Why does my dog destroy the house when I'm gone?
For some dogs, you may find that they have claustrophobia. Fear of small spaces may seem like a very human phobia, but animals can suffer from it too. This is sometimes the case for nervous or anxious dogs, but fear of small spaces isn’t limited to fearful dogs. Although armchair experts will tell you that dogs like dens, some dogs find life in a crate to be very tough, and prefer the freedom of the house. This is not just so that they can go and lie on the couch (though I’d prefer a couch to a crate myself) but also because they can find the places that smell most of you, or that they have a choice over where to rest.
My dog Amigo has claustrophobia. He doesn’t like transport crates, cages or small spaces. Even the back seat of the car can be distressing to him. The only time he seeks out a small space is during a storm. When I crated him the first time, having taken weeks to get him used to it, he tore up a cushion. It’s the only thing he’s ever destroyed in four years. Some dogs just don’t like small spaces, and crating them may be part of the problem. These dogs aren’t trying to get out because they feel trapped or because they miss you, but because they hate small spaces.
Other dogs may have containment phobia. Like claustrophobia, this is also a fear. This time it is a fear of being trapped. Some animals shut down when they feel trapped, whereas others panic and attempt to destroy exits in an attempt to get out. Although the armchair experts will tell you that damage at doors and windows is a sign of separation anxiety, it may not be. Your dog might simply feel panicked if they feel trapped. Usually, these are anxious or fearful dogs to start with, but you may also find this with rescue dogs who have lived outside or on the streets. Being able to escape is a key survival skill for street dogs, and being in a home may be nothing more than being in a prison. Other dogs may feel fearful of being trapped if they’ve had a negative experience in a crate or small room, such as vet surgery or being transported. These dogs are trying to get out because freedom makes them feel safe and gives them options.
My foster dog Flika doesn’t like to be contained behind doors when I go out, but she is happy to be in the garden. It’s not my absence that is stressful, but being trapped indoors. For housetrained dogs who have medical issues, you may find also that they feel stressed by the locked door if they have previously been punished for toileting inside, yet they panic because they have problems they can’t tell you about. This may lead to another ‘symptom’ of ‘separation anxiety’, diagnosed by the blokes in the pub - housetraining accidents.
Some dogs are hyperattached to you. This is statistically more likely to happen in single owner households - and makes sense if you think about it. There are two people to attach to. Some dogs are very loyal and will shadow you in the house. Just because your dog follows you to the toilet does not mean that any destruction in your absence is related to separation issues, however.
Other dogs suffer from isolation distress. This is a feeling of anxiety at being alone. It’s not focused on one particular individual and any warm body will do, as long as it’s someone. These are dogs you can leave with a neighbour, who are happy if they have a dogsitter. Sometimes, this may be distress around human absence, but for others, any species will do.
My old dog Tobby was happy as long as he had another creature for company. Although he did shadow me often, he was not destructive or anxious alone as long as he had company. Since dogs are social species, this is not uncommon. Dogs are not a species who can be alone all day.
Video is very helpful in identifying what happens when you are not at home. It can help you eliminate anxiety altogether. The sight of two pointers whose owner thought they had separation anxiety made me laugh the other week: the owner closed the door and it was two hours of party mayhem. Those dogs were delighted by his absence as they could do all the naughty stuff they wanted to do when he was around but weren’t permitted. High energy dogs, often in their teen years, may just simply be bored and in need of something to occupy them.
The behaviours above can come in all kinds of groups. You can see that with my dogs. Amigo has claustrophobia. Tilly has isolation distress. Flika has containment issues and panics behind closed doors, but she also has separation anxiety from me. Tobby had isolation distress and also some hyper-attachment. Thank God some of my dogs have been normal! Luckily, isolation distress can be easily managed, along with claustrophobia. Containment issues can be costly and may result in accidents if your dog succeeds in escaping. Separation anxiety is distressing and will not be soothed by those often-recommended old wives’ tales like leaving a radio on or leaving them an item of your clothing. It’s not unusual for people watching the videos to either rule out separation issues altogether, or for them to be really upset by how much their dog is panicking in the absence of the owner.
When you have ruled out all of the above, you might be thinking that separation anxiety is the cause of the destruction. Typically, you’ll see very specific behaviours on the video: circling, pacing, whining, barking, attempts to get out, failure to settle. At the worst end, you may find your dog can’t eat, that they break their housetraining, that they are injuring themselves either in their attempts to get out or in self-harm. Many of these behaviours, however, can be signs of other things, so make sure you get in touch with a positive, force-free behaviourist to help you identify the causes of chaos and then help you minimise destruction in the home.
