How To Deal With Dog Separation Anxiety

Dogs are pack animals and very social, so once they have formed a bond with a family being separated from their “pack” is traumatic for them. Dog separation anxiety can become a serious issue if not treated correctly, but it is a controllable behavior when given care and time.

There are several ways that separation anxiety can manifest. Some dogs tend to get depressed, sullen, and downright moody as many humans can get when presented with a separation. At times they may refuse food or water, as well as not be willing to even get up and go outside to the bathroom. Serious side effects can occur because, depending on the frequency and length of the separation, a dog can become sickly and malnourished.

Other dogs will show their problems with separation anxiety by extremely destructive behaviors. This can run the gamut of defecating inside the house, or on personal items, to continual barking, or even major destruction of the household in general. Of course no one who has a pet enjoys the thought of having to cope with any of these behaviors.

Your dog will experience separation anxiety if it is afraid that it will be away from you for any period of time. Obviously this happens most frequently when dogs have an unhealthy level of dependence on or attachment to the owner. This can happen when a dog spends all of his time with the owner when the owner is at home. Always looking for affirmation, the dog may be on the heels of the owner constantly. Usually, it’s completely the