Signs of Dog Separation Anxiety

Don’t leave me behind!

Dog separation anxiety is a major problem that many dog owners have to deal with. Out of all of the dog behavioral problems out there, dog separation anxiety forms a big chunk of the pie. Why do dogs become anxious and what can we, as owners, do about it?

 Signs of separation anxiety include a number of other related behaviors. Chewing, peeing on the rug, trying to dig under the door, and barking are normally the most found side effects of dog anxiety. If you come home and can see any of these signs, you will know that your dog is becoming anxious. Take the steps needed to prevent the behavior from getting worse. The answer requires some study and research, but in a summary, here is what I feel that you can do to help your dog’s problems. You can follow these steps to ease dog separation anxiety.

Dog Separation Anxiety: How to Calm Your Dog Down

• A dog that is left alone for long periods of time is obviously going to be lonely. This is very easy to combat. Do not leave the dog alone for so long. There, that didn’t take rocket science did it? If you are not able to keep your pet company throughout the day, simply leave the television or radio on. The animal needs to know that something is there other than itself. Loneliness is one of the easier issues with anxiety.
• Many pets cannot comprehend that your leave will mean a return (hopefully). For dogs and cats, an owner who has left is a very fearful thing, until they learn your routine. How can you help the animal know that you are only going for a short period of time and that it is ok to be left alone?
• You can help the animal to live on its own for a while by not being so cozy with the pet whenever you leave the house. What I mean by this is to not have a long drawn out good-bye session with pooch. It will make the dog think that you are praising it for whining and being anxious. Leave the house without saying a word. Make sure to leave food and water for your pet, as well as a couple of its favorite toys. Toys can keep an animal occupied for longer than you may think.
• It is also suggested to confine the dog to a certain portion of your house. The reason for this is that you do not want an unruly dog to have the rule of the house. Upon your return, you may not recognize the place. So with that said, make sure to leave pooch in a room or in a crate. I would suggest a room if that is possible.

Relax.. Dog Separation Anxiety Can Be Treated

Looking Lonely.

These are just a few tips that you can use to help combat dog separation anxiety. It is also very important to practice leaving the room, house, or place where your dog stays, as a training method. The more your animal realizes that it is all right to be left alone, the less anxiety you will see from it (if this is the only problem). Give your training time a few weeks and you should see a great improvement in your pet’s behavior.

Back to Dog Training and Anxiety

***Thanks to Spike Walker and Ruocaled for the photos***