Canine Behaviour Foundation Course
Module 2 - Section - 6 A - Over Attachment - between people and dogs
Module 2 - Section - 6 A - Over Attachment - between people and dogs
1. Over Attachment where people are concerned
2. Alone Time Training - Stage 1
3. Alone Time Training - Stage 2
4. Modifications
5. Over Attachment where other dogs are concerned
6. Modifications
1. Over Attachment where people are concerned
What can often happen is that attention seeking behaviours discussed in the previous section can escalate and over dependency and over attachment can develop. You are now one step away from the dog suffering from Separation anxiety, which is not somewhere any owner wants to end up with!
We know that dogs are very social animals and that when we bring them into our lives we are creating a human/canine social structure of sorts. When the attachment becomes too strong this is when problems can and do arise. This is very common with dogs that have been adopted from shelters – they seem to be so relieved to actually have a home that over attachment is not unusual, especially the smaller breeds where owners will tend to pick them up and cuddle them. Owners don’t recognize what is happening and in fact many owners feel almost flattered by the attention the dogs demand from them, with the result that they are inadvertently reinforcing the behaviour. Another factor that may influence the over attachment is that the owners feel sorry for dogs from shelters, especially when it is obvious that there has been some sort of abuse, and tend to pander to these dogs more than they normally would.
You will find that with dogs that are over dependent or over attached that many of the attention seeking behaviours will already be in place. Another very typical sign of the behaviour getting out of control is the dog will follow the owner everywhere, and signs of distress may already have developed with the dog starting to bark, run in circles, run and pick up a toy etc when owner makes preparations to leave the house. It is not uncommon that if the dog is put outside, it will just sit and look back into the house at the owner, or run around the house from window to window to follow the owners movements.
Not all the modifications below need to be used, each and every client’s needs will be slightly different and the degree of attachment/dependency will also determine what needs to be done.
There is not unfortunately one ‘recipe’ for every dog, especially when it comes to Alone Time training. Each client and dog needs to be looked at individually to see what needs to be brought in and also how to bring it in regarding timing and what the dog can cope with. Here are all the stages of Alone Time Training below and the basic rule is that you do not go further until the dog is coping perfectly at each stage. If Stage 2 is not needed, then don't bring it in.
2. Alone Time Training Stage 1
Start very slowly and get an idea of the owner’s daily chores and habits and try to incorporate same in Alone Time training that can easily tie in with their daily routines. This is done with the internal doors of the home – not the door that the owner leaves through E.g.
Owner is starting to leave the dog for very small increments of time that it can cope with. Think of it like this – would you follow your boss around the office? As pack leader it is up to us to decide where we go and who goes with us. A simple exercise like this will once again raise owner up in the pack hierarchy; very gradually getting the dog used to being without you and build its self-confidence
Again, at the risk of repeating ourselves, please stress to your clients that they must not go too fast, it is crucial with a dog suffering from this condition that you never ask the dog to do too much. A good idea is also to stagger the time period. If they have worked up to the dog being left for 5 minutes with no problem, the next time reduce the time period to one minute and continue to stagger. Too constantly increase the period the dog is alone can lead to stress. Always return to the room before the dog stresses.
When owner has built up the time period to a fair stretch of time, keep practicing this daily, so that the dog gets used to owner being apart from it. We would suggest practicing this in all different areas of the home, in order that it does not become habitual with only one room being used for this exercise.
This exercise is done in all the rooms within the home before started with doors leading outside. Once dog is comfortable with above, start to include the doors leading out to the garden or garage - again owner will start at the beginning and build up the time period.
3. Alone Time Training Stage 2
Dog is placed on its bed while owner walks all over the home. As soon as the exercise stops, the bone/Kong/Busy Buddy it taken away. Here get hold of a large size raw femur bone and ask for it to be cut into 4 or 5 large bones. Use one and freeze the rest. You can get these at Fruit and Veggie City or butcher and are about R12 – R15 each on average. As there can be problems with bones another option would be to have a Kong or Busy Buddy that is stuffed with delicious treats and this bone or Kong is kept exclusively for this exercise.
