Separation Anxiety, Mouthing, and Destructive Chewing

By Sandy Yates and Joanne Russell

Separation Anxiety

Many puppies, when first left on their own, will whine and cry as they are accustomed to being with the rest of their pack. Most soon learn that when they are left alone, nothing bad actually happens to them. They become used to having time on their own and are secure in knowing that their family is coming back.  Dogs that have been abused, neglected, abandoned or spent time in a shelter may experience some anxiety.  Even the most well loved dogs may suffer separation anxiety and many owners actually reinforce the anxiety in their attempts to reassure their pets. Dogs with separation anxiety may cry, bark, become destructive or develop obsessive behaviours when left alone.

What can you do?

Take a look at how your dog reacts to you. Is he following you around when you are preparing to leave, looking forlorn? Is he overexcited on your return? Are you reinforcing his anxiety by telling him not to worry? Do you get the dog excited when you return?  If so, your dog learns there is something to be stressed about. 

Start slowly, change your routine, put your shoes on ten minutes before you leave, and do not give your dog a big good-bye.  Try leaving for short intervals, starting at a few minutes and slowly increase.   Only give your dog attention once you have settled into your house, under calm circumstances.

If your dog is having difficulty with this, or showing higher levels of anxiety and destruction, seek professional help at once.  Chances are if your dog is stressed, you will be too and most likely so will your neighbours.

Mouthing

Mouthing is a common behaviour for puppies that are in a litter, in play they bite and nip at everything that comes in their path.  If they bite too hard, the fellow playmates will let them know with a yelp or cry and the pup will most likely back off.

While this type of mouthing and play may be acceptable in the litter, this is not acceptable with humans.  Nipping and biting and hands and feet can lead to serious problems as the pup gets older. A puppy must learn not to use its mouth in this manner as an adult dog engaging in the same behaviour can inflict serious damage.

What can you do?

Never play ‘hand games’ with your puppy or dog as this encourages them to bite at you. Use toys and give them plenty of fun and safe things to chew on such as toys and raw vegetables. If they put their teeth on your skin or clothes, freeze your action and make a growl sound (try “BAH”) like their mother or littermate would do, then praise when they stop.  It is very important to do this consistently. Mouthing and nipping can lead to serious issues; seek a trainer to stop this behaviour immediately. 

Destructive Chewing

Chewing is normal puppy exploring and teething behaviour. Puppies are curious and tend to put everything in their mouth. 

However, we humans can contribute to this problem by doing things such as giving a puppy an old shoe to chew on, leaving items around and not confining our puppies when we can’t be watching them. Chewing may result from boredom, lack of stimulation or not enough proper play with the family.  Puppies and dogs need toys, play, walks and mental stimulating in the form of obedience training.

Separation anxiety can also lead to destructive chewing.  Dogs with higher anxiety levels may be sensitive to changes in the home, and may chew and destroy things to vent their frustration.

Some dogs only receive attention when they are doing something bad.  Therefore, they will engage in inappropriate or destructive behaviours to get attention, which means whatever punishment is being used is actually making the problem worse.

What can you do?

Take a look at why your dog may be acting this way.  Is he stressed, bored or seeking attention?  Often this behaviour stems from a combination of anxiety and mixed messages from the owner.  By correcting them with the growl like sound and praising when they stop, we can set some boundaries.  Give them appropriate toys, solid rubber Kongs, ice cubes, raw vegetables, rope toys, toys that they can’t swallow and do harm, and toys that they are allowed to chew.

Contact a trainer for ways to break these habits.  Your dog is telling you that there is something wrong, the best thing you can do is learn about the behaviour and correct it rather than think that the dog is being bad.  By stimulating the dog’s mind, you can help to alleviate some of the anxiety; this can be done through exercises and toys.

Training is such an important aspect of being a responsible dog owner.  Learning to be the leader of the pack will help you understand how your dog communicates, how they interpret events and how to respect you as their leader.