Three Ways to Combat Separation Anxiety in Dogs
An article contributed by featured author: Allen Jesson
You leave and he howls. Not just for a moment, but seemingly forever. When the howling finally abates, it is replaced by a whine. When you return, you find your home a mess—he has engaged in destructive behavior that is completely out of character. Your dog has a real problem: separation anxiety.
Dogs love their owners and develop a very close relationship with them. Sometimes the closeness of that relationship can leave them confused and frightened when the owner is gone. Thy dog may seem confused, angry or sullen when the owner leaves and may appear to “lash out” against being left alone by ruining furniture, creating messes or otherwise acting in ways wholly inconsistent with his training. Separation anxiety is relatively easy to diagnose: an otherwise well-adjusted dog seems to transform into a monster when left alone. Unfortunately, it is not always quite as easy to treat the disorder.
TEACHING YOUR DOG TO HEELOne of the first commands your dog learns should be the “HEEL” command. This command will be helpful in insuring the safety of your pet while ..... Helping a dog to overcome problems with separation anxiety is a process, just like other aspects of training, it takes time and repetition to be truly successful. The idea of “training away” separation anxiety seems unlikely—how can you address a behavior when you are not present to see, prevent or correct it? Fortunately, there are actions one can take to decrease separation anxiety and to prevent your dog’s frustrated behavior from spiraling out of control during your absence.
Prepare the dog for your departure. Many people have a tendency to lavish attention on their dog before leaving. They may take extra time to play with the dog or find other ways to try to squeeze in a little extra “quality time” with their canine friend. Though well intended, this only makes the owner’s departure even more noticeable and worrisome for the dog. Instead of petting and kissing the dog goodbye, owners dealing with separation anxiety should take measures to correctly prepare the pet for their absence.
This can be done by intentionally decreasing interaction with the pet prior to leaving. Although one may want to spend extra time with a pet before leaving him alone, the best practice is to actually come close to ignoring your pet for several minutes prior to leaving. This will make your departure less jarring and should serve to decrease the dog’s level of anxiety.
If you are leaving for an extended period and feel the need to connect with your pet and to enjoy their company, find ways to do so earlier in the day. Resist the urge to say “goodbye” before actually leaving.
Provide an immediate distraction for the dog. Right before leaving, it is desirable to provide the pet with some sort of distraction. A new ......
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