Only bring this exercise in when the dog is ok with exercise 1 above and the best time to start this is on a Friday evening if the owner is going to be home most of the weekend as plenty of time to practice.
The above will result in the dog stopping following the owner all over the home. Notes on taking these exercises further are contained in the Separation Anxiety section.
4. Modifications
House Rules
Ignoring when coming home, Attention on owners terms or not at all, NRM, work to earn – if nothing in particular to be worked on, then bring in the sit and wait exercise. This will help the dog to feel a bit more confident as well. Review the Exceptions to House Rules video again.
Depending on how extreme the over dependency is, you may have to go very slowly with a dog like this and bring in the above one by one. With dogs like this additional assistance such as TTouch and one of the Avalon Pure Sprays, namely Extreme Anxiety and/or Separation Anxiety to help the dog to cope.
The owner may well be feeling very guilty about bringing in the modifications and I do suggest that they consider having a Rescue tablet (if doctor is agreeable).
The Attention on your Terms or not at all, is, as you can imagine, very important with a dog like this and in order to achieve the results desired the owner and any other members of the family have to be totally consistent.
Explain to the owner that what they are doing, although it may seem a bit like ‘tuff love’, will actually make the dog feel much more secure as the owner will be acting in a manner that the dog understands and is now starting to take their place as the person in charge of the combined human/canine pack.
Shared Responsibility
As the dog will already be totally attached to the owner, if anybody else is living in the home that they start to share the daily routine with the owner and take over areas such as feeding and walking the dog to lessen the attachment to the owner.
What is crucial here is that the owner does not suddenly disappear from the dog’s life – the responsibility has to be gradually shared, with the owner doing less and less with the dog, but NOT ignoring the dog completely. Each and every dog will be different and the pace to work at will be determined by how attached the dog is to its person. One of the old fashioned methods of dealing with over attachment is that for about 3 days, the owner had absolutely no interaction with the dog - it was totally and completely ignored.
With the feeding and to increase the other person’s standing with the dog, bring in the Work to Earn - Specific using the sit and that the dogs daily ration is given throughout the course of the day, a few cubes at a time, adding in some nice treats every so often to keep the dog motivated.
If somebody else is sharing the responsibilities as above, it is equally important that they do not start pandering the dog and stick to exactly the same modifications as the owner – you do not want the dog to just transfer the over dependency from one person to another.
Walks
Walks are going to take on even greater importance than before and on average dogs like this are seldom taken for walks. In addition to supplying physical and mental stimulation, the serotonin levels will be more balanced and importantly, a daily walk will give the dog something else to look forward to apart from spending time with the owner.
Where walks are concerned if somebody else is now going to take the dog, they may find that the dog will be hesitant to go without the owner. Just break the leaving into small sections to help the dog cope (as in TTouch - chunk it down). An example of this is that the person may just walk the dog around the home on lead a few times until the dog is relaxed with this. The next step would be walking around the garden. During this period, the owner just sits in a chair and pretends to watch TV, read a book or similar. It is very important that the owner is relaxed during this exercise as if they appear stressed, the dog will immediately pick up on it and react accordingly. The person walking the dog can reward with a lot of verbal praise and ever few step some treats. This will help the dog to associate this new procedure as being something that is really rewarding. One thing to bear in mind here is to watch the dogs body language and to take the dog back to the owner before the dog starts to stress. As the dog comes back to the owner, no attention is paid to the dog - it just gets to see owner is ok and then the walk resumes. Do this repeatedly and gradually build up the time away from the owner always ensuring that the dog is coping.
The next step would be to walk the dog to the door, one step outside and then come back inside again. Taking it slowly like this will help the dog to cope with this short separation. Bit by bit – and it really is important with a dog like this to go slowly and vary the distance and the time away so that the dog learns it can cope. Remember to continue rewarding with praise and treats.
