Latch Key Dogs
- One of
the most important things to teach your dog is how to be alone. Dogs who are not accustomed to
being left alone or dogs who are left too long become bored, anxious, and
frustrated often resulting in destructive behavior: barking and whining
and sometimes a lapse in housebreaking. Often though, the dog is left alone for too long and
cannot hold it rather than house soiling to punish the owner for leaving
him alone as many people believe.
Cats tend to be better equipped in coping with being left
alone. This is due to the
fact that cats are solitary independent animals (although some are more
doglike). On the other hand
dogs are highly social pack animals and are seldom alone. In the wild, dogs work in
packs. While some level of independence
is desirable for human beings it can be terrifying to dogs. Leaving the radio or television on
can be helpful for some dogs.
It is important when using the television or radio to have it on
well before you leave so that the dog does not anticipate isolation as
soon as she hears the familiar noise. Getting another dog or cat may help, but is no
substitute for appropriate exercise and ÒaloneÓ training. Getting a second dog may backfire
on you, resulting in two dogs that bark and chew the couch in your
absence.
Latch key dogs are not unlike latch
key children; they need stimulation and guidance. If you are gone for an 8-hour day or longer I would suggest
a dog walker in the middle of the day to break up the times with exercise and
social interaction. The good news
is that dogs tend to sleep most of the day if their mental and physical needs
are being met. A backyard is not a
substitute for going on walks or better yet hikes, where a dog can take in new
sights, scents and sounds as well as exercise and get a chance to
socialize. The best scenario would
be an owner that gets up extra early to walk or hike the dog, then feeds the
dog breakfast and takes it outside to go potty. When the owner leaves, the dog would be left with many great
chew toys like pressed rawhide and stuffed Kongs or sterile bones. Then depending on the length of the
work day, a walker should come three to four hours later for at least one hour,
the dog would spend the remainder of the day (3-5 hours) alone until the owner
returns. At that point, they would
ideally go on another walk or hike or go to the dog park. This is a very general outline, the
younger the puppy, the more often they need to go out and the more important
social interaction becomes. For
dogs who are destructive, some form of confinement may be in order. Another trend is to take your dog to
doggie day care. This can be a
great solution if certain criteria are met. First, your dog should be at least a little outgoing-
extremely shy dogs could be further traumatized. Also, day care locations should heavily screen for
aggressive dogs and the staff should be well trained in dog behavior and well
versed in positive training (no choke chains).
- Whenever
you want to change a behavior, you must first look at the underlying cause
of the behavior. When a dog
barks when left alone, we need to know how often she barks and what the
triggers are. In this case a
voice-activated tape recorder can be useful. If the dog begins to bark soon after you leave, this is
a sign that she is stressed at being left alone and is summoning you
back. If however she barks
when he hears a noise such as people walking by, then he simply being an
alarmist and letting everyone know to stay away. For a dog that barks in the ownerÕs absence there is a
product on the market that may remedy the problem called a Citronella Bark
Collar. The bark collar is
activated by a certain pitch and sprays a blast of citronella on the dogs
chin. It is not harmful at
all, merely unpleasant enough to keep the dog from barking. While bark collars can be
extremely effective, they are not a substitute for proper exercise and
mental stimulation and are recommended only when all efforts have not
reduced the barking. If your
dog has true separation anxiety there will most likely be damage to areas
of entry and departure, i.e. doors and windows, which indicate that the
dog is attempting to get to you.
Other destructive behaviors often manifest due to the stress that
dogs with separation anxiety are under. There are several solutions to this problem that
generally vary from case to case.
If you are concerned that your dog may have separation anxiety it
is best to speak with a qualified behaviorist about what will best work
for you and your dog.
