Introduction
separation anxiety is the set of behaviors exhibited by dogs when they are left alone, being one of the most common behavioral problems in dogs. The owners often refer to these animals as "bitter", "upset," "angry," acting with "spite", "reluctantly", but this type of explanation has no ethological basis. As a result, end up punishing incorrectly animals and helping to maintain or increase the frequency of the behavior. The more accurate would describe this kind of disturbed behavior as a result of a stress response by the separation of the person or persons with whom the animal is connected or attached. The attachment behavior is essential for the survival of social animals. It is a mechanism of social coalition. From birth the cub way links with the mother and the brothers of the litter. Later, with the beginning of the socialization period (2-4 months), the puppy will turn to his brothers and other adult dogs. With the dog it may include other species with which it has contact in this period. The socialization period determines the type of social relationship that will establish an animal as well as the processes of communication, coordination, hierarchy and the type of relationship they have with their owner. The link requires a relationship of trust and is the foundation of the bond between owner and pet. However, when a dog is too dependent on its owner may develop behavioral changes associated with separation. They can be observed: defecation and urination in inappropriate locations, destructive behavior (digging, scratching, biting personal effects, furniture, walls, doors and windows), excessive vocalization (barking, howling and whining), depression, anorexia and adipsia and hyperactivity. But it must be clear that only the lifting of the behavioral history and the context in which these behaviors occur can determine a diagnosis of separation anxiety.
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Fear: feeling of apprehension associated with the presence or proximity of an object, individual or social risk situation. Fear is part of the normal behavior and can be an adaptive response. The determination of the extent to which fear or fear responses are abnormal or inappropriate must be made by the context in which they occur. The normal or abnormal fear are usually graded events, with intensity proportional response to proximity or perception of the stimulus proximity. Anxiety: a sudden response, all or nothing, deep abnormal, resulting in extreme fear behavior (catatonia, panic). Many fear reactions are learned and can be unlearned with gradual exposure. Phobias are defined as fear reactions developed quickly and deeply and are not terminated by gradual exposure. Once the event has been experienced phobic any event associated with it memory or this is sufficient to generate the response. Anxiety: an apprehensive anticipation of future danger or misfortune accompanied by a feeling of dysphoria or somatic symptoms of tension (vigilance and attention, autonomic hyperactivity, physiological manifestations, increased motor activity and voltage)
Origin and Diagnosis
The main feature is the separation anxiety that undesirable behaviors are clearly related to the absence of one or all members of the family. It occurs when the animal can not have access to the owner. Even if the animal is in the company of other people or animals, the behavior may come to manifest to be associated with the absence of a particular person with whom the animal has a "very strong bond." One should strive to make the differential diagnosis with other behavioral and pathological disorders. This requires obtain detailed behavioral history of the owner. The behavior of whining, barking and howling in the puppy can be considered normal and is the result of separation from the mother, with a view to meeting. When it does not, the puppy is depressed, quiet and motionless until the return of the mother. In the case of adult dogs this behavior may be repeated, but they are considered disorders due to the consequences. Dogs with separation anxiety are often obedient and well-trained when they are in the owner company. The separation anxiety is then considered as the result of a stress by the absence of the owner. traumatic events in the life of a young dog can increase the likelihood of developing separation anxiety. These events include: premature separation from the mother, premature withdrawal ties with litter (puppy dogs kept in stores or animal shelters), an environmental sudden change (new home, stay in a kennel), a change in lifestyle owner, resulting in a sudden end in constant contact with the animal, an absence of long-term or permanent family member (divorce, death, children who grow up and leave home, back to school or work, vacation ending ) or the addition of a new family member (newborn baby, new social relationships or new pet). The problem may also be the result of prolonged or traumatic stay in the home of a relative or friend in a kennel or hotel. Separation anxiety may still be associated with a traumatic event that may have occurred during the absence of the owner (explosions, storm, violent assaults). There is no sex predisposition or race. stray dogs collected in adoption kennels are predisposed to separation anxiety. Dogs predisposed to separation anxiety are anxious, agitated and super active. Here the owner everywhere, jump on him and run without stopping.
Many dogs can sense when their owner is about to leave home and become anxious even before his departure. While the owner prepares to leave, the dog shows signs of:
Increased activity, whine, whine, requesting attention, jump and follow the owner wherever he goes, shaking or even gets aggressive when the owner tries to depart; in this case the dominance of assault should be investigated;
Depression is stopped, lying motionless when the owner calls or try to get it out of place.