If the dog is really battling with the above, what is often helpful is that the new person taking responsibility for the dog goes for a walk with owner at the same time with owner holding dog. New person takes the dog and just walks one step away and then comes back to owner. Very slowly the distance is increased.
2. Alone Time Training Stage 1
Start very slowly and get an idea of the owner’s daily chores and habits and try to incorporate same in Alone Time training that can easily tie in with their daily routines. This is done with the internal doors of the home – not the door that the owner leaves through E.g.
- What is important to realize is that dogs do not generalize, so going in and out of the kitchen door and building up the time period to 15 minutes will not automatically mean that the owner can do this at the rest of the doors in the house. On average the owner will need to start at the very beginning at each and every door in the house. However, what does happen on average is that once the owner has built up to about 5 minutes at the first door they will find that the process will go much quicker with the other doors as the dogs knows what to expect.
- Owner chooses a door to start with and if the kitchen is not open plan and has a door, then a good place to start as you will see below. Initially the owner will just walk into the kitchen – close the door quickly – then open the door and walk back into other room and sit down. After about 5 minutes repeat. This is repeated over and over at short intervals of time until the dog is paying absolutely no attention to the owner leaving at all. Once the owner can walk into the kitchen with no reaction from the dog, then examples such as below can be introduced.
- Owner walks into the kitchen to make a cup of tea and close the door behind them. Turn on the kettle and walk back into the room, all the while ignoring the dog. Then walk back into kitchen when kettle has boiled and again shutting the door after entering. Make the procedure of making coffee go on longer than normal.
- When the dog can cope for about 15 minutes, then start the exercise again with another door – crucial that owner goes back to the basics again and starts with a few seconds and gradually builds up the time period.
- When we say do this a lot, we really mean do it a lot – not just 3 or 4 times per day, but over and over. Gary Player once said “the more I practice the luckier I get”. Remember no interaction with the dog when you do this – no talking, looking at it etc, just a straight walk out the room and straight back in
Owner is starting to leave the dog for very small increments of time that it can cope with. Think of it like this – would you follow your boss around the office? As pack leader it is up to us to decide where we go and who goes with us. A simple exercise like this will once again raise owner up in the pack hierarchy; very gradually getting the dog used to being without you and build its self-confidence
Again, at the risk of repeating ourselves, please stress to your clients that they must not go too fast, it is crucial with a dog suffering from this condition that you never ask the dog to do too much. A good idea is also to stagger the time period. If they have worked up to the dog being left for 5 minutes with no problem, the next time reduce the time period to one minute and continue to stagger. Too constantly increase the period the dog is alone can lead to stress. Always return to the room before the dog stresses.
When owner has built up the time period to a fair stretch of time, keep practicing this daily, so that the dog gets used to owner being apart from it. We would suggest practicing this in all different areas of the home, in order that it does not become habitual with only one room being used for this exercise.
This exercise is done in all the rooms within the home before started with doors leading outside. Once dog is comfortable with above, start to include the doors leading out to the garden or garage - again owner will start at the beginning and build up the time period.
3. Alone Time Training Stage 2
Dog is placed on its bed while owner walks all over the home. As soon as the exercise stops, the bone/Kong/Busy Buddy it taken away. Here get hold of a large size raw femur bone and ask for it to be cut into 4 or 5 large bones. Use one and freeze the rest. You can get these at Fruit and Veggie City or butcher and are about R12 – R15 each on average. As there can be problems with bones another option would be to have a Kong or Busy Buddy that is stuffed with delicious treats and this bone or Kong is kept exclusively for this exercise.
Only bring this exercise in when the dog is ok with exercise 1 above and the best time to start this is on a Friday evening if the owner is going to be home most of the weekend as plenty of time to practice.
