The Bliss Spa: Relieving Dog Separation Anxiety

Our family just moved into a new house. It’s an exciting time for all of us (we can’t believe we have our OWN! GARAGE! and our OWN! BACKYARD! These are luxuries in San Francisco), but an anxiety-filled time for our somewhat neurotic floofball.

When we made the move from Southern California to Northern California three years ago, it was quite a trial for Bliss. We moved from a 2200-square-foot house with a huge backyard to a 1000-square-foot apartment with a balcony. She did not adjust well. Our downstairs neighbors told us so.

We realized we hadn’t made it easy for her, so we took a step back and tried to figure out what would make her more comfortable. Here’s what we did (and what we plan to do again) that worked for us:

1. Make a den
We bought a dog gate and blocked off the kitchen. A gate kept her confined, but allowed her to see out so she wouldn’t feel closed in (which she hates). The kitchen had a window, but no direct sunlight, so it was nice and dark and cool. It was also away from the street, so less noise to confuse her. We dubbed the kitchen the “Bliss Spa.”

2. Create ambient noise
We got Bliss her own little radio and tuned it to NPR while we were out. The chatter helped mask the outside noise and talk radio kept her company. It was during the pledge drive, so Bliss is now a supporter of public radio. Should have kept the telephone out of the kitchen.

3. Drug her
Not really. We did, however, get D.A.P. (“Dog-Appeasing Pheromone”) with a diffuser. D.A.P. mimics the pheromones of the nursing mommy dog and makes dogs feel all warm and fuzzy. Of course, Bliss always feels warm and fuzzy, but in a different way. The diffuser worked well, but we found if we used the spray version and spritzed around her bedding, that worked better. There’s a new D.A.P. collar out now, so maybe we’ll give that a try.

4. Keep her busy
A lot of separation anxiety stems from boredom. The KongTime toy dispenser pops out a treat-filled Kong every hour and worked well for Bliss (being treat-motivated and all), but it looks like it’s not available anymore. Any puzzle-type toy should do the trick, like the Buster Food Cube. Anything to keep your pup occupied while we humans are out bringing home the kibble is good.

5. Address the behavior
We had to learn not to make a big deal about leaving or coming home. No long, tearful good-byes in the morning and (this was the hardest) no greeting her upon our return until she calmed down. No eye contact, no affection, no acknowledgment at all until she stopped freaking out. To try and console her would reinforce the behavior. She learned quickly.

Moving is a trying time for pets and humans alike, but if you take a little extra time and create a “Bliss Spa” of your own, it may make the transition easier.

I wish someone would make a spa for me right now.

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12 Comments to “The Bliss Spa: Relieving Dog Separation Anxiety”

Kate

Sep 1st, 2009

this is a cool article, thanks a lot for the tips

Jorden

Oct 3rd, 2009

Nice! We are just about to move into a new house – this was a good review Thanks for sharing.

Jorden

Oct 3rd, 2009

linked to the wrong site before – oops!

adsglobe

Nov 12th, 2009

good tips….linked to the wrong site before – oops!……

Michael

Dec 2nd, 2009

Nice post – One other thing that can help with dog separation anxiety is to ease into an upcoming schedule change. For example if you know that a change your schedule means leaving your dog home alone, try leaving them alone in stages. First 20-30 minutes, than an hour and so on until you have made it to an 8 hour shift. Here is more information on separation anxiety http://www.remarkabledogs.com/2009/08/scrappy’s-september-sadness/

James Colella

Dec 11th, 2009

Separation Anxiety is a common problem among dogs and especially puppies. I agree totally with all (5) elements of the remedy that you employed. I am especially an advocate of element # 5 Address the behavior. A good rule of thumb I use for my members is: 1st (15) minutes no contact when arriving home and last (15) minutes no contact prior to leaving. Also one addition, attempt to vary your patterns prior to leaving, eliminating some of the pent up anxiety. In other words assuming everytime before you leave your home, you eat a sandwich, make a cup of coffee, and set the alarm. The minute you are eating your sandwich your dog begins to start their anxiety in our opininon. Switch up the oder of events, also come back in 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 7, minutes (vary the times). If you need more information please do not hesitate http://www.DedicatedDogTraining.com