Separation Anxiety is the most common problem I encounter in talking with people about English Springer Spaniels. Maybe it is because a large part of my springer related activities revolve around rescue dogs. Maybe it is because springers are such people loving dogs they are more passionate about bonding than other breeds. Whatever the reason, it is a very disturbing problem for a new owner of an "older" dog.

So what exactly is Separation Anxiety? Basically it is panic. The dog has been separated from his original family. He may have been a stray that became lost or escaped his fence. He may have been an owner turn-in. But he is not now with the family (good or bad) he loved. He may have spent time in a shelter.

You appear on the scene. You take him home, love him, feed him and play with him. He decides you are great and doesn't want to "get lost" again so he is worried when you disappear. He has no way of knowing you only went to the store and will be back in 10 minutes. He panics. In his panic he may try to jump through screen or glass doors or windows to follow you. He may scratch up the wall or woodwork in an effort to find you. He may urinate or defecate all over your house or he may bark himself hoarse. None of these activities will make you or your neighbors happy. All are classic symptoms of Separation Anxiety.

So what can you do? First ASSUME your dog will suffer some degree of Separation Anxiety and prepare to prevent it.

Ideally you should have 3 or 4 days to acclimate your new dog. But if that's not possible it is always best to bring a new dog home on Saturday morning so you will have the entire weekend to work with the dog before you have to leave him alone.

The very first thing to do BEFORE bringing the dog home is to purchase a crate. The crate can be either wire or molded plastic. See my article on Crate Training and Housebreaking for the pros and cons of each. The crate needs to be neither too large nor too small. It should be just big enough for the dog to lay down comfortably. For an "average" springer this means about 36" long , 20" wide and 24" high.

This is not cruel. Dogs are den animals and sleep 18 out of 24 hours anyway. The crate is a safe, secure place that is his very own. It should never be a punishment place but always a good, safe place to be.

Place the crate in the kitchen or family room where your family usually gathers. Do not put the crate out in the garage or down in the basement. Teach the dog to go into the crate. You might have to push the dog into the crate the first time or two until he understands what you want of him. Toss a cookie or treat into the crate, give him a command such as "kennel", "crate", "get in bed" or whatever word you choose and push him in. Tell him "good boy". Do not close the door at this point. Use small pieces of cookie and do this several times until it becomes a game and he willingly goes into the crate. When it is time for dinner give the dog the chosen command and when he goes into the crate put the food down and close the door. Leave him in the crate with the door closed for about 10 minutes after he has finished eating. Stay in the room busying yourself with something else. Do not permit ANY noise from him while in the crate. If he barks, whines or fusses yell "NO" and bang on the top of the crate. If this doesn't work, squirt the dog on the muzzle with water from a water gun or bottle sprayer. When he is quiet for a few minutes take him out and take him to the bathroom. It is important to teach the dog to stay quietly in the crate. This is one of the greatest lessons you can teach your dog.

You can teach this in about 24 hours. I used to have a male that was used at stud quite a bit and when his "ladies" came they had to stay in a crate just like all the other dogs. Many of these females had never seen a crate but in just a few hours they went in willingly and even knew which crate was theirs.

When you go to bed take the crate into the bedroom. When you are ready to go to bed take the dog outside and then put him in the crate. Turn out the light. If he barks or whines yell "NO" and bang on the crate. After a night or so he will sleep quietly in his crate.

Yes, and what about separation anxiety?

Ok, now you have your dog crate trained. He is quiet and comfortable in his crate. He has a nice blanket to sleep on and a chew toy to entertain him but up until now he has pretty much been in the same room with you or other family members. Unless you just won the lottery or you were born a Vanderbilt, you eventually have to go to work. To prepare Bowser for the traumatic experience of being left alone, break it to him gently.

Put your dog into his crate. Feed him breakfast and go outside for 5 minutes so he is alone in the house. (or thinks he is) Come back in and leave him in his crate another few minutes before taking him outside to potty. If he is quiet while you are gone, tell him good boy. If not, tell him "NO" quiet. The idea is to gradually increase the time you can leave the dog alone before he starts having a fit. After you can be gone an hour and he is quiet then you can quickly increase the time. Always leave your dog in his crate when you leave. Never leave the dog loose in the house if you are not there to supervise him. He may injure himself or damage your home in his panic to find you.

It is also very important to make sure your dog gets sufficient exercise. I don't mean just letting him out to walk around the backyard. I mean he should get panting, blood pumping, hard exercise. A tired, sleeping dog is not anxious.

Zippy Cooper LenLear Springers

Copyright ©April, 1999 - Zippy Cooper - All Rights Reserved