Dealing With Separation Anxiety In Dogs | Dogs

By AdrianFletcher
Total views: 6
Word Count: 572

Separation anxiety is the kind of dread a dog experiences when you or someone close to him leaves. This is an emotional experience that humans feel too, so it is easy to relate to your dog's anxiety, however it is largely irrational because you will return and the separation is only temporary. Your dog doesn't understand this and must be taught not to get anxious. A dog that is feeling anxious may bark uncontrollably or urinate or chew things up. If the dog is in your home at the time then this is unwanted behavior. It is also not good for your dog's wellbeing to feel these sensations and you are responsible for the health of your dog. This article will give you some ideas on avoiding separation anxiety in dogs.

Separation anxiety prevention should begin at birth. A puppy that is not allowed to wean off it's mother could display separation anxiety in later life. It should be weaned off and relatively independent by around the eight week period so don't get a puppy that is younger than this.

Separation anxiety training can begin as soon as the puppy enters your home (it's new home). It is hard to resist a new puppy but you should not make a big fuss of it too much. This is especially the case when you are leaving it at night time. Place it in the sleeping basket and walk away. This will get it used to you leaving and being alone for extended periods.

You need to communicate through actions that your puppy will be alone at time but that you will return. This will prevent separation anxiety when the dog gets older.

Training a puppy is relatively straightforward, however it may not be as easy with a grown dog that is suffering from this problem. The dog may have been given to you by a previous owner or you found him at the dog shelter.

If it has spent anytime in a shelter or pound it may have been neglected before this. This may lead to insecurities and anxiety. It may have also been deprived of affection whilst in the shelter too which may add to it's insecurity.

If a dog has been given away by a previous owner there is generally a good reason for this. The dog may have behavioral problems but it may also be that the family has had it own share of problems. The couple may be going through a divorce or maybe they are having financial difficulties. All these problems will filter through to the dog and could manifest as separation anxiety.

The way to train a grown dog for separation anxiety is to take the softly softly approach. Practice leaving your pet. Start off with just a short separation, say a minute or so. Close the door to indicate that you have left. Wait a minute and then come back in. Don't make a fuss of the dog when you leave or come back.

Continue this mock separation process but increase the time each time you separate. If you hear the dog getting anxious then return to a separation interval that he is comfortable with. Gradually the dog will be completely adjusted to separation and will not get anxious.

Other strategies that may work are to keep you pet bust while you are out. So you could hide some tasty treats in the garden to take his mind off the fact that he is alone.

About the Author

Visit http://www.doghealthncare.com for more ways to train your pet and identifying dog health issues. The site includes a detailed review of a popular behavior dog obedience training course.

You are here Articles > Pets and Animals > Dogs