My dog is experiencing separation anxiety, help!

By: daniellechua
Separation anxiety in dogs, a common problem and normally this happened when dogs are left alone at home or being apart from their owners. It is a behavior of dislike or fear of being apart from their owner which result in undesirable behavior. Normally, dogs who suffered from separation anxiety will leads to excessive barking problem, chewing or biting, whining or growling, depression or loss of appetite. Dog owners most likely will get headache if their dogs perform destructive behavior.

How to know if your dogs are having separation anxiety?

Dogs that experienced separation anxiety will normally throwing tantrums by showing all the destructive behavior when you are not around. Chewing or biting things in the house and will focus on items that have strong smell of you. Excessive barking when you are around. Peeing or pooping in various locations. You can sense that your dog will greet you wildly and feeling anxious and stress when you arrive home. Some dogs will follow you no matter where you go, getting to stick together with you. Every dog troubled with separation anxiety will respond differently. Some will only employ a single destructive behavior while the other while engages several severe damaging behaviors.

Foremost, they will not feel guilty for destroying items in the house. They are doing all these to get attention from you and behave destructively to revenge you for leaving them alone.

Normally, dog owners who get back from the holiday or business trip will get headache due to their dog's destructive behavior. There are some methods that can help you to treat the consequences of your dog separation anxiety problem.

First thing that you must do to prevent or stop separation anxiety in your dog, reconstruct the relation build between both of you. Do not let your dog to be over attaching to you, as he will be following you no matter where you go. Start to keep them staying apart from you. Try not to let them to be so near with you while keeping a distance from you. Reward them when they successful to keep a distance from you.

Plan your departure ahead. Start the training before your vacation start. Train your dog to be apart from you from short period of time (15-30minutes). Every time you are being apart from him, dog starts to feel stress and later on develop to anxiety problem. So, before any anxiety feeling develop you will be home to stop it. As time goes by, they will start to adapt to the situation.

You will need to rebuild the way you interact with your dog every time when you leave or reach home. Try to maintain your arrival or leaving to be as low profile as possible. Do not let your dog to get excited or overwhelmed when you back home. Just ignore them for 15 minutes by not giving them any attention when you reach home or try to occupy yourself with some other thing in order to neglect him. You can also get him tired before you leave home or pass him a toy when you are leaving in order to avoid boredom when you are not around.

Lastly, you could vary your departure habit cues. This will help to diminish the cues that you give him when you are leaving home. Example, you will always put on coat, shoe and taking your handbag before leaving home. Every time you perform these actions, he understands you are leaving. Try to repeat this habit but stay at home. And make him confuse. Getting him to understand that you are not necessary to leave home when perform such action. Try not to give him any cues that you are leaving home.

Separation anxiety is a serious issue that occurred in many household. Serious anxiety issue in your problem will contribute to severe health issue.



Author's Resource:

www.dogcareschool.com

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