Dog Separation Anxiety
Most people who have had a pet with separation anxiety problems will nearly all agree that it can be an agonizing and stressful time for both of you. 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.
A few ways that will let you know if your pet truly has anxiety problems:
Anywhere that you go in your home he follows, never losing eye contact; Your pets attitude changes at all as you get ready to walk out the door;When your pet is left alone he urinates in the house.
Should your pet show any of the symptoms mentioned above he is more than likely suffering from a little bit of dog separation anxiety. Below are some of the better known myths about this behavior.
Help Your Dog Separation Anxiety
Our dog destroyed the house just because we left him home alone.
Yes, there are some pets who will tear things up because of dog separation anxiety but they are not doing it to punish anybody. No, it is the result of a lot of stress building up because he feels all alone.
If You Crate Your Pet, That Will Help
Sure, if you crate your pet he won’y tear stuff up, but it isn’t going to help his anxiety problems one little bit. 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.
Dog Separation Anxiety Can Be Fixed Through Punishment.
This method will produce an opposite effect. When you go somewhere your dog is already anxious and uptight. Now just imagine how your dog feels when you walk through that door and he is met with some sort of punishment. Remember, this bad behavior is not intential, it is happening because he is feeling panic.
So, what is the solution for dog separation anxiety? There are different answers and they all depend on how severe the condition is. You can use simple methods for mild forms of anxiety. Try this, ignore him for a short time when you get home and then gently pet on him and avoid “Big Productions”.
A few people have found that if they left an item behind that had their scent on it, it seemed to help a dog with the mild form of separation anxiety find some comfort.
You will not be able to fix dog separation anxiety overnight, especially if it severe. If it is the severe form of anxiety you may want to leave your dog with friends or family while you are gone.
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.
