|
Dogs love the company of their owners and become very attached to them. They are generally eager to please you and respond to your affection for them. That said, one thing they do not love is being left alone even though there are time when this is unavoidable even for short periods of time. Some dogs deal with this well, some most certainly do not and shoe it by destructive behaviour. This can include excessive barking, chewing of furniture and relieving themselves indoors. Such reactions to being left alone is known as separation anxiety. The good news is there are things you can do to help your dog cope better. Let us take a quick look at some of them. You probably do not like leaving your dog alone for a while any less than your dog likes it. You probably display this to your dog by making a big fuss when it is time to leave. Stroking and patting him, telling him you’ll be back soon and then leaving. The poor dog doesn’t understand this and thinks he’s going too only to be crushed when he realises he’s home alone. Upset and looking for something to do he may well become anxious and exhibit some of the symptoms described above. By making the fuss of leaving you may be, even unintentionally, contributing to your dog’s separation anxiety. So one way to help reduce it is by actually not making a big deal out of it when you do have to leave your dog for a while. Desensitise him to it by not fussing. This can be done gradually by leaving for very short periods and building the time up. Mix up your leaving routine too. When you return he’ll be so pleased to see you and demand attention. Do not give it to him until he has calmed down. On leaving and especially return make no eye contact. Wait until he has calmed down on your return before you show him any attention at all. The idea here being to make your comings and goings natural so he’ll get to know that when you go, you’ll be back. Nothing for him to worry about. If possible try to take your dog for a walk or other exercise before you have to go out. Burn off some of his energy may mean he will fancy a bit of a rest and see you being out for a while an ideal opportunity to get a bit of sleep. Another tip is to leave him with some of his favourite toys to play with so he is occupied and is surrounded by familiar things to help him feel safe and happy. If you have a new dog at home, a puppy perhaps, you can start to prepare them for the times when they’ll be along right from the very start of basic house and obedience training and build it in gradually so it becomes natural for the dog. If, on the other hand, you have an older dog who starts to display separation anxiety symptoms then start to try some of the different approaches to get him used to being alone for a while and adjust to it. This can be a case of trial and error as some dogs react better to some treatment approaches than others. When you find what works for your dog then you are on the right track to help him to cope with the occasional alone time. There are other approaches and methods you can try to treat, reduce and even cure dog separation anxiety. For additional information and tips you may find a visit to this web site will help with that. You can also obtain a free ebook all about dog separation anxiety as well as two other free ebooks on dog health related issues by clicking here.
Related Articles -
dog separation anxiety, dog health, reduce separation anxiety,
| 
