Why Does Your Dog Make a Mess When You Leave?

Do you ever leave your dog home alone?  And have you ever found that when you come home, your dog has created some sort of mess by either destroying things by chewing or ripping them up or defecating on the floor?  Separation anxiety is a common behavior that dogs experience and goes unrecognized by dog owners.  The thing dog owners do notice is that their dog is making a mess when they’re gone.

Dogs enjoy being around others and don’t like being left alone, because they’re pack animals.  Not all dogs will freak out when they’re left alone, some will just sigh and wait until you return and not cry or bark when you’re gone.

A good way to help your dog cope with separation anxiety and preventing further messes in your home is by crate training.  Getting your dog used to being in a crate while you’re gone will give your dog a sense of security. 

It’s important to know that dogs need help getting adjusted to being in a crate.  If you just stick your dog in a crate and walk away, it could lead your dog to undergo a lot of stress, because they’re not used to it.  Therefore, you should practice the following steps below:

Step 1:  Pretend you’re getting ready to leave your home, while not paying any attention to your dog and not actually leaving.  Don’t say goodbye, kiss or hug, etc..  Note that you should not pay attention to your dog whenever you’re leaving for now on.  If your dog just sits there calmly watching you, then reward her behavior to let her know there’s nothing to worry about.  Pretending to leave should be done should be practiced with your dog several times during the day.  If you actually do end up having to leave, then this should be practiced for a few days.  Once your dog can’t tell if you’re actually leaving or pretending, move on to step 2.

Step 2:  In this step, you will still pretend to leave by putting on your coat and shoes, but this time will also walk outside the door and close it while not paying attention to your dog.  Then standing close to the door, but not too close where your dog will know you’re standing on the other side, count to 15 slowly and see if you hear your dog is whimpering or barking.

Step 3:  If your dog is whimpering, crying, or barking, don’t open the door.  As hard as it is, don’t open the door, you need to wait it out, because if you go back in when your dog is crying or barking, then you end up rewarding his/her behavior.  When your dog gets tired of making noise and eventually quiets down, quickly walk in to reward his/her quiet behavior for when you were gone. 

Continue following the exercise routine of leaving and rewarding when there’s silence and trying to do it for extended periods to make your dog feel more comfortable when you’re gone.

Source:  “Separation Anxiety – My Dog Destroys My House When I Leave”, About.com.  Retrieved on November 7, 2008 from http://dogs.about.com/cs/behaviorissues/p/sep_anxiety.htm

© 2008, Dog Service Network. All rights reserved. Republished articles have been reprinted with permission. For permission to reprint these articles, please contact the author.

Related Articles

• Tips to Help Solve the Three Most Common Dog Barking Complaints
• Understanding What Your Dog Is Trying To Tell You
• Doggoned Separation Anxiety
• Four Easy Ways to Ruin a Dog
• It’s Not My Fault! – Inadvertently Reinforced Bad Behaviors