After a variable time the owner out, the dogs:
Scratch, they dig and chew the doors and windows in an attempt to follow their owner;
Chew, scratch and dig household or personal items (books, furniture, wires, walls, clothes);
Uurinam and defecate in unacceptable locations such as at the door or in the owner's bed and vocalize (whine, bark and howl without stopping);
Become depressed and not eat or drink while the owner is not around. This is especially detrimental if the owner be gone for an extended period;
Drooling, tremor, dyspnea, tachycardia, diarrhea, vomiting or self-mutilation (biting and licking paws and other parts of his body).
Most affected dogs is super excited when the owner returns, greeting their owner more warmly than usual. When the owner returned, the dog usually becomes extremely active and exaggerates his greetings to the arrival of the owner.
If the problem is recent and the animal is not extremely anxious temperament, the prognosis is favorable. Already in the earliest cases of anxiety, or where there is an association with panic behavior, the prognosis is poor.
Differential diagnosis
A dog with destructive behavior should receive a differential diagnosis. We must collect behavioral history, the focus of the behavior, the context and the circumstances in which the behavior occurred. They should be characterized the social and physical environment and daily routine (food, hygiene, play, exercise, sleep). The behavioral history will also tell how was the process of education and training, including the way it was carried out training for the eliminations and how the punishments were applied. It should characterize the routine of the inhabitants of the house and how interactions occur, including sociogram. The differential diagnosis should be made according to the displayed behavior: 1. behavior associated with disposal: Lack of or poor education for disposal. Lack of opportunity to defecate and urinate in an appropriate place fear or excitement submission, greeting and marking Pathologies (cystitis, prostatitis, gastroenteritis). Older dogs Aggressiveness by dominance or territorial 2. Destructive behavior playful or exploratory behavior puppy chewing fear response reaction to excitatory stimuli Super activity Aggressiveness by dominance or territorial vocalization 3. Reaction to excitatory stimuli (sound) social facilitation Playful Aggression fear Answers laboratory tests should include urinalysis, fecal, blood tests, serology and thyroid hormones and adrenal gland (Cushing), depending on the history and clinical symptoms associated. You need to research symptoms of pain. For dogs over 8 years colonoscopy is indicated depending on the symptoms. In cases involving animals over eight years, the pathological processes may be associated with cognitive dysfunction geriatric canine. This condition determines comparable injury to human Alzheimer's disease, but the cause has not been established. Its manifestations include, besides the behavior of separation anxiety, decreased obedience commands, irritability, confusion, loss of conditioning associated with deletions, and changes in sleep patterns.
Intervention
Before starting any behavioral intervention protocol is necessary to guide the owner in how the canine learning occurs. The knowledge we have of the animal cognitive process is the result of experimental analysis of behavior and establish functional relationships between lifestyle factors and environmental and endogenous variables. So when you look at the behavior of an animal, one must understand that it was the result of the interaction of these variables.
If a particular animal has separation anxiety, what is implied is the result of the relationship of the absence of the owner, the resulting behavior and consequent stimuli (conditioning). The behavior was therefore strengthened. Then you need to identify what are the reinforcing stimuli. In the case of separation anxiety identify antecedent stimuli (signals output from the owner) responses (after a certain time of the departure, the dog exhibits inappropriate behaviors such as destruction, inappropriate elimination, vocalization, etc.) and the owner will return stimuli consequential (give food to pet), responsible for the future probability of issuing such responses. Importantly, whatever the behavior of the owner, if the unwanted behavior persists or increase in frequency, this stimulus is called positive reinforcement.
The owner should be warned that, once started the behavioral modification protocol, it must be programmed and determine to follow him step by step, avoiding any failure procedure. Part of the intervention includes the termination of unwanted behavior, ie there should be more positive reinforcement presentation after the issuance of previously conditioned behavior. If the owner fails may be the return of behavior and this time even harder to be terminated or modified. On the other hand, there may be consequential stimulus to own behavior, then we will say that they are self-reinforcing stimuli. With this in mind we must ensure that the animal has access only to its own objects, toys and bones. He should have more access to personal belongings or furniture. If necessary, you can put a plastic sheet on the walls to prevent it from the cavouque.
The principle underlying all intervention technique for phobias, fears and anxieties is to allow an animal to experience situations that elicitem fear and anxiety without becoming anxious or afraid. For this we need to identify what are these stimuli. Methods for treating separation anxiety include: change in the relationship between owner and his pet, exercise, training for obedience, change the background stimuli and consequences, prevention, and antianxiety medications.
