GUEST: Kelley Bollen is a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant with a master’s degree in Animal Behavior who has worked in the field of companion animal behavior for twenty years. Kelley is the Owner and Principal Consultant for Kelley Bollen Consulting – an animal behavior consulting business that works with animal shelters across the country on the design and implementation of comprehensive behavior programs to improve the welfare of the animals. She leads Humane Network’s Alive & Thriving animal behavior training program for shelter and clinic staff. And Kelley teaches a new Animal Shelter Behavior Management Certificate Course through the University of the Pacific.

MAIN QUESTION: How can shelters and rescue groups help people in their community with dogs who have separation anxiety issues?

TAKEAWAYS:

• Actively reach out to the people in your community now (especially people who adopted a dog within the past year), with ideas to help them prepare their pets for when they return to work in an office in order to help prevent the development of separation anxiety.
• If a dog can’t be content in one room while their person is in another, then there will likely be problems when the person is outside the home for extended periods.
• Here are a few behavior tips to share with your community:
  • Be low-key when you leave and when you return.
  • Make your departure fun by hiding treats around the home and/or giving a Kong-type toy filled with mushy food, like canned pet food.
  • Practice leaving and returning for increasing lengths of time, starting with 30 seconds, so the dog gets used to you going and coming back. Take the dog’s Kong when you return so the dog wants you to stay away longer.
  • Leave a radio or TV on when you're gone to give the dog some company.
  • Give the dog 10 to 15 minutes of aerobic exercise before leaving such as running up and down stairs or chasing a ball in the backyard.

LINKS:

• Kelley Bollen Consulting 
• Video presentation on independence training for dogs by Kelley Bollen 
• Separation anxiety behavior tips by Kelley Bollen that organizations can print and give to adopters or people who contact them with concerns
• Leadership recommendation: Sample fraud policy by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners