Dealing With Dog Separation Anxiety

It is defined as "a troubled feeling when left alone or apart from a certain person, or persons." Separation anxiety. And it happens to many dogs. A lot.

Some dogs are more prone to it than others; it is in the breed. Dogs with extreme cases of separation anxiety are sometimes called "velcro dogs." German shepherds, Weimaraners, Springer Spaniels, and Airedales have a tendency towards this. So do dogs that grew up in animal shelters and have had some trauma in their lives, and therefore do not trust their new owner. Then you have the dogs that were separated from their mothers and siblings at a very early age, like pet store dogs that were bought before they were 8 weeks old, for example. Another example is dogs that have been neglected or abandoned by their owners.

Experiences such as these can be psychologically traumatic for the dog, hence the dog behavior problems. Neglect is the primary cause of separation anxiety.

A dog that is experiencing separation anxiety will show panic behavior before you leave, while you are away, and even after you arrive. If the dog sees you getting dressed he may start whining, trembling or crying, and may follow you all from room to room over the house. He may even exhibit aggressive dog behavior. After you leave he may tear the sofa pillows apart, do number one and number two all over the house, and chew anything he can get his hands on. Then when you come back he will be jumping all over you, and for much longer than he normally would.

There are times when you will have to leave your dog at home, so here is how you can deal with the separation anxiety and correct bad dog behavior.

Exercise your dog before you leave. Tire him out. The longer you will be away, the more exercise he should get. This will make him too sleepy to care that you are leaving, and he will most likely sleep all day until you come back.

Distract him. Focus your dog's attention on something else so that he will not notice you leaving. Give him a tasty dog bone, for example; that will keep him occupied and happy while you are out. Put on some soothing music as well, or turn the radio on to a talk show so that he will think there is somebody home.

Give him a nice view. If your house has got a window low enough for your dog to look out from, that would be neat. He can watch the world go by without noticing the time, and feel as if there is some action going on, even if it is outside.

Get him used to the signs that you're leaving. Jingle your keys, put on a jacket, but do not leave and instead sit down on the sofa. After a while do it again, but this time open the door then close it. Eventually your dog will be so used to these signs that he will not react anymore when you do leave.

Whatever you do, do not reinforce his separation anxiety by being too sympathetic. This may sound cold, but if you soothe your dog and cuddle him when he is having one of those separation anxiety attacks, you will only be reinforcing the bad behavior. Some people make the mistake of encouraging their dog to do the leaping and the jumping thing when they return and even think it is cute. Big mistake. The next time you leave, your dog will be more unhappy than he was the last time.

Your dog, or any dog, for that matter, needs company, affection and attention in order to be happy. While you do not wish to prolong his separation anxiety, remember that your dog also wants to spend time with you. Give him that time - quality time - whenever you are at home.

If you are interested in learning more about separation anxiety and how to deal with it, check out SitStayFetch. This learning tool is a valuable reference for dog owners, and will teach you everything you need to know about raising and caring for your dog. Fast-track your dog training by getting a copy now. Click here for free dog training lessons.

Olivier GLAUDY is a great pet lover whose articles on dog training have helped thousands of dog owners fix their dog behavior problems. For more topics on dog training techniques, you will find his free dog training lessons a valuable resource.

audio books download
anna ciesielska