French Bulldog Cherie has a fairly common affliction: separation anxiety. On a scale of 1 to 10, Cherie is about a 2.
Cherie doesn’t display her separation anxiety by chewing the furniture, or pooping on the dining room rug, or trying to escape her crate. She doesn’t howl or cry or bark incessantly when everyone leaves. Cherie’s suffering is so mild as to be nearly undetectable.
Cherie pines.
When left alone, Cherie curls up on her bed and doesn’t move. There might be a tasty chew stick nearby, or a Kong stuffed with her favorite – pumpkin puree – or even her breakfast still in its bowl. Cherie won’t touch any of it.
This behavior occurs when anyone from Cherie’s immediate family is missing. Food is ignored. She won’t get out of her bed to go outside. She just….waits.
Some dogs have isolation distress – a form of separation anxiety. These dogs are fine as long as a human being, any human being, is around. Cherie does not fall into this category.
Her family knows that she is miserable when they are not around. They are resigned to the fact that she is sad all day without them. But when they return home, Cherie becomes her usual perky, charming self, ready to snack on any meal or treat presented to her.
They worry about her most when they go away for more than a day or two. Although eventually she will nibble a bit of her kibble, inevitably she loses weight while they are gone. Her dog sitter reports that she is either in her bed, lying on the doormat, or looking out the window all day every day.
Cherie will always be sad when she can’t be with her family, but her dog sitter was able to alleviate some of her anxiety by doing these few things to make Cherie more comfortable while her family is away:
She put an unlaundered t-shirt worn by Cherie’s favorite person in her dog bed.
She took her out for frequent walks and playtime in the yard to keep her busy.
She asked Cherie’s family to record a typical evening at their house that Cherie could listen to.
She placed a DAP (dog appeasing pheromone) infuser near Cherie’s bed to help calm her.
Whenever possible, the dog sitter visited Cherie’s home so that Cherie would see her as part of the family, too.
For more information about how to cope with your dog’s separation anxiety, read my blog posts titled: Wood Molding With a Side of Carpet, I’m Here You’re Not, Don’t Leave Me Part I and Don’t Leave Me Part II.
