Abstract
Separation related disorder in dogs is a multi-faceted phenomenon. Dogs can react to the absence of their owner due to different inner states such as fear, panic or frustration. We hypothesized that dogs that are prone to frustration or fearfulness in other contexts would show a different behavioral response to separation from the owner. We investigated the association between inner states in different contexts and separation behaviors by combining a questionnaire with a separation test. Fear-related questionnaire components were rather associated with whining and the absence of barking. Dogs that received higher scores in the demanding component of the questionnaire, which might be in association of the frustration threshold of the dog, barked more and were more likely to scratch the door. Finally, dogs that were more prone to phobic reactions whined somewhat more and tried to escape. We provide empirical support for the assumption that separation-related behavioral responses of dogs might be triggered by different emotions.
Highlights
Separation related disorder in dogs is a multi-faceted phenomenon
Separation related problems (SRP) are among the most common behavior disorders in family dogs, affecting the dog itself, but they can be disturbing to the owner and the environment[2,3]
Generally fearful dogs had a higher risk of developing SRP, noise-phobia and thunderstorm-phobia are thought to be connected to it19,21,22
Summary
Separation related disorder in dogs is a multi-faceted phenomenon. Dogs can react to the absence of their owner due to different inner states such as fear, panic or frustration. It is known that some affected dogs constantly pace when left alone while others rather show inactivity[17] These contradictions of the different signs, the multicausality, and the presence of several different risk factors, illustrate the complexity of this phenomenon, suggesting that it cannot be handled as one demarcated behavior problem. Sherman and M ills[19] state that “The term separation distress may best describe the phenomenon, which incorporates signs consistent with anxiety, fear, and phobic behavior” While these terms are often used interchangeably in the literature, the underlying neural mechanisms and their behavioral manifestations may be different[19]. Generally fearful dogs had a higher risk of developing SRP, noise-phobia and thunderstorm-phobia are thought to be connected to it19,21,22
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