CINCINNATI, Ohio—Handling pet separation anxiety isn’t easy and many dog owners are worried how their pet will react once they return to work.
What You Need To Know
- Many dogs may suffer from separation anxiety once their owners go back to the office
- Signs of anxiety include destroying household items, trying to escape their crate or area, accidents, and barking
- If your dog is hurting itself while separated from you, it’s important to consult a vet
Leaving your dog at home isn’t easy. But that’s the reality for many across the country as more and more companies are allowing employees to return to the office. And while getting a puppy during the pandemic has been popular, that could lead to separation anxiety once you return to work.
“I guarantee it,” said Dr. Larry Keller, an associate veterinarian with Lewis Animal Hospital in Cincinnati. “You have a puppy and you haven’t been to work, you’re gonna see separation anxiety. You’re going to see something. And most of it will probably be mild, no big deal. It’s just the ones that are severe that you really get worried about.”
Dr. Keller says some signs of anxiety include destroying items in your home, having accidents, and barking.
“The number one thing that would make me want to tell you to bring them in is if they’re hurting themselves,” Dr. Keller said. “You know, for instance, they ate that couch cushion, they actually ate it. That’s a concern. They get their nails all bloody because they’re scratching something. If they are physically hurting themselves in the point where we’re afraid that they’re going to do something really bad, absolutely, we need to go into it.”
At the SPCA of Cincinnati, dogs have been adopted at an even higher rate than normal due to families being at home more. But they warn shelter dogs could have a hard time when your routine gets back to normal.
“You have to consider that a shelter companion has been through a lot,” said Nyketa Gaffney, the public information officer for the SPCA of Cincinnati. “There’s a back story that sometimes we may know about and sometimes we don’t. They have feelings, they experience feelings, those basic emotions that people do. We’re talking about love, fear, anger, and of course anxiety.”
Both Dr. Keller and the SPCA suggest warming up your dog to the idea of leaving. Leave your pet for gradually more time each day to make sure they can handle it.
“See what their behavior’s like,” Gaffney said. “See if they’re comfortable. And then increase that time over the weeks from an hour to two or from two to three until it builds up to a full work day.”
Other options that could help include positive reinforcement with their crate or area you’ll be keeping the animal, obedience training, and daily exercise.
“When you are home, before you leave, make sure that they have had their daily walk, they’ve had enough to eat, that they’ve been busy the night before getting some play time in so that their energy levels have been balanced out,” Gaffney said.
While many of our pets may experience separation anxiety in the coming weeks and months, Dr. Keller says to try and stay calm and not reinforce anxious behaviors.
“You’re going to have that,” Dr. Keller said. “You’re going to have some anxiousness. Try not to feed into it yourself. Try not to feel anxious before you leave because they’re going to feed into what your feelings are.”
It’s very important to consult your veterinarian about any changes in your dog’s behavior or any medication you may want to try that might help with their separation anxiety.
