People who own a pet with separation anxiety can find agreement in the fact that leaving there home can be quite painful and sad for both dog & owner. Something that needs to be said is that many myths surround the dog separation anxiety discussions and you will need to understand the difference between fact and fiction.
To begin with, here are a few examples of dog separation anxiety:
Anywhere that you go in your home he follows, never losing eye contact; When you are preparing to leave home and his attitude changes what so ever;He acquires the nasty behavior of going to the bathroom all over the place anytime you leave him alone.
If any symptoms from above are displayed in your pet, he is more than likely dealing with dog separation anxiety. Below are some of the better known myths about this behavior.
More About Dog Separation Anxiety
Our dog tore up the house all because we left home without him.
Even though some pets that are experiencing some form of dog separation anxiety will destroy certain items, it isn’t there way of punishing you. No, it is the result of a lot of stress building up because he feels all alone.
The Situation Can Be Helped Through Crating
Of course crating your dog is going to prevent him from destroying things but it will not be the solution you are looking for to help you fix the anxiety problem. There is the chance that by handling the behavior this way with a dog with this kind of problem, he could injure himself in his attempt to get free.
Being Hard On Your Dog Can Break The Anxiety Problem.
Nothing could be further from the truth. After you leave, your dog has already begun to suffer and get wound up. Now visualize that when you arrive home that your pet is met with a scream fest from you about what a rotten dog he is. Your dog is just feeling a lot of panic which is causing him to act in a certain way, he is not doing these things on purpose.
So, what is the solution for dog separation anxiety? The answers vary depending on how bad the condition is. You can use simple methods for mild forms of anxiety. Here is an example, when you get home, ignore your dog for a little bit and then give him a pet, keeping everything calm.
By leaving behind an item with your scent on it has helped some dogs with mild anxiety issues find comfort.
To fix the problem of dog separation anxiety will take some time and will take even longer for the severe cases. If your dogs’ anxiety issues are severe, then you might want to find a dog day care or a family member to watch your pet while in your absence.
Dog separation and bad behavior are not the same, your dog is in misery and he is looking to you to come up with a solution that works.
Tags: dog separation anxiety, dog separation trauma, separation anxiety for dogs