Bear:
A Dangerous Case Of Separation Anxiety
By Jon Wedemeyer
December 4, 2015
CASE STUDY
NORTH FLORIDA
K9 BEHAVIOR CENTER
BEHAVIOR BLUEPRINT
DATE: 10/26/16
DOG’S INFORMATION:
Name of the dog(s): BEAR
NO. OF VISITS TO DATE:2
Bear was one of the very first Separation Anxiety (SA) cases that I worked after graduating and getting my diploma. To this day, he is still one of the most severe cases of Separation Anxiety I have worked. Luckily, he was also one of the most responsive.
I got a call from a former client about her husbands dog Bear, a 65lb. M/N Golden Chow, that lived with him in Orlando. He was at his wits end with Bear’s SA ,and he was really worried about his condition. The latest event was when he got a call from his neighbor while at work and was told Bear was trying to jump out of the second story bedroom window (actual photo). Luckily, Bear had thought better of actually doing it.
He drove up from Orlando with Bear and I met them at her apartment. When I entered, the first thing I saw was a crate that had been essentially destroyed. The front door latch had been destroyed in two different places. The back had two bars pushed out from the middle in an ( ) shape like the old jail-break cartoons you used to see, and there was piece of metal that was just gone (we never did find it).
Still standing just in the entry, I looked to my right and saw the wall had massive pieces of sheet-rock missing, the baseboard had been destroyed and was actually now missing, and the door was also severely damaged. The carpet had been ripped up in front of the door and as I looked further, I saw that a piece of baseboard on the other side of the door was damaged as well. I took a deep breath.
Bear was actually a very sweet and very gentle giant. He was very happy, mature, intelligent and cooperative. His only real issue was his intense, terrifying fear of being alone.
(NOTE: This case and the methods I used with Bear were many years ago now and the methods and tools I use today are far more advanced, extensive and varied.)
With Bear, I used the “Leave and Come Back” desensitization method. We would go through a normal leaving the house routine – pick up cellphone, pick up keys, walk to front door. Here is where I suggested a few changes. I asked him to give Bear a few treats, one after the other, and say in a ‘Happy Voice’ “Back In One Minute”. Then we walked out smiling and shut the door.
Once outside we tried to determine Bear’s threshold – the length of time he could go before starting to panic. The first 3-4 time we left, we waited only about 10-15 seconds and then came back in. This seemed to surprise Bear (which is the whole idea) and short-circuit his panic switch. We kept repeating this process, walking down the sidewalk, lengthening the threshold each 5th or 6th time. He would howl and cry, but it was getting less and less as he became desensitized to our leaving and being gone.
After about 45 minutes Bear would just sit in front of the window looking and waiting quietly for our return, but he seemed to feel confident of that happening now, which again, is the whole point of the exercise. After a two-hr visit I left bear in the husbands good care and he kept working with him. I had to go back for one follow-up where we went over it all again, but I am happy to report that today Bear is a very normal pup and barely notices when the husband leaves the house now.
Today there are many more tools in the toolbox that we can bring to SA casework. I am now certified in working Separation Anxiety cases.
Jon Wedemeyer – Is the founder of, and has operated North Florida K9 Behavior Center in Gainesville, Fl., since 2015. Between his practice and his shelter work has worked over 2,000 canine behavior cases. He received his Diploma in Canine Psychology and Behavior from The International School for Canine Psychology and Behavior ISCP and recently completed a Master Class in Canine Aggression and a Certification Class in Canine Separation Anxiety.
