Renting an Apartment and Having a Dog: Does your dog have separation anxiety issues?

Guest Post by Jackie Phillips

Separation anxiety

         Separation anxiety occurs when an animal is left alone, and the dog experiences anxiety and panic from the isolation. Many training techniques are available to help you help your dog deal with separation anxiety. There are also a number of different types of toys that can be used to help reduce separation anxiety in dogs.

Self Mutilation

         Self mutilation is an extremely serious problem that, in many cases, requires the attention of an animal behaviorist. Dogs that self mutilate chew on themselves instead of an object or lick themselves until they develop bleeding or weeping sores. Self mutilation occurs in response to many different stressors. Your dog may have developed a sore or hot spot, started to clean it by licking it and then was not able to stop if the behavior becomes obsessive. Some dogs chew on their paws if they have allergies or sometimes out of boredom. Some dogs also self mutilate as part of separation anxiety. Once your dog develops the habit of chewing on themselves it can develop into an obsessive habit, which can be difficult to stop.

Your dog’s problem seems to occur when left alone.

Here are some basic steps to follow to begin to acclimate your dog to feeling secure when you leave.

1.  Your dog might need a crate when left alone to help them feel more comfortable and secure and safe.

2.  If you don’t need a crate, is there a room where the dog feels most comfortable like a bedroom, kitchen, hallway or bathroom?

3. Another helpful suggestion to ease your dog’s tension about being left alone would be to leave             the TV or radio on with calming music, which could simulate your presence and comfort       your dog. I have also heard of people recording a tape of the sounds when they are home,         and playing this tape on a continuous loop player. This also can help to drown out outside noise from the street, which can cause your dog to bark or feel frustrated and reactive to all         the new sounds.

4.  Your dog’s anxiety may stem from a lack of having their own private space. I would     recommend using this “private space” as part of the area where the dog is left when you are      not at home. For example, if the dog’s safe place is in your bedroom or another bedroom, you have the ability to secure the room with a door or baby gate, and the ability to dog-proof the room, I would use this spot in the place to leave your dog when you are away.

5. This area would need to be able to be “dog-proofed” easily and on a regular basis. Dog             proofing would include removing all access to garbage cans, food, laundry, loose plastic     bags, drapery or blind cords and the ability to open and close dresser drawers. I have heard of stories of dogs swallowing whole socks they pulled from the drawers.

6.   It would be best if this room could be made to be dark, like closing any blinds or drapes, but still be able to have the ability to open and close windows for fresh air, without allowing the    dog access to jump out. Also, if the windows could be high enough so the dog cannot see out,          this would prevent him from being able to see traffic outside and barking.

7.  I would recommend that this area be as small as possible to offer the dog a sense of comfort    and security. Many times if a dog has a larger area to wander around in, they tend to find         more situations to get into trouble.

This excerpt comes from my published book: Renting with Rex: How You, Your Dog, Your Landlord and Your Neighbors Can All Thrive in Rental Housing.

The book’s website is:  www.rentingwithrex.com (http://www.thesocialpet.com/books.html) The publisher is: The Social Pet Published: June 2009

Since 1984 I have been renting with dogs, cats, birds and rabbits in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. I have lived in a wide variety of types and sizes of rentals. During these experiences, I have seen a wide variety of landlords, property owners, managers, roommates and rental agreements. I have also volunteered and worked in shelters and have seen many animals surrendered to shelters because their owners were unable to find a place to live. My main objective for this book is to prevent another animal from loosing their home.

I am available to do rental counseling to assist dogs to adjust to living in an apartment or rental housing.

I am also a full time professional pet detective, and through the use of a wide variety of techniques, including a trained tracking dog, we assist people throughout Northern and Central California to help them bring home their lost pet.

You can visit my general website at www.thesocialpet.com. You can reach me 24 hours a day at jackie@thesocialpet.com.