References
Canine separation-related problems: Part 4: first steps in resolving owner absent problems
Abstract
‘Canine separation-related problems’ cover a range of behavioural presentations that occur while a dog is separated from its carer. These problems can result from activity in an array of emotional networks and can be motivated by various factors within the dog's environment and social relationships. Given the broad range of factors that are associated with separation-related problems, assisting carers in supporting their dogs as they develop the capacity to cope during carer absence can be complex, exhausting and time consuming for both the rehabilitation team and carer. Yet, supporting carers as they create an underlying sense of safety for their dog is a common requirement that is critical to all rehabilitation plans. For some dogs, an improved sense of coping and safety may be all that is required to enable the dog to progress to spending time independently of their owner.
In order for a treatment plan for separation-related problems to be successful, it needs to be specific to the individual dog. Treatment plans must take into account factors including, but not limited to:
Separation-related problems can be extremely complex. Despite the relative complexity of the requirements for any treatment plan, it is always important that it remains as simple as possible to encourage owner compliance. Large numbers of dogs experience separation-related problems (often unnoticed because their responses remain passive and inhibited), and many will experience relinquishment or abandonment because owners fail to cope with the resultant welfare impact on their own lives. Yet, ensuring that a dog feels safe in its environment, and secure in its relationship with its owner, can make a substantial difference to a dog's capacity to cope during owner absence.
Studies have found that 22–55% of the domestic dog population display behaviours that are problematic for their owners during owner absence (Bradshaw et al, 2002; Mills and Mills, 2003; Marques Soares et al, 2010). However, the fact that the dog's response has to be sufficiently obvious and troublesome for an owner for it to be reported suggests that the percentage of dogs that experience separation-related problems during owner absence could be considerably higher (Casey, 2022). This can be explained by the fact that dogs display only subtle signs of distress when owners prepare to leave the home or during owner absence. These signs include inactivity, tension in the brow and other facial muscles and between the ears. As such, many owners will be unaware that their dog is failing to cope at such times. However, for more obvious responders to owner absence, there is an inevitable reduction in the strength of the human-animal bond and an increased likelihood of relinquishment or euthanasia as a result of the negative impact of separation-related problems on owners.
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