Q
of the week
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Last updated June 21, 2004 Q OF THE WEEK: Hi
Carol A gal at work asked told me this story about her dog. The dog was in her crate in a house by herself. The house caught fire. Fortunately they were able to grab the dog and crate before the dog got hurt. It got so hot, however, the gal burned her hands on the crate carrying it out of the house. The dog now refuses to go in a crate and freaks out everytime they leave her in their new house alone. Classic sep anxiety symptoms (peeing in the house etc.) Perfectly logical on the part of the dog, no? I gave her Pat Miller's article about dealing with separation anxiety, explained why punishing the dog for her "accidents" wouldn't work, and suggested that she might want to try kenneling the dog outside somehow when they had to leave her alone. I didn't even try to start on how to deal with the crate issue...As far as ever "curing" the dog so that she is willing to go back in a crate or be alone in the house - is that possible? Is treating this like separation anxiety enough or is there something more they could be doing?
FIRST
IN from Kim Imel!: WONDERFUL, Kim! AND
NEXT IN - Nancy Z !! Not really an answer... actually, more questions. Just an immediate response which I may regret when my Einstein brain kicks in later in the morning. Am I on the right course? Here are thoughts that rattled around in my brain: What a horrendous experience! Do dogs suffer from "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" or does it simply break down into the individual pieces, such as association, separation anxiety and crate training? I wonder if they have separated the "crating issue" from the "home alone" issue? If not, wouldn't that be a place to start? It's a new house, that's gotta be a consideration. Good or bad? Both? No doubt, after such a traumatic experience, the dog may never be able to acclimate to a crate again. I don't think I'd force that issue. What about an X-pen? It serves a similar purpose without being the same "picture". I think it's great they both immediately had the same question - is it really classic SA? AND
YAY Diane!! I cannot imagine the torture that dog went through. Being in a fire is scarey enough, but being trapped in a box in a fire, well, if it were me, I don't think I'd ever be the same. I don't know that I'd call this separation anxiety as much as fear of a repeat situation. And the smell of smoke lingers for a very long time. Are they still in the same house? Maybe not. Anyway, some ideas. I wouldn't crate this dog for some time. I don't think this is a situation where "getting right back on the horse" will be tolerable. The dog could become fearful beyond rehab. If they are in the same house, I'd leave the dog somewhere else while gone to work. Like Play n Stay, or a friend or family member. If that isn't possible, have the house professionally "defumed" and leave the dog gated, not crated, in a comfortable room with several stuffed kongs, a radio on, any and all antil stress techniques that will help the dog. If they are in a new, home, I'd do the gated room. I wouldn't try to crate this dog for a long time. Depending on just how bad the fear/anxiety of being left alone is, they might even need some calming meds for awhile. I was thinking about this sort of scenario the other day when on the news they showed that dog lying on his side after being rescued from a burning house. I wondered why someone wasn't hanging with the dog. Perhaps all the family was off the the ER. This is as traumatic a situation for the animals as it is for the humans. I'd have nightmares for a long time if it was me, bettcha. AND FROM CATHY! : What a terrifying thing for that poor dog to have gone through. Sounds like she is a very lucky girl. The first thing I would question is your comment about "classic sep anxiety symptoms (peeing in the house, etc.)" What else does she do in the house when the owner is gone? How does she "freak out"? Does she destroy stuff?, is she franticly trying to get out of the house -- tearing up the drywall, or doing destructive behaviors at and or to the door? Is she hurting herself trying to get out? How long is this dog left alone for? It's a bit difficult to come up with a good management and behavior modification plan to help this gal out with her dog's behavior without more specific details, but with the info we were given I'll give it a shot. I think Elin is totally on target with the explanation of why punishing the dog for peeing in the house doesn't work. I also think it's really good advice to try kenneling her outside when they aren't at home. It's no wonder that the dog has a problem going back into the crate right now. Although it totally depends on the dog (and how it is done on the part of the owner), I think getting her comfortable with a crate again is probably doable -- but I think it's gonna take a lot of time and patience. Dealing with something that a dog has become so sensitized to is certainly no easy task. Quite frankly in this case, I think I would put the new crate into the garage for one or two months and deal with some of the other things first, starting with a good check up. Lets just make sure she's physically okay. I'm assuming before the fire happened, she was housebroken. The next thing is to get this girl some really good exercise on a regular basis. I realize that exercise won't cure SA, if that's what it is, but it will tire her out a bit. If it's at all possible to put her outside in a good size kennel when you are gone to work and then do on some "trial" very short departures while she is in the house and you are home and have time to work on this problem. Go through the motions of "leaving" -- grab the keys, put a sweater on, pick