- Put the dog on its beds in the lounge and the object to be chewed.If the dog tries to walk away from the bed, owner just takes the bone away and puts it back on the bed. This is done repeatedly until the dog lies on its bed with the bone.
- Allow dog to chew until it really get stuck in – then take the chewing object away and put them in the fridge or in a safe place.
- About 15 minutes later do as above again.
- Keep on doing this about every 15 – 30 minutes during the course of the evening. By then this bone/Kong will have become the most important thing in the world to the dog.
- The following morning, take out the bone and give to the dog on its bed and ideally the bed is placed in a location where the pup can see you coming and going – at this stage do NOT put the dog away where it cannot see owner moving around.
- You then start to walk in and out of different rooms leaving the doors wide open. Only do for about 10 minutes to start with and then take the bone away. The message is – when mom/dad is away nice things like getting bones happen. A good idea is to use this time to pack away laundry in different rooms or have a 10 minute tidy up in different rooms.
- Keep on repeating this during the weekend and gradually build up the time period, remembering to stagger it as mentioned above. In a very short period of time you will have the pup happily chewing on their bones as you walk around the home.
- Practice this during the week in the evening as well.
The above will result in the dog stopping following the owner all over the home. Notes on taking these exercises further are contained in the Separation Anxiety section.
4. Modifications
House Rules
Ignoring when coming home, Attention on owners terms or not at all, NRM, work to earn – if nothing in particular to be worked on, then bring in the sit and wait exercise. This will help the dog to feel a bit more confident as well. Review the Exceptions to House Rules video again.
Depending on how extreme the over dependency is, you may have to go very slowly with a dog like this and bring in the above one by one. With dogs like this additional assistance such as TTouch and one of the Avalon Pure Sprays, namely Extreme Anxiety and/or Separation Anxiety to help the dog to cope.
The owner may well be feeling very guilty about bringing in the modifications and I do suggest that they consider having a Rescue tablet (if doctor is agreeable).
The Attention on your Terms or not at all, is, as you can imagine, very important with a dog like this and in order to achieve the results desired the owner and any other members of the family have to be totally consistent.
Explain to the owner that what they are doing, although it may seem a bit like ‘tuff love’, will actually make the dog feel much more secure as the owner will be acting in a manner that the dog understands and is now starting to take their place as the person in charge of the combined human/canine pack.
Shared Responsibility
As the dog will already be totally attached to the owner, if anybody else is living in the home that they start to share the daily routine with the owner and take over areas such as feeding and walking the dog to lessen the attachment to the owner.
What is crucial here is that the owner does not suddenly disappear from the dog’s life – the responsibility has to be gradually shared, with the owner doing less and less with the dog, but NOT ignoring the dog completely. Each and every dog will be different and the pace to work at will be determined by how attached the dog is to its person. One of the old fashioned methods of dealing with over attachment is that for about 3 days, the owner had absolutely no interaction with the dog - it was totally and completely ignored.
With the feeding and to increase the other person’s standing with the dog, bring in the Work to Earn - Specific using the sit and that the dogs daily ration is given throughout the course of the day, a few cubes at a time, adding in some nice treats every so often to keep the dog motivated.
If somebody else is sharing the responsibilities as above, it is equally important that they do not start pandering the dog and stick to exactly the same modifications as the owner – you do not want the dog to just transfer the over dependency from one person to another.
Walks
Walks are going to take on even greater importance than before and on average dogs like this are seldom taken for walks. In addition to supplying physical and mental stimulation, the serotonin levels will be more balanced and importantly, a daily walk will give the dog something else to look forward to apart from spending time with the owner.
