Canine Separation Anxiety What It Is And What To Do
Your Dog May Be Suffering With Canine Separation Disorder
If your dog seems to always over react to your leaving them home alone, then they could be suffering from canine separation disorder. This is a serious condition that can cause harm to your dog and your house. Canine separation disorder is a medical condition that should not be ignored. Your pet is suffering and needs effective behavioral directions.
Dogs that suffer from separation anxiety seem to have problems when the person who they have become close to leaves them alone, sometime even when they just leave the room. This condition is caused when a dog’s level of frustration is not proportionate to their exciting feelings.
Separation anxiety is most often times seen in younger or older dogs, and not seen often in middle aged dogs. The condition is also noticed when a dog is adopted from a shelter. This seems understandable from the fact that they were left with strangers and the shelter and their owner never returned. Once they have become attached to their new owner they may feel they could be leaving them permanently also, each time they leave. They need reassurance this isn’t the case.
If a dog becomes accustom to spending all of it’s time by your side and suddenly this behavior changes, it may frighten the dog. Many of us like spending time with our pets, including taking them on vacations, to run errands and out to the mail box. However, when a dog becomes accustom to this and they are suddenly left home alone they may react with anxiety. They are not use to being without their owner. They worry that they have been left and we aren’t coming home.
Many of us parents probably have experienced some level of separation anxiety in our children when leaving them at daycare or school. Dogs are reacting the same way. They don’t want to be left alone without us. The key is to reassure them, you will return.
Mild to severe reactions to an owner leaving their dog alone can occur when a dog experiences separation anxiety. Most often they will react within 20 to 45 minutes of their owner leaving them alone. They may react by barking, chewing, scratching, whining, trying to escape, and house trained dogs may even have accidents by pooping or peeing. Pets who suffer from separation anxiety may destroy your home and yard by digging in the yard
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, chewing on the windows and doors, and making a mess of things.
There are several steps that may help your pet deal with their anxiety including medical help. However, remember that your dog is suffering from a condition and not acting out to punish you for leaving them alone. They are simply dealing with the stress of their emotions. Punishment for things your dog may do during their anxiety while you are gone, does not help. It could actually make it worse.
A few steps that may help your pet to deal with their separation anxiety include, making departures and arrivals a non-event, leave your dog something that has your smell to keep with them, establish a word or phrase that you always say when leaving your dog. Animals associate these repetitive words with your actions and they will eventually realize that you will come back. A few test runs of picking up you keys and pretending to leave may help also with dealing with their anxiety, showing them that you do return.
A few other ideas would be to enroll your dog into a dog daycare program, make arrangement to leave your pet with a sitter, friend or family member. If your pet suffers from severe separation anxiety they may require medical help and need an antidepressant medication. Leave your dog something to chew on during the day and this may prevent them from chewing things around your house.
Dogs are in some ways like our kids. They are attached to us and like to be with us. They need to be reassured that we are not leaving them forever and we will be back. Canine separation anxiety affects many dogs and can be very bothersome for the dog and their owners, but there is effective treatment available.
By: Matt Martins
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Matt Martinswrites on dog training help and methods at trainingdogshelp.com
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