SEPARATION ANXIETY DISORDER (SAD)True SAD develops through the dog having an over attachment to a (normally) particular person, although it can be another dog or animal that the over attachment is with. When the dog has an over attachment to e.g. his owner, the dog finds it hard to function normally without them. He may not eat, play, interact – even if someone else is there, it doesn't matter THEY are not his owner. He will pine and await the return of his beloved owner! When his owner does return the dog will go ballistic with excitement and take a while to calm down. When the owner is there, the dog will be like a veritable shadow to his owner, allowing them to go nowhere without him, following them everywhere in the house, unable to settle if they are not in the same room – perhaps vocalising till they come back.
ISOLATION DISTRESS (ID) is caused by a dog never being educated that being left completely on his/her own is actually quite safe and can mean that something nice will happen at the same time and that they can relax. (nice thing = leaving an interactive food toy/a new chew/a new indestructible toy/etc.). The dog is taken from his mother, siblings and initial human family, never having been on his own – to living with his new human family, who make sure that he is never left without company for a second. If the latter can be guaranteed 100% of the time for 100% of the dog's life then there is no issue there. However, I would suggest that it would be rare, if not impossible to commit to such a guarantee. Therefore we owe it to our dogs, from a very early age, to make sure that they gradually accept short periods of time on their own – with no companionship at all – but it must be a gradual process.
HELP If you are/have been experiencing SAD or ID issues with your pet and are struggling to know how to cope with this behaviour, please don't hesitate to get in touch. SAD and ID are very debilitating behaviour problems - not just for the pet but also for you too.
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