Dog Separation Anxiety

Dog separation anxiety is the most common type of anxiety syndrome found in dogs; it usually occurs when the owner returns to work after a long break like a vacation, a maternity leave or even when children return to school. To be precise, dog separation anxiety occurs when the owner returns to work or comes back from work. As social animals, dogs are supposed to have a natural bond with their owners and thus are more prone to dog separation anxiety. One can say that dog anxiety syndrome is the fear of dog getting separated from his owner. A dog, when becomes overly bonded with his owner, starts behaving in a different manner that is by far not normal.

Dog separation anxiety is a cause of concern for the dogs who are suffering from this form of disorder. The dogs start behaving in different manner when he sense that his owner is coming back or leaving for work. Dogs suffering from these kinds of anxiety attacks start behaving in a different way than normal like crying, whining, barking and often spinning in circles in front of their owners. They cry, whine and bark at inappropriate times of the day, leaving their owner dazed and confused.

Dog separation anxiety is a dreadful situation of concern, as it can leave both the owner and the dog under a mental imbalance. One should find a way to treat it at the earliest; not doing so will unleash your dog to various health ailments including mental imbalances. The first step in treating dog separation anxiety is to see that whether or not your dog(s) are suffering from this ailment, this you can do by noting down the behavioural changes. You should first see whether or not your dog shows symptoms, some of the things to note are:

1. Does your dog whine or bark incessantly at inappropriate times or without any reason?

2. does your dog pace, chew furniture, destroy window coverings, rip up carpeting, eat through drywall, mutilate plants or scratch at windows and doors?

3. Does your dog injure itself through its destructive behaviour?

4. Does your dog jump on you and your guests? This often leads to ruined and dirty clothes and can even result in scratched skin!

5. Does your dog get jealous and growl or attack people near you... this can include small children... who love to pet "any" dog?

6. Does your dog(s) spin in circles often sensing your departure?

Come on, be honest here. If you answered yes to any of these questions then your dog may be suffering from a serious condition called Dog Separation Anxiety.

Dogs with severe separation anxiety may also urinate and defecate all over your home. There are documented cases of these poor animals even causing themselves great harm by jumping through plate glass windows to try and escape your house to find you! (This is true! Some dogs have actually died due to untreated separation anxiety).

The sad truth is that many dogs suffer from this condition, and after a bark collar, obedience training and owners tearing their own hair out with no progress, these poor dogs become known as ‘bad’ or ‘destructive’ dogs.

The good news is that dog separation anxiety is completely treatable. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information available on the condition, let alone effective treatments for it.

Dog separation anxiety is a dreadful problem to be addressed in the canine world. One of the greatest joys of dog ownership is the bond you and your dog share. Your dog is one of the social animals that require love and affection and sometimes this affection and love can cause harmful consequences. If your dog is attached to you in more than the required manner, then he may start behaving in a weird manner when sensing your absence. If dogs become too reliant and dependent on you, then separation anxiety can develop.

Dog separation anxiety is an enormous and critical problem to address and over 10% of all puppies and dogs get this syndrome. If you as a master do not take steps to conquer the situation, then there may be a situation when you have to leave your pet in an animal shelter. Therefore, it is important to proceed through a step by step plan that can treat your dog. First ascertain your symptoms, causes and then discover the ways to treat it.

Dog separation anxiety is not an easy syndrome to cure but if you can get to the root cause, fixing it becomes easy. One need to understand the problem from your dog’s prospective, let us try and do it. Dogs are social animals and seek their owner’s company all the time for more than one reason. Given a choice your dog will want to spend every bit of their time with you. So, it is common that when you leave, your dog can experience varying degrees of behavioural changes when you aren’t around. People around the whole world are searching for ways to treat their dog of this dreadful problem. There are however many ways to treat your dog and restore his mental balance.

There are many ways to help your dog and treat this syndrome. Some of the ways you can help your dog are:

·       Medication and exercises will really help your dog ward off his mental stress. Exercises such as walking, Frisbee and ball returning exercises, running and playing will tire your dog and your dog will definitely want some time alone to rest. Medication therapies will help your dog practice behavioural changes and implement them efficiently. One of the efficient ways to overcome dog separation anxiety includes training viz. crate training and obedience training.

·         Make a place exclusively for your dog, this will help your dog to relax, play and be in that place when you are out of house.

·         Do not let your dog show you excess love, ignore him whenever possible but keep in mind that you notice him after some time. Repeat this practice for a few days or weeks, depending on the severity of the condition.

·         Where the situation worsens, send your dog for behavioural modification and obedience training at the first instance.

·         Do not ignore your dog too much; doing that will trigger his anxiety level to the supreme.

·         Dog separation anxiety is caused because of low confidence in dogs; therefore a dog has to be given the lost confidence back. Owners can try and play those games with their dogs where their dog wins. This will make the dog obedient and also boosts up their confidence.

·         A usual break of few minutes alone will also help the dog being alone and thus helps a dog to overcome separation anxiety. Let the dog be alone every day for a few minutes and slowly increase the time gap.

Dog separation anxiety is a condition that can be effectively cured if and only if you as a loving owner help your dog to the core.