Separation related problems – possibly the biggest welfare problem for domestic dogs!
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With up to 50% of the domestic canine population recognised as experiencing a separation related problem (SRP) at any specific time and up to 80% reported to display separation related behaviours (SRBs) at some stage during their life, the welfare cost to dogs that suffer during owner absence is considerable.
Previously thought to be purely attributed to a hyper-attachment to an owner and creating the emotion of anxiety, it is now recognised that attachment issues need not be present to create a SRP and that the behaviours observed during SRPs may be due to an array of different emotional systems. Due to the continual need for owners to leave their dogs alone, even if only for short periods of time, the dogs established coping strategies (which may result in considerable and costly damage to homes, or may be passively expressed and go unnoticed by owners) inevitably fail to improve its dog’s situation. As a result, it is now considered that the emotion that is most frequently associated with SRPs is frustration and that the range of situations that can occur both within the home and/or outside the home, to cause a dog’s capacity to cope to fail, is extensive.
When homes are damaged or neighbours are threatening legal intervention to control noise, the bond between owner and dog can become severely impaired and annually results in a considerable number of dogs being relinquished. As a result, dogs with SRPs are often presented at veterinary practices as emergency cases; yet there is no ‘quick fix’ to these conditions. Treatment of SRPs relies upon:
- Accurate identification of the causative factors,
- Identification of the associated emotional systems
- Creation of a treatment plan that both enables the dog to re-establish coping during owner absence, without becoming so extensive that owner compliance fails, and
- Due to the accompanying welfare detriment to both dog and owner, SRPs often require support from psychotropic medication.
So, if you are passionate about canine welfare and keeping dogs and owners together, please join the team from the Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians in Gallery Suite 11-12 from 9.30am to 1.00pm on Thursday 16th November to learn more about the causes and treatment of this welfare problem that could be affecting the majority of the domestic canine population.
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