) How long have you had him and has he always behaved this way? Is this a new behavior?

   We have had him for 3 years.   It is unclear how new this behavior is.   A neighbor pointed out he was barking a lot when we went on vacation and he was left here with a house sitter, which is why we got the pet cam.  The  house sitter stayed overnight and was gone a few hours a day.   We did leave him at a day care for a day to see how he would react in case we needed to leave him there when we went on vacation.  He barked the entire time he was there we were told (6 hours). He was kept in an open area with a number of other dogs. He wasn't barking at the dogs, just barking. 

3) If this is a new behavior, have there been any recent changes in his life? (recent moves, new baby, loss of pets, medical issues)

  No recent changes, I suppose it it possible that leaving him at the day care triggered something, but there is no way to know. 

4) Does he tend to act clingy around the home, following you around or following other family members around?

 He is not clingy around the house. 

5) Does he show signs of getting nervous as you get ready to head outside? Like when you put on a jacket, tie shoes, grab the car keys?

No, he can tell when we are getting ready to take him some where or leave him at home.  He gets excited when he knows he coming with us, runs to the door, gets animated etc.   When he know he's staying he's calm, lays on the couch or the bed.   

6) Does he engage in overly enthusiastic greetings upon coming back home?

Glad to see us but not overly enthusiastic.  

7) Based on your recordings, would you say that the barking is continuous without any breaks? Or does he bark, then naps and then maybe barks 2-3 times and goes back to napping, repeating over and over several times? I know you said that, based on the recordings, he's only quiet for 5 minutes, but you also said he lies down between barking sessions, so if you are out for say an hour and he's only quiet 5 minutes, does that mean he's barking for a whole 55 minutes?

Barks then naps then barks.  Repeating several times.   The longest quiet period has been about 5 minutes, then barking 2 or 3 times. Then repeats.

8) Any drooling, pacing, panting? Does he have any accidents in the home when alone?

No drooling, pacing, panting, has never had an accident in the home.

9) Does your recording pick up any noises that he may be reacting to?

The recording has picked up any noises.  When  he had the run of the house, he would lie on the bed looking out the front window and fall asleep. He would then bark at something  he  either heard or saw outside.  We then closed him in a room that has windows he can't see out of, with the windows closed  and a baby gate across the doorway.    From the recordings he I believe he is reacting to something he hears.  We've tried leaving the radio, doesn't seem to help.

10) When he lies down does he ever get to really nap? or shows signs of trying to nap? Does he try to nap and then his ears orient towards something and he quickly gets up and barks?

He does seem to nap then reacts to something gets up and barks, sometimes he doesn't get up and just barks.

11) Does he take any food while he's alone? Like if you leave him with something durable to chew, is he able to enjoy that?

We have not left him with food, other than giving him a few treats when we leave, which he willing takes. We have left him with water, which he doesn't drink.  He's thirsty when we get home and usually drinks water as soon as we get home. When we left him at the day care I mentioned above, he did not drink all day and was absolutely parched. Drank a lot as soon as he got home. 

12) Is he reactive towards noises/any noise phobias?

No, he'll bark at sudden noises, but no noises phobias.

13) Do you live in a tight-knit neighborhood? Has anybody ever complained about the barking?

No one has complained. Neighbor across the street mentioned it in passing when we got home from vacation.

I believe he is reacting to the normal noises he hears when we are with him.  If we are here, he doesn't react to them.  He only reacts to them when we're gone. He's not destructive or exhibiting any other forms of anxiety that  I can see when we are not here.  

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

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

 

There has been a lot of discussion about separation anxiety among vets and behavior professionals, and the conclusion is that, it is now more accurate to use the term "separation related problems" considering that there can be various forms. 

 

For example, in isolation distress, the dog struggles being left alone, but the company of any human will alleviate their stress (making doggy daycare a sensible option), whereas, in dogs with "true separation anxiety" the affected dogs are described as being panic-stricken upon being separated from a particular person (or dog) often requiring months or even years of behavior modification along with the use of medications.