Where walks are concerned if somebody else is now going to take the dog, they may find that the dog will be hesitant to go without the owner. Just break the leaving into small sections to help the dog cope (as in TTouch - chunk it down). An example of this is that the person may just walk the dog around the home on lead a few times until the dog is relaxed with this. The next step would be walking around the garden. During this period, the owner just sits in a chair and pretends to watch TV, read a book or similar. It is very important that the owner is relaxed during this exercise as if they appear stressed, the dog will immediately pick up on it and react accordingly. The person walking the dog can reward with a lot of verbal praise and ever few step some treats. This will help the dog to associate this new procedure as being something that is really rewarding. One thing to bear in mind here is to watch the dogs body language and to take the dog back to the owner before the dog starts to stress. As the dog comes back to the owner, no attention is paid to the dog - it just gets to see owner is ok and then the walk resumes. Do this repeatedly and gradually build up the time away from the owner always ensuring that the dog is coping.
The next step would be to walk the dog to the door, one step outside and then come back inside again. Taking it slowly like this will help the dog to cope with this short separation. Bit by bit – and it really is important with a dog like this to go slowly and vary the distance and the time away so that the dog learns it can cope. Remember to continue rewarding with praise and treats.
If the dog is really battling with the above, what is often helpful is that the new person taking responsibility for the dog goes for a walk with owner at the same time with owner holding dog. New person takes the dog and just walks one step away and then comes back to owner. Very slowly the distance is increased.
Building Confidence
It is a good idea to bring in as much play as possible. It has been shown that it is a lot easier to learn when we are having fun and as there will be a lot of changes bring brought in, even more important to have some fun time. The activity will be tailored to what the dog and owner do normally - some examples are a game of running around the garden, game of pullies etc.
Some dogs can actually become under confident by being criticized often, expected to have constantly high standards in training etc. Let the dog know that the owner is pleased even for just trying something - the more the dog is praised, the more likely it is to try more new things and slowly confidence will grow.
On walks when dog is relaxed owner looks for things to build the dog’s confidence such as jumping over a road culvert, over a branch etc. Owner gives dog a lot of praise for doing this.
In the home environment, owner can build the dogs confidence by building a mini agility course such as using a bucket with a pole as a jump, an empty box as a tunnel and similar and getting the dog involved and playing and being successful. The more fun dog and owner or dog and responsible person have together the more the dog will relax. If there is a good dog school in the area, suggest the owner takes the dog for a few lessons, but instructor must be fully aware of situation and know how to work with a situation like this.
As mentioned in the section on Walks above, other people to walk the dog as often as possible.
Clicker
Teaching the dog clicker will help to build confidence and once the dog has mastered the basics then some simple tricks can be taught. As many people in the family to be included in this as possible.
Chew toys, treat toys and behaviour games
As many as possible and keep them varied, changing them around daily. We now know that chewing helps to reduce stress in dogs and it will also give the dog something else to do rather than focus on the owner. Also look for ways to increase mental stimulation when dog is alone in addition to toys and digging pit by providing as much mental stimulation as possible – treats left around the garden, tyre or rope on swing etc.Have a look at the section on Physical and Mental Stimulation.
Behaviour games are a great way to build confidence and dogs love them. These can either be purchased or owner can make their own - simply by Googling, owner will find various options. Here is a nice link on Brain Games to consider. http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/10-brain-games-to-play-with-your-dog
It is a good idea to bring in as much play as possible. It has been shown that it is a lot easier to learn when we are having fun and as there will be a lot of changes bring brought in, even more important to have some fun time. The activity will be tailored to what the dog and owner do normally - some examples are a game of running around the garden, game of pullies etc.
Some dogs can actually become under confident by being criticized often, expected to have constantly high standards in training etc. Let the dog know that the owner is pleased even for just trying something - the more the dog is praised, the more likely it is to try more new things and slowly confidence will grow.
On walks when dog is relaxed owner looks for things to build the dog’s confidence such as jumping over a road culvert, over a branch etc. Owner gives dog a lot of praise for doing this.
In the home environment, owner can build the dogs confidence by building a mini agility course such as using a bucket with a pole as a jump, an empty box as a tunnel and similar and getting the dog involved and playing and being successful. The more fun dog and owner or dog and responsible person have together the more the dog will relax. If there is a good dog school in the area, suggest the owner takes the dog for a few lessons, but instructor must be fully aware of situation and know how to work with a situation like this.
