Well that's all well and good, however the biggest problem that people seem to encounter is that their dog won't eat food when they are gone. But there is actually a very good reason for this; if your dog has separation anxiety, then he is having a literal panic attack when you leave (if you haven't read my previous article on Separation Anxiety in Dogs, I recommend you do, as it will explain this in greater detail.) I'm not sure if you have ever had a panic attack, but even if you haven't, I'm sure you can understand that the last thing you would want to do is eat something. The science behind this is that the flood of stress hormones actually temporarily shut off the digestive system, so it is not uncommon for even the greediest of dogs to pass up food when their beloved human leaves.
So now you're asking, well if my dog won't eat food when I'm gone, how on earth will I change his emotional response to being left??? When treating your dog's separation anxiety, it is of the utmost importance that they are never placed over threshold. What this means is that they never get to the point of being too anxious to eat. Your number one goal when treating your dog's separation anxiety is to build them up gradually, and always train at a level they are comfortable with. By ensuring they never reach their anxiety threshold, you are allowing your dog to maintain a reasonable level of relaxation and therefore, they will be able to eat in your absence. If you are unsure about how to treat your dog's separation anxiety and keep them under threshold, you can watch this Three Part Series on Canine Separation Anxiety, you can join the Canine Separation Anxiety Support Group on Facebook, and or you can talk to a qualified dog trainer or behaviourist who specialises in separation anxiety.
So what about food dispensing toys, such as the original Kong? Many people believe that food dispensing toys can treat separation anxiety all on their own. Whilst in some mild cases of separation anxiety this might be possible, in the majority of cases it won't. That's not to say that food dispensing toys aren't a valuable tool when treating separation anxiety, because they are. Food dispensing toys are effective in two ways. Firstly, they allow for counter conditioning to occur because being left alone becomes the predictor for a high value reward (the Kong or other food dispensing toy) thus changing the dog's emotional response to being left. The other brilliant thing about food dispensing toys is that they activate the SEEKING system in the dog's brain, which is incompatible with the PANIC system associated with separation anxiety. In other words, the dog can't be in panic mode and seeking mode at the same time, so by engaging your dog's seeking system through the use of a food dispensing toy, you are essentially blocking the dog's panic system from taking over.
There's just one problem with this. Eventually the Kong is going to run out of food and your dog's anxiety levels will start to rise, and will likely reach a full blown panic. Teaching your dog to happily chew on a Kong or other food dispensing toy in your absence is a great start, but it's not enough. You also have to teach your dog to be comfortable in your absence once the food runs out! How do I do this? By gradually building up the amount of time the dog is left once the food runs out, from just one second, up to an hour, and then two. Remember: for the training process to be successful, you must ensure your dog never goes over threshold. In other words, you need to always work at your dog's pace and never force them into a situation they are uncomfortable with. Stay tuned for the next article and Cuddle Your Dog!!!!
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