 

Then, you may have cases where the dog barks for several minutes or maybe howls upon being left alone, but then settles and even naps, which may be classified as a case of "non true separation anxiety" although there may be a few minutes of mild initial distress. My Rottweiler Petra was this way, recordings showed her howling the first few minutes, then laying down and napping. 

 

Based on what you have described, it sounds like your Aussie may be displaying signs of mild anxiety (you mention he is able to nap) possibly due to noises/sounds but also intermixed with the fact of being alone.

 

Some key elements of the "true, full force separation anxiety" are missing (destruction, salivation, having accidents around the house), however this doesn't mean he isn't suffering, nonetheless. 

 

Some dogs do fine with noises sounds when we are home with them, but then when left alone they feel more anxious about them without our reassuring presence (lack of social support). So I would say this sounds like a reaction to noises issues, aggravated by the fact he is left alone, so there is likely some separation-related problem intertwined.

 

It goes without saying, that steps must be taken to prevent this from aggravating and morphing into more prominent signs. As dogs react, they become hypervigilant and as time goes by, they may react earlier and more intensely, with possibly other signs developing.

 

It is also true that sometimes in dogs being anxious when separated from their caregivers, they may manifest their distress in uncharacteristic ways. For example, some rather than pacing and becoming destructive, fall into a semi-depressive state. Help is often not sought because they don't wreck much havoc as other dogs do. Yet, these dogs are also suffering, albeit in silence. 

 

In this case, it can help to take a multi-pronged approach so to cover multiple basis, so here are some tips.

 

-Ensure your dog gets enough mental stimulation on top of exercise. I know you mentioned that whether he has exercised or not doesn't matter, but mental stimulation is often the missing link that can make a difference. Aussies are herders and they thrive on having a "job' and this includes keeping that brain busy, on top of the body.

 

Therefore, after having drained a dog's energy, allow some 20-30 minutes of "cool down" prior to departure (no play, training, walks, or direct interactions) and then, 5 minutes prior, you can  leave some "safe" puzzle toys around so that the dog can keep occupied rather than thinking about barking.

 

A good level of improvement can be attained by stuffing Kongs with the dog's meals in strategic ways so that the dogs would spend time getting all the goodies out.

 

A Kong Wobbler is a great food dispensing toy that can be used to feed bored and lonely dogs. This toy has a small hole in it and dogs will have to push the toy around to let the kibble fall out. I like to add in a few pieces of cookies so that that kibble doesn't come out too readily which makes it a longer-lasting toy.

 

I also like to hide kibble/treats around the home in some hard-to-find places before leaving so to trigger a fun treasure hunting game. I have the dog hold a stay as I place them in various areas, and then tell them to go as I exit the door. I start this with brief absences, then increase, but practice with some shorter absences mixed in the between so that the dog doesn't detect an increase in difficulty.  

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

 

Many dog owners complain about their dogs finishing their food puzzles rather quickly. A solution to this may be freezing the dogs' Kongs with goodies that require repeated licking in order to melt. For example, you can soak some kibble, mix it with canned dog food or some peanut butter and the stuff that in a Kong and freeze it. Some dog owners have had success by investing in automated food dispensers that come with a timer so to dispense at regular intervals.

 

Now, not all dogs will eat food when left alone if they are anxious. It sounds like yours takes the treats, so that's a a good sign. You can therefore try to experiment by leaving some long-lasting goodies/food puzzles and see if there is any improvement. I would keep the initial departures very brief and record and watch it live to gauge how things are going.

 

If you can watch remotely, you want to strategically plan your return just *before* he's almost done so that he doesn't have time to start barking and you won't return when he's barking as he may come to associate his barking with you returning.

 

The goal is to never let them experience full levels of intensity of anxiety when we are away. We want them always under threshold so that they can develop coping mechanisms. 

 

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

 

Another important thing to consider is giving these food puzzles as well every now and then when you are home, otherwise, you risk creating a pattern where he'll learn that leaving food puzzles are a cue that you are about to leave. It doesn't appear though that any of you pre-departure cues (like putting on shoes, getting car keys) are particularly  worrying him at the moment, but it's good to still practice caution, just in case he's just suffering in silence when he lays down on the bed/couch. 