As mentioned in the section on Walks above, other people to walk the dog as often as possible.
Clicker
Teaching the dog clicker will help to build confidence and once the dog has mastered the basics then some simple tricks can be taught. As many people in the family to be included in this as possible.
Chew toys, treat toys and behaviour games
As many as possible and keep them varied, changing them around daily. We now know that chewing helps to reduce stress in dogs and it will also give the dog something else to do rather than focus on the owner. Also look for ways to increase mental stimulation when dog is alone in addition to toys and digging pit by providing as much mental stimulation as possible – treats left around the garden, tyre or rope on swing etc.Have a look at the section on Physical and Mental Stimulation.
Behaviour games are a great way to build confidence and dogs love them. These can either be purchased or owner can make their own - simply by Googling, owner will find various options. Here is a nice link on Brain Games to consider. http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/10-brain-games-to-play-with-your-dog
5. Over Attachment where other dogs are concerned
This situation arises not just with dogs that were litter mates, but also with dogs adopted close together of a similar age and dogs that tend to spend a lot of time together especially without a lot of human interaction and outside in the garden. Over attachment is seen a lot of over dependent behaviour in dogs that were adopted from rescue situations, regardless of age.
Unfortunately not all owners realize that the dogs are over dependent on each other and it is only when one dog has to go to the vet or a similar situation where the owner realizes there is a problem.
Behaviours that are often exhibited when dogs are separated can include whining, crying, escaping, destruction and even becoming more nervous than they were before, and in the case of death or long term separation, depression is not unusual– they are just not used to doing things apart and don’t cope.
Why would over dependency in dogs be a problem?
Ways to test this is to ask a few more questions such as ‘how do the dogs cope when apart’, ‘can you walk one dog, or take it to the vet without the other dog becoming distressed?’ Can one dog be outside for periods of time without the other dog? Do the dogs tend to spend more time together than with the family?
If the owner is not sure if the dogs are over attached, then suggest that they try to take one dog for a walk and leave the other behind. In a case such as this, it is a good idea to have somebody keep an eye on what the dog at home does, but not be a companion to the dog – observe where cannot be seen in order to determine the true behaviour.
Remember that behaviour needs to be looked at as a whole and all the components that contribute towards it addressed, so in time, and Alone Time training between the dogs should be brought in to build both dogs confidence and ultimately improve their overall behaviour, especially if over dependency was an issue.
This situation arises not just with dogs that were litter mates, but also with dogs adopted close together of a similar age and dogs that tend to spend a lot of time together especially without a lot of human interaction and outside in the garden. Over attachment is seen a lot of over dependent behaviour in dogs that were adopted from rescue situations, regardless of age.
Unfortunately not all owners realize that the dogs are over dependent on each other and it is only when one dog has to go to the vet or a similar situation where the owner realizes there is a problem.
Behaviours that are often exhibited when dogs are separated can include whining, crying, escaping, destruction and even becoming more nervous than they were before, and in the case of death or long term separation, depression is not unusual– they are just not used to doing things apart and don’t cope.
Why would over dependency in dogs be a problem?
- One of the dogs end up in hospital or dies
- One of the dogs may suffer from fear behaviour (being the less confident dog) and this may be exhibited as reactive behaviour towards people or other dogs, or dog just does not develop to its full potential.
- Allelomimetic behaviour often tends to happen regardless of the unacceptable behaviour being exhibited.
- I often find that where I am treating one dog for a behaviour problem such as reactive behaviour, barking, sep anx, etc, that when there is another dog in the family they are over bonded and very often the owner has either not realized this or has not realized that the over dependency could be contributing to the behaviour.