The success of separation anxiety management includes teaching the dog to tolerate the absence of the owner and correct problems associated with destroying, vocalize, and eliminate in inappropriate places. The dog will have to adapt gradually to get only through a small exhibition matches. If the answer anxious happen soon after the departure of the owner (within 30 minutes), the dog must remain alone, in principle, for a very short intervals (5 minutes) to ensure the success of the intervention. The period of absence is then gradually increased. The owner should avoid interaction while the animal presents anxious behaviors. Must ensure that the dog does not deal with extended greetings on the owner's return, gratifying or rewarding the animal only when it is quiet and calm. The intervention can be started with the desensitization to the tracks or signals that indicate the dog leaving the owner. The animal must remain calm while the owner moves. The clues before the dog informed future output (discriminative stimulus background) will be exposed to the dog, but should not be completed with the actual output of the owner. It also can make the counter conditioning, for it trains the dog to remain seated and quiet while the owner moves, moves away more and more until you get near the door. Later this workout is done with absences will be gradually increased. The owner is absent for progressively longer times, but non-linear (2, 5, 3, 6, 4, 8 minutes), and returns before the dog manifest anxious behaviors. Departures and returns should avoid over stimulating the dog. The dog should not receive gratification or attention to the departures and arrivals. previous excessive attention at departure and return seems to increase the separation anxiety. You can condition the animal to associate the owner departure with a short and safe return. The TV or radio can remain connected or a suitable toy can be given to the dog. However, it is very important that the track is not an article associated with anxiety. These suggestions help the dog positively associate the isolation period. Once started the intervention, the dog can not be alone no more than the stipulated time. It is important to identify if there is panic associated component; if so, it should treat the condition because the panic is associated with specific stimuli and the absence of the owner is just the key where part of the problem.
antianxiety medications help suppress separation anxiety. Are often used in dogs with severe separation anxiety or when owners have to leave the dog alone for a long period while the intervention is underway. In most cases, drugs are not a solution and should be used in combination with behavioral modification program. The choice of medication should take into account the fact that these diminish learning ability and that its effect varies with the individual. Ideally, anxiolytics are given to the animal while the owner is at home, to determine the duration and the possible side effects. If side effects are not observed, the drug must be given an hour before the owner output. A dose reduction should be gradual, according to the evaluation of the success of behavioral modification program. The main drugs used are tricyclic antidepressants, progestins, barbiturates, phenothiazines and benzodiazepines. The objective is to reduce anxiety without inducing sedation, which could interfere with the learning. Also one must consider the clinical status of the animals prior to administering the medicine and side effects.
In severe cases the owner may also have to run a dog dependence of desensitization program to a person, avoiding prolonged contact, preventing the animal to sleep in the same room or in the same bed with the owner. Ignore the dog for a period of time not break the emotional bond with the owner, but will decrease the extreme dependence of the dog, allowing it to tolerate its absence without anxiety. Ignore a pet can be difficult for the owner, but it is important that he understands that this will result in a much healthier and happier relationship for both.
Punishment or corporal punishment only worsen anxiety, so they are not recommended as a treatment. Punishment is a procedure that aims to quickly suppress the frequency of a behavior through an aversive control. Rarely the procedure is applied to planning and knowledge. People confuse punishment with "punishment", and the punishment applied often only serves to relieve the anger of the owner against a dog that did something inappropriate. As a result there is the development of respondents behaviors (fear / aggression) before the punisher. The use of punishment as aversive stimulus should be done with planning, so that the punishment is applied immediately after the occurrence of the behavior to be deleted, which is difficult because, in the case of separation anxiety, such behaviors occur only in the absence of owner.
Prevention
When the owner starts a relationship with your pet in a very intense way, affectionate, loving and long, but know that this availability will change, should gradually prepare the dog to these changes, thus avoiding separation anxiety. If a puppy or new dog is brought home, it is important to avoid situations that encourage excessive attachment. The dog should be accustomed slowly getting. This can be accomplished through the "training cage" (appendix 1). This type of exercise is especially useful when you know that the owner will be absent for long periods. Another guideline should alert the owner to keep the dog follow constantly adjusting it gradually only be home for a long period. behavior should be avoided stimulate and reinforce to play with other objects that do not appropriate toys.
All behaviors that excessively stimulate the dog should be avoided. All behavior to get attention or to request things from the owner should not receive attention. The quiet and silent behavior should be strengthened. After 5 months old dog can be taught to sit, stand and wait. If the dog starts to bite inadequate objects, the owner should avoid interaction, but if absolutely necessary should be used a spray of water immediately while the animal bites the object (aversive stimulus).
Daily exercise (walking), should last at least 20 minutes and offers the opportunity of interaction quiet, calm, patient and therefore rewarding. The tour also allows the opportunity to teach the dog to sit, stay and wait.
Cage training for puppies from 45 days of age
Use a cage or a carrying case with enough room for the puppy to get around. Accustom the puppy to stay, sleep or play in this space without closing the small door. After a week start training, leaving the puppy for a short time, closed the house without eye contact with you.
After the time being the puppy calm and relaxed, open the door and interact with the dog calmly. Go gradually increasing the length of time in which the animal is closed inside the house to reach 1.5 hours.