 

-Use of background noise. I know you tried the radio, but it may be worthy trying to experiment a little more, and possibly in conjunction with leaving some goodies. Here's the thing: A high incidence of noise phobias have been found in studies to occur concomitant with cases of separation related problems. 

 

So possibly try experimenting playing some calming CDs for dogs (such as Through a Dog's Ear) or YouTube music videos specifically made for calming dogs or keeping on some white-noise producing machine or white noise channel on You Tube. You may need to work on adjusting the volume strategically so that it's just enough loud to override any outside disturbances. Other ways to drown noises is picking a room to keep him that is farthest from the busiest road, keeping in a dog-safe basement (away from antifreeze or other chemicals), making sure all windows in the home are closed to buffer sounds. 

 

-Technological help. Nowadays there are also great gadgets that can further help. For example, the Furbo Camera allows us to watch the dog remotely, panning so to offer 360 degree views, and also  allows us to talk to the dog and toss treats.

 

The Manner's Minder Treat dispenser has a function that delivers treats after the dog had been quiet for some time to reinforcer quiet. There's a down side for this though, that is worthy of mentioning: it can keep dogs more awake in expectation of random food being tossed here and there. So since your dog has shown a tendency to eventually nap (or at least try to), this may be too much for him,  so this may work better with dogs with more severe cases of anxiety where they are panting and pacing and not napping at all. 

 

-Try calming aids: There are several calming aids for dogs who have a tendency to be anxious or fearful and bark as a consequence. Several are available in pet stores or online.

 

For example, pheromone-based plug-ins such as Adaptil can provide a calming effect on dogs. There are also several calming supplements over the counter such as (Zylkene or Composure) that may help. It may be worthy of discussing this with the vet. 

 

Several cases of separation related problems may require prescription medications along with behavior modification. If one rarely goes out, vets can prescribe "situational meds" which can help lower a dog's threshold for those occasional outings. You can show your vet the most recent recording of how your Aussie mix is acting when left alone and then at the vet's discretion he may suggest whether he/she feels he may benefit from this.  He may not if he's relaxed enough to be able to actually nap.

 

-Desensitization and Counterconditioning

 

Fear or anxiety-based barking may require the intervention of a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation. This requires that anxiety-triggering stimuli are identified so that dog owners can reproduce them (by recording them and replaying them) following an intensity gradient that can be controlled (starting at low volume, then gradually higher).

 

Prior to initiating the process though it's important that, exposure should be avoided or at least the stimulus is reduced in intensity so to prevent rehearsal of the problem behavior. If you can identify noises that he finds troublesome when left alone, you can see if you can create more positive associations through the 'hear that method" in your presence and then work on this remotely (with you in another room using a remote treat dispenser that you can control). Here's the guide: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/

 

The goal is to create so many positive associations, so that, that time he's left alone, he doesn't mind it too much because it has assumed a strong history of positive associations. 

 

-Consider possible sounds when absent. Sometimes, when we leave the home, there may be sounds we aren't aware of. Like our phone may ring, a smoke alarm battery may cause annoying beeping, somebody may ring our bell and this may trigger barking as they're used to us attending to these things. 

 

-Rule out medical issues. Sometimes as dogs get older, their senses decline (vision, hearing) or they may have joint pain, and this makes them more insecure when left alone. I have heard of an older dog who once put on pain relievers for her arthritis, she stopped getting anxious when alone. Also, some dogs with skin issues may too, be more anxious. So it's always good to ensure all is well in the health department and vet can also help in the "diagnosis of separation-related problems, if present. 

 

Something to keep in mind is that, behaviors that are triggered by underlying strong anxiety of being alone can take months, years, and in some cases a lifetime of careful management/behavior modification, whereas if the root cause lies elsewhere (like just reacting to random noises, having pain) progress can occur in just weeks/months.  

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions. Keep us posted on how things go!