up your purse, etc., and then sometimes not leave at all; sometimes leave for 30 seconds and come back; 2 minutes and come back; 5 minutes, 45 seconds, etc. Do that at least 87 times a week for several weeks *S*. Another good exercise is to implement a good NILIF plan. This will give a great boost to her confidence level, and also a sigh of relief that she no longer has to be in charge -- she can trust her mom to take care of things for her and she won't have to carry that burden. Something else that you may want to try is that the only way she gets to eat is through brain toys -- Kongs, Bustercubes, etc. This should really help if you give her those things only when you are going to leave. If you still want to try to get her over her feeling of terror of being in the crate, I would suggest to put it on the back porch for a few days, with the top off. Just let it sit there. Then move it into the house, but only a short way. Most probably that is the kitchen. With the top still off you could either feed her a few feet from the crate, or give her the things she loves best only when she's near the crate. You could try tossing some really really tasty treats in the crate and then move up to giving her dinner in the topless crate. Only move on to the next step when she is totally comfortable with the previous step. Then turn the top over, but don't put in on top of the bottom yet. Get her used to seeing the top and the bottom as separate pieces. After that goes okay, then slowly creep the top onto the bottom of the crate starting with the back. This entire process could end up taking several weeks or months. You never want the dog to feel trapped, or a "gotcha!" and close the door on her. In fact the door to the crate shouldn't even be on it yet. Closing the door on the crate for a few seconds and then opening it is again, several weeks away in my opinion. These are just some ideas that came to my mind. I would really want to get some detailed information before putting a plan into action. Great
job, guys!! I agree with Cathy that more detailed information is needed before we can map out a plan. I also agree with everyone that, unless the dog was a clingy co-dependent dog to begin with, this isn't true "separation anxiety." Co-dependent panic at separation from the pack and a phobia of being confined as a result of a terrifying situation would be different, although treatment would be similar. The hardest part of the role of behavior counselor is remaining sensitive AND objective. Sometimes what surely "must be" the reason for behavior, sometimes isn't, or is, but to a lesser degree than we think. I think the biggest challenge when addressing treatment following a traumatic experience is to get to the root of the issue and help a traumatized owner as well as dog find answers and a way to cope and get passed this. So, here's my response: This dog and her humans endured a terror we can only imagine - but what exactly is the behavioral result of its traumatic experience and what is just coincidental to the situation? Before we recommend treatment, we have to analyze what's going on.
How much stress is owner transmitted? The owner is probably also feeling some sense of responsibility for leaving their dog in a compromised position and suffer from their own "post traumatic stress" following the event. No doubt they envision not getting there in time. I counseled a woman whose dogs were in her car when she was in a frightening traffic accident. She called for help, convinced that they were traumatized from the accident as they were frantic in the car. Now, we could have laid out a concentrated step-by-step "desensitize the car" program. However, further observation determined that they weren't freaking out when riding with dad in dad's car. They were less comfortable if mom was in the car and dad was driving. They stress-panted and paced and whined if mom drove dad's car. Were they afraid of mom's driving? No. They were afraid because mom was tense, she kept telling them "it's ok" and held her breath and gasped whenever a car came up to fast on a side street. She clutched the wheel and drove "urgently." They were mirroring her stress, not their own fear of what "might happen" but hers. Dogs don't dwell on the past or worry about the future. The dog never wonders if he left the stove on. (Teaching the woman to sigh and yawn and sing nursery rhymes made all of them feel better!) When the woman recovered from her ordeal, the dogs were back to their old heads hanging out the windows, enjoy the ride selves. I
loved that Kim & Diane both mentioned the smell of smoke and
watching to see what the dog's response is to that smell. It may
or may not be an issue. I'm presuming that due to smoke damage,
their new house has new furniture and few of the dog's secure
base household items still exist (adding to the difficulty transitioning),
and any old items that came with them probably still have a lingering
smell of smoke (even with professional fumigating, it's likely
the dog can still smell it.) This is probably true of her once