Ways to test this is to ask a few more questions such as ‘how do the dogs cope when apart’, ‘can you walk one dog, or take it to the vet without the other dog becoming distressed?’ Can one dog be outside for periods of time without the other dog? Do the dogs tend to spend more time together than with the family?
If the owner is not sure if the dogs are over attached, then suggest that they try to take one dog for a walk and leave the other behind. In a case such as this, it is a good idea to have somebody keep an eye on what the dog at home does, but not be a companion to the dog – observe where cannot be seen in order to determine the true behaviour.
Remember that behaviour needs to be looked at as a whole and all the components that contribute towards it addressed, so in time, and Alone Time training between the dogs should be brought in to build both dogs confidence and ultimately improve their overall behaviour, especially if over dependency was an issue.
6. Modifications
In addition to bringing in House Rules and modifications to address any other issues you would bring in Alone Time training for the dogs. This works in a very similar manner to human Alone Time and it is not unusual for a dog to both follow the owner around and be over attached to the other dog. As with dealing with a dog with Sep Anxiety, it is extremely important that the owner does not go to fast and the time period the dogs are apart is built up slowly and at a pace the dogs can cope with.
By doing this you can gradually build up the time period without the dog stressing. This can also be done in the way that one dog is offered its bone and the other dog gets played with on the other side of the house. It is normally easier to involve the more fearful dog in the activity initially as this helps to build confidence.
Once the dogs are coping well being apart for about an hour, now is the time to start to take them for walks separately. The dog left behind gets the bone, the dog being taken out gets the reward of the walk and on average it is better to start the walk with the less confident dog being taken out.
It is important to keep the time periods short and build up accordingly. For some dogs, the other dog leaving just to walk to the end of the driveway is just too much. Work at where the do ‘is at’, and build it up gradually. Give the dog that is being left behind the bone, and then it can see the other dog going out the door for a walk. It is often preferable to only put the lead on outside the door. If the dog left behind see’s the other dog being put on lead, it may well be that the walk is more rewarding to the dog than the bone. Once the dog being left behind can cope with this, then start to attach the lead before going out the home. What is very important is that the dogs are getting more walks than usual so that the walk itself does not assume huge importance, otherwise the dog being left at home with the bone will not work. Suggest that this is done several times a day.
Don’t try to hide the fact that the other dog is going outside – in order to overcome the attachment the dogs have to realize that they are being separated, but this is now a rewarding situation. Don’t forget to take the bone away the second the second dog returns.
When the dogs are out for a walk together, the alone time exercises can also be done. Dogs walk together, and then are turned away from one another and walk a few feet away and return to walk together. It is often necessary with the more fearful dog to use treats to lure it away from the other dog – use whatever works and go at the pace that the more fearful dog can cope with.
With dogs like this it is a good idea to also walk them in different locations, rather than the same walk every day. This helps to build up confidence further.
This can take time to achieve success, and with dogs that are prone to being over dependent on one another, it is important to practice this at least a few times a week. It must also be remembered that when a stressful situation arises for the dog, that it is more likely to revert to old behaviours.
The Avalon Pure Separation Anxiety spray is brilliant in this situation and to use for a few weeks at least. We would also suggest TTouch is brought into the modifications.
In addition to bringing in House Rules and modifications to address any other issues you would bring in Alone Time training for the dogs. This works in a very similar manner to human Alone Time and it is not unusual for a dog to both follow the owner around and be over attached to the other dog. As with dealing with a dog with Sep Anxiety, it is extremely important that the owner does not go to fast and the time period the dogs are apart is built up slowly and at a pace the dogs can cope with.
- Invest in a raw Femur bone from the butcher, in fact buy a few and freeze the rest. A bone such as this is excellent as the dog is not likely to break off and swallow pieces. Trim off excess fat and meat. When not in use, just pop it in a plastic bag in the fridge. Care must always be taken however as anything a dog chews on can be swallowed so an alternative may be a Kong stuffed with delicious goodies or Busy Buddy.
