ResearchVideo analysis of adult dogs when left home alone
Introduction
When left alone and confined by their owners, many domestic dogs exhibit anxiety-related disorders and separation-related problems (Simpson, 2000; Takeuchi et al., 2000; Overall et al., 2001).
Separation anxiety is a problematic behavior motivated by anxiety that occurs exclusively in the owner's absence or virtual absence (Overall, 1997; Flannigan and Dodman, 2001; Appleby and Pluijmakers, 2004). There is some debate regarding terminology, with the terms separation anxiety, separation distress, and separation-related problems used by some authors (King et al., 2000; Simpson et al., 2007). In this article, the conventional term “separation-related problems” will be used throughout to refer to problematic behaviors that occur exclusively in the owner's absence or virtual absence (Borchelt and Voith, 1982; Bradshaw et al., 2002; Horwitz, 2002). Separation anxiety and separation-related problems are often used interchangeably in the literature.
Problems that occur when the owner is absent represent one of the principal causes for the breakdown of the human–dog bond and the surrender of dogs to shelters (Van der Borg et al., 1991; Miller et al., 1996). The most common complaints are destructive behavior directed to the home, self-inflicted trauma, inappropriate elimination, increased and repetitive motor activity (pacing and circling), and excessive vocalization (whining, barking, and howling) in the owner's absence (King et al., 2000; Simpson, 2000; Appleby and Pluijmakers, 2004). Two large U.S. premarketing studies on the percent of dogs that show clinical signs consistent with separation anxiety (destruction, hypersalivation, urination, defecation, and vocalization) when left alone (King et al., 2000; Simpson et al., 2007) indicate that 14% and 17% of dogs that see veterinarians for care, providing support that separation-related problems are a very common problem. Owner reports have been confirmed by studies that include video analysis of dogs with separation-related problems when home alone and have been published (Tuber et al., 1996; Lund and Jørgensen, 1999; Blackwell et al., 2006; Palestrini et al., 2010). To the authors' knowledge, only 1 study in English (Rehn and Keeling, 2011) has examined the behavioral responses to social isolation of dogs without a history of separation-related behavior problems. The aims of the present study were to investigate behaviors exhibited by dogs without separation-related problems (nonclinical) when left home alone as well as to describe variability and temporal distribution of these behaviors; to compare the behavior of nonclinical dogs home alone for 3 different age ranges; and to compare behaviors of nonclinical dogs when left home alone with behaviors of clinical dogs (i.e., dogs diagnosed with separation-related problems by a veterinary behavior specialist).
Section snippets
Subjects
Thirty dogs were randomly recruited from a population of owned dogs entering the veterinary clinic for a physical examination and vaccination. These dogs were not reported by owners as showing signs of separation-related problem (nonclinical). Each animal was chosen on a selected day among owners who accepted to participate in the study. Dogs living with other dogs were excluded from this study. All dogs were kept exclusively for companionship and lived within the human household. Dogs were
Questionnaires
Analysis of questionnaire responses relating to the nonclinical group revealed that 6 dogs were of mixed breed and purebred dogs included 4 golden retrievers, 4 Labrador retrievers, 3 dachshund, 2 Dogue de Bordeaux, 1 Great Dane, 1 beagle, 1 French bulldog, 1 boxer, 1 Hungarian hound, 1 springer spaniel, 1 Lagotto Romagnolo, 1 German shepherd, 1 English setter, 1 Irish setter, and 1 Yorkshire terrier. At the time of adoption, more than half of the dogs (55.2%) were between 2 and 3 months of
Discussion
Previous studies using video analysis have already described the behavior of puppies (Frank et al., 2007; Cannas et al., 2010) and dogs with separation-related problems (Lund and Jørgensen, 1999; Blackwell et al., 2006; Palestrini et al., 2010) when home alone. The first 2 aims of this study were to investigate behaviors exhibited by nonclinical dogs when left home alone and to compare the behavior of dogs home alone for 3 different age ranges. This study included a small sample of dogs of
Conclusion
Video analysis of nonclinical dogs home alone did not reveal signs of prolonged distress or anxiety. In fact, these dogs slept or rested for most of the time. However, some of the nonclinical dogs displayed separation-related behaviors suggesting the need for better diagnostic tool, with owner report, but above all direct observation and standardized measurement of dog behaviors (i.e., videos). Comparison with clinical dogs highlighted differences in behavior. These results suggest that most
Acknowledgments
The authors thank all dog owners who participated as volunteers in the study.
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2021, Applied Animal Behaviour ScienceRisk factors of separation-related behaviours in Australian retrievers
2018, Applied Animal Behaviour ScienceCitation Excerpt :Dogs reported by owners to be anxious during separation showed more stress-related behaviours and activity in a separation and greeting test (Konok et al., 2011). Likewise, dogs with owner-reported SRB spent less time passively and more time vocalising, lip-licking, and being orientated towards their environment when left alone compared to the group of dogs where owners reported no SRB (Scaglia et al., 2013). Work by our group demonstrated a significant correlation between owner’s responses to the SRB section of our questionnaire and the percentage of time spent exhibiting anxiety-related behaviours in dogs recorded when left home alone (van Rooy et al., 2018).
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2018, Veterinary Clinics of North America - Small Animal PracticeCitation Excerpt :Although little work has been done to investigate confinement distress in dogs, one study of dogs with separation anxiety showed that confined dogs yawned and licked their lips more than unconfined dogs,21 possibly indicating a higher intensity of anxiety in confined dogs. Other studies show no direct correlation between confinement and separation anxiety,10,26,31 which suggests that confinement distress is a separate disorder. Confinement distress is observed in dogs when they are confined regardless of the owner’s presence,14,32 but signs may be more intense when the dog is confined during distressing events (ie, confined while home alone or during fireworks).
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2018, Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and ResearchSeparation anxiety in dogs: What progress has been made in our understanding of the most common behavioral problems in dogs?
2016, Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and ResearchCitation Excerpt :Four of 18 studies were retrospective studies (Flannigan and Dodman, 2001; Takeuchi et al., 2001; McGreevy and Masters, 2008; Storengen et al., 2014) and reported the risk factors associated with separation anxiety. The eight studies of remaining 10 studies analyzed additional objective information using video/sound recordings of the affected dogs (Lund and Jorgensen, 1999; Blackwell et al., 2006; Parthasarathy and Crowell-Davis, 2006; Palestrini et al., 2010; Butler et al., 2011; Konok et al., 2011; Scaglia et al., 2013; Cannas et al., 2014). Half the studies (13 of 28) during this period focused on the treatment outcome after the diagnosis of separation anxiety, including randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trials with two Food and Drug Administration–approved medications (e.g., clomipramine and fluoxetine) (King et al., 2000; King et al., 2004; Sherman et al., 2007; Landsberg et al., 2008).