Dog separation anxiety can be really heartbreaking to watch. As you may have noticed, if you've had a dog for a while, that dogs don't really have the best sense of time.
This is especially true if you have a dog that suffers from separation anxiety. It doesn't matter if you are walking to the mailbox or going to work. To the dog, 5 minutes or 8 hours feels the same to him. He is scared that you left him all alone, and he gets stressed out about it. So what can be done about this? Obviously it depends on the dog and the situation he is in. But one thing that has helped many dogs is lots of exercise. Sometimes the anxiety he feels is just a lot of pent up energy. The dog should be getting exercise anyway, but really take the time to go running with your dog, play fetch, etc... He'll tire himself out and he can be a little more relaxed. A strong cause for dog separation anxiety is the fact that the dog is always with you. If you let him sit with you on the couch, let him sleep in your bed, give that a break. Dogs are extremely sociable creatures. YOU are the most important thing in his life. He would like to spend all day with you. Its sweet but you have to have boundaries. Set up a little blanket for him and let him sleep on the floor. When you are watching TV, the dog stays on the floor watching TV. It tells the dog "it's ok. My master still loves me even though I am not sitting with him" The whole concept behind this is for the dog to show a little independence, even though you are still in the room with him. Next, if you have a fenced yard, let him go outside by himself. Keep your eye on him through the blinds. Notice if the dog gets anxious because you are not around. Try to do this as often as possible. Start off by leaving him alone for a few minutes and see how he does. Gradually increase the amount of time. When you get to one hour without the dog acting up, you know you're on the right track. |
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