Separation Anxiety – Q&A with Kim Grundy MSc

Separation Anxiety is a term we hear quite frequently in the dog world. In most basic terms it refers to dogs who do not cope very well when left alone. Of course, it is a lot more complex than that.

Dog guardians can find that living with a dog with Separation Anxiety can impact on every aspect of their lives. Thankfully, there is specialist help available. In this blog, Kim Grundy from Pooches Galore has kindly agreed to answer some questions, bust some myths and tell us a little bit more about her work in this area.

Kim is a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Dog Training Instructor with experience in all areas of canine behaviour and training. Along with her many years experience, Kim is highly qualified having gained a MSc Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare (Distinction). This is one of two Masters degrees that Kim has under her belt – she also has a MSc Psychology. While Kim’s experience spans all areas of canine behaviour, she has a real passion for helping dogs and their guardians dealing with Separation Anxiety. Kim is a professional member of APBC, FABC, ABTC (ATI and CAB) and APDT. Kim lives in Yorkshire with her family and two dogs, Stanley the Slovakian rough-haired pointer and Millie the Cocker Spaniel.

Separation Anxiety – Q&A with Kim Grundy MSc

As the expert, how would you define Separation Anxiety? Is it different to a dog that prefers just to always be by your side?

Separation anxiety is different to having a dog that follows you around, what we affectionally call a Velcro dog.

When a dog experiences separation anxiety they are panicking that they are alone. The dog cannot understand that you have just gone and are going to come back (something called object permeance – we understand that when we can’t see someone, they still exist but we don’t think dogs understand this). They might also follow their owner around, but this is just the security that they are not going to be left. However, in separation anxiety it is the equivalent of a panic attack in a human due to the fear of being alone. The severity of the panic attack might vary but the physiological basics are the same.

What kind of behaviours do you generally see from dogs struggling with SA?

There are several typical behaviours that we see with separation related distress, some are related to getting you to come home or getting back to you: barking, whining and howling are the ones people are probably most familiar with (often because they are the most obvious or most problematic). We may also see attempts to escape, shown through damage around doors and windows or they have tried to break out of their crate.

Others are due to the stress that the dog is feeling. Often dogs will be left with a chew or a stuffed kong and they won’t touch it until their human is back. We might see inappropriate toileting in the home or even vomiting.

The way I think of it is that any behaviour the dog displays when they are alone that they would never display when the owner is present could demonstrate separation anxiety. So, if a dog isn’t fully housetrained then them toileting in the house isn’t indicative of separation anxiety. But if they are fully house trained and will happily toilet in the garden but when you are out, they toilet in the house then this is something that should be looked at.

What is the first thing you suggest when someone contacts you for help with their dog?

Whenever we are working with a behavioural problem the dog has to have a vet check to ensure there are no underlying medical conditions that are causing the problem. The vet then refers them to us if they are happy that there is nothing there.

The next thing really is to build a village around the dog to ensure the dog is never left for longer than they are able to cope with – this might be a mix of friends, family, dog walkers, day care and borrow my doggy.

What is the silliest piece of advice you’ve heard in relation to SA?

Just leave them to cry it out and they will learn to be ok home alone. We call this flooding, and it is not used with humans as it is psychologically damaging. Your dog is panicking, leaving them alone to panic is going to exacerbate the problem, break the bond between you and your dog and potentially cause long term problems with their mental and physical health.

Is there one success story you’re particularly proud to have been involved in?

I’m proud of so many of my clients because I know what dedication is involved to turn a dog around. Some dogs that I work with can’t even be left when there is one member of the house with them, watching them feel settled home alone makes it all worthwhile.

Will crate training from puppyhood prevent SA?

No unfortunately crate training alone won’t prevent separation anxiety, the best thing to do is to teach your dog to be alone, whether this is in a crate or not.

There is also a school of thought that putting a dog into a crate will magically fix the separation anxiety – I wish this was true as it would make my job so much easier. Unfortunately, what we find is confining dogs often makes the problem worse and by allowing dogs to have a bit more space they can find where they want to settle.

If a dog has SA, will taking them on more walks help?

Just like every dog, dogs who struggle to be alone need walking, but I think sometimes people think if they just tire the dog so much, they will just sleep when they are alone. Unfortunately, if a dog is going to panic no amount of exercise will help.

When I work with people, we do spend a lot of time looking at the type of exercise the dog as we need it to be calm exercise rather than high energy chase behaviour – I think the quality rather than the quantity of exercise is a lot more important.

Do you recommend getting a second dog for company to help with SA?

This question comes up time and time again – no we don’t really. If you want a second dog, then that decision should be made independent of helping your original dog. Often it doesn’t help, you have another dog who is anxious because they have learnt from one another, or you lose focus on the training you were working so hard on.

I’ve had several clients who have got a second dog and we were able to plan for it, work out how to support the new dog and continue with the training of the original dog.

Alongside calling in a specialist like yourself, can other pet professionals like dog walkers or pet sitters be used to help with SA?

Because we don’t want the dog to be left any longer than they can cope with having professionals that you can rely on can be a huge support to dogs with separation anxiety. They can help you get some freedom when sometimes you feel a bit trapped!

What is the most important thing to remember when living with a dog with SA?

That they genuinely can’t cope without you, they are not doing it to spite you, to make you feel guilt for leaving them or as some kind of punishment. They are truly panicked when you are not there, and they are doing everything they can to make themselves feel better.

Kim provides tonnes of useful advice and tips on her social media (you can follow her @pooches.galore). You can read more about Kim’s dog training & behaviour services here.