safe haven, her crate. The treatment would be similar to SA in that we are desensitizing an emotional response to being left in the new house, re-introduction to the crate, or transition to being left free in the house (possibly before she's really mature/responsible enough to be.) First we have to define what are the real issues and how committed are the humans to work through them? Diane's point that "flooding" the dog by forcing the issue could push her over the edge is a valid concern. It is a delicate balance between supporting confident behavior without pushing her beyond her ability to cope; or the opposite, enabling fearful avoidance by coddling. Dogs learn "in context" and by association. This is certainly a perfect example of what could be "single event learning." How would the dog answer the question: "scary things happen when ..." Is the dog's perspective of the perceived danger that "crates are dangerous" or "closed doors are dangerous" or "owners leaving is dangerous." If they put her in the crate and go to bed with her in the same room, is she still freaked out? Is she clingy and won't let them out of her sight, pacing, tail tucked and whale eyed as soon as they pick up their car keys? On a scale of 1-10 how severe is the stress level? Is she pretty worried, some outward stress (panting vocalizing), frantic, in total terror? This will tell you where and how to direct a desensitization program. If "closed doors are dangerous" - how about a dog door? This might solve the claustraphobia and the peeing in the house! It would also help with boredom behaviors. Supervision and confinement: Play-n-Stay is a great idea! Gating, ex-pens, outdoor kennel are also all good suggestions. A different style of crate could be a simple answer if it's just "the" crate. Starting with just using as a toy box, feeding her in it, sleeping in it next to the bed while they sleep etc. Kongs and brain toys to keep the dog occupied and as a stress-reliever. Maintaining a normal daily pattern, calm comings & goings with no "you'll be fine" goodbyes or warnings to stay out of trouble, or celebrations or scoldings upon return. Secure pack order, leaving the radio/TV on, making things as NORMAL as possible in an abnormal adjustment period are key. All of these things will help whether it is new situation stress or post traumatic stress. They might also look into homeopathic remedies like Rescue Remedy, DAP diffusers, or if it truly is severe PTS, behavior medicines (prozac type) to facilitate the dog's transition back to normalcy. Do they need the dog to get back to being comfortable in a crate, or would other confinement options work as well? Owners need to realize that what they want may not be possible or may take a lot of time and patience to accomplish. Sometimes alternative management solutions are easier. The bottom line: Is her behavior the result of trauma, (assumed) "deliberate disobedience" (you are right, Elin, punishment will only make matters worse no matter why the dog is doing what it's doing.) Or more probably, a combination of a little post traumatic stress coupled with too much freedom in a new environment and absence of the security of familiar surroundings and daily patterns. Success depends on objective treatment of observable behavior without over-emotionalizing. Using the "Principles of Parsimony" (yes, Cathy, it's that damned CPDT test again!) we must first assume that "unless evidence is given to the contrary, the simplest explanation is probably true" and work from there. Q OF THE WEEK FOLLOW-UP: Q of the week part 2 from Kim: Okay, here are some more of my thoughts. Sorry if I repeat some things from my first email. From the brief history we have, I dont think the dog is suffering from Sep. Anx. This stems from an over attachment to the owner. The anxiety starts long before the seperation. It can start as soon as the alarm clock goes off (alarm going off indicates gonna leave for work at some point, no alarm means its the weekend and mom is staying home) and can last for a long time after the owner has returned. "Classic signs....urinating....." Inappropriate eliminations in a dog that is housetrained, medically sound and is not suffering from BBS (Bursting Bladder Syndrome---"MOM!!! Its been 14 hours....cant wait....must potty) can be a sign of anxiety of any kind. The dog who urinates and deficates in the reception room of the vet clinic with mom at the end of the lead is not suffering from SepAnx, but it is anxious. So, while it is a symptom of SepAnx, that is not the only thing inappropriate elimination can be a sign of. However, how the owner handles the dog prior to leaveing and upon return can create SepAnx. What I think is going on here is more of a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A dog who was fine alone, in the house, in a crate until a traumatic event occurs. I would imagin that working thru this would be very simular to SepAnx but I still think it is important to know where the anxiety is steming from. Some additional things I would want to know is how the dog responds to: being
in the house with the owner What potential components of the event are still triggers for the anxiety? Find the dogs comfort zones and begin working from there. Break down the fire event into as many little pieces as you can and desensitize the dog to each component. Being alone in a house, in a crate, the smoke, the smoke/fire alarm, the flames, people running and shouting while dog in crate. Is the dog okay outside and is there anyway a chainlink iwth a top run can be constructed for the dogs safety? Have her stay there durring the day until she can feel comfortable in the house. Start working withthe crate outside. Play 101 things to do with a crate. When feeling comfortable ahve a second crate in the house. Play 101 things to do with a crate. When comfortable, start crate training from scratch. Work with her to desenstize her to lights, flames, smoke. No the houe may never go up in flames again, and no they may not have a fireplace so whats the big deal about the work with fire? On the off chance they take the dog camping and every one sits down around the campfire...how is that dog gonna react? You dont want a panic attack in the middle of the woods. Keep
working to prevent SepAnx. One anxiety disorder is enough to work
with. I would also imagine that like SepAnx, drug therapy would
help with the treatment/behavior modification regiem.
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