Does your dog have separation anxiety?
Separation Anxiety can be very traumatic for dogs. It can have destructive behavior resulting in damage to your home or injury to your dog. Barking, howling for hours on end, urinating or defecating in the house are the more mild symptoms. Scratching, chewing and other destructive behaviors can not only damage your home but can injure your dog.
Not all dogs have separation anxiety. Sure, most don’t like it when you leave but are content to while away the time snoozing on the couch. For those of you who have a dog who absolutely hates you leaving and takes his frustration out on the house, or your neighbor’s peace and quiet, there are things you can do to make things easier for your dog.
First, the old saying “A good dog is a tired dog” is sage advice. If possible, a walk or run around the neighborhood is a start. If you have a fenced yard, a good game of fetch is even better. Anything to take the edge off helps.
Find something to keep your dog occupied while you’re away. A Kong stuffed with peanut butter kept in the freezer should last quite a while. Some other toys that can be filled and frozen are Bob-A-Lot, Snoggle, Omega Tricky Treat and the new toys from Bionic, which are the first toys from an FDA approved material. They are all safe and almost indestructible.
It will also help to make your departures and arrivals as low keyed as possible. Dogs pick up on our emotions and that adds to their anxiety. Get in the habit of keeping your voice and actions calm whenever you leave, even if it’s just for a few minutes. When you get home, the same applies. No high squeaky voice, no hugs and kisses, just “Hi, how ‘ya doing?” This will make your leaving and coming back, just another routine event.
Dogs are very sensitive and pick up and feed off of our emotions. Keep them busy, tired, and calm and you’ve gone a long way to reduce the anxiety!