- While the owner is with the two dogs, they are each offered a bone to chew on. It is obviously important here to ensure that there will be no fighting over the bone!
- As the dog really gets stuck into it (about 4/5 minutes), pick up the bone and return it to the fridge. About a half hour later, offer the bones again and repeat the first part of taking the bone away when dog is really enjoying it. Do this 6/7 times during the course of a day (more if possible). By the end of the day, this bone will have become the most important thing in the dog’s life.
- The following day, owner shows the dogs the bone and then puts them in separate areas where they cannot see one another. Ideally, one dog should be outside and the other inside, or in a separate area of the garden. Dogs can only chew on the bone a few minutes. It is important to take the bone away from the dog while it is still enjoying it.
- If you have a situation whereby even with this method one of the dogs cannot bear to be separated from the other dog (and this does happen), then use the same exercise but make use of a French/glass door or a security gate, so that the less confident dog can see the other dog. The same procedure is then done, but this time you gradually place the bone further away from the window/door, until the dog can handle not being able to see the other dog. Use of curtains can be used in this instance as well and in dogs where the behaviour is extreme a curtain can be used and closed in stages.
- The following day (if the dog is coping of course) you can start building up the time period, but as said repeatedly, do this very slowly and take the bone away before the dog stresses or loses interest. We are now changing the dog’s perception of being alone from a stressful event to a pleasurable event. It is vitally important that the dog does not have access to this bone at any other time.
- Alternate the areas where the dogs are being put i.e.one day one dog inside and the other outside, then following day swap around, or, one dog in front garden, one in back garden, then swap around the next day.
By doing this you can gradually build up the time period without the dog stressing. This can also be done in the way that one dog is offered its bone and the other dog gets played with on the other side of the house. It is normally easier to involve the more fearful dog in the activity initially as this helps to build confidence.
Once the dogs are coping well being apart for about an hour, now is the time to start to take them for walks separately. The dog left behind gets the bone, the dog being taken out gets the reward of the walk and on average it is better to start the walk with the less confident dog being taken out.
It is important to keep the time periods short and build up accordingly. For some dogs, the other dog leaving just to walk to the end of the driveway is just too much. Work at where the do ‘is at’, and build it up gradually. Give the dog that is being left behind the bone, and then it can see the other dog going out the door for a walk. It is often preferable to only put the lead on outside the door. If the dog left behind see’s the other dog being put on lead, it may well be that the walk is more rewarding to the dog than the bone. Once the dog being left behind can cope with this, then start to attach the lead before going out the home. What is very important is that the dogs are getting more walks than usual so that the walk itself does not assume huge importance, otherwise the dog being left at home with the bone will not work. Suggest that this is done several times a day.
Don’t try to hide the fact that the other dog is going outside – in order to overcome the attachment the dogs have to realize that they are being separated, but this is now a rewarding situation. Don’t forget to take the bone away the second the second dog returns.
When the dogs are out for a walk together, the alone time exercises can also be done. Dogs walk together, and then are turned away from one another and walk a few feet away and return to walk together. It is often necessary with the more fearful dog to use treats to lure it away from the other dog – use whatever works and go at the pace that the more fearful dog can cope with.
With dogs like this it is a good idea to also walk them in different locations, rather than the same walk every day. This helps to build up confidence further.
This can take time to achieve success, and with dogs that are prone to being over dependent on one another, it is important to practice this at least a few times a week. It must also be remembered that when a stressful situation arises for the dog, that it is more likely to revert to old behaviours.
The Avalon Pure Separation Anxiety spray is brilliant in this situation and to use for a few weeks at least. We would also suggest TTouch is brought into the modifications.
Assignment
- What is the main reason that a dog will engage in behaviour attention behaviours?
- What is the most important modification for the owner to start doing immediately?
- If the attention seeking is only directed at one person in the home what is an extra modification that can be done here?
- A friend contacts you to say that her dogs are stressing when away from one another – what tips would you give her to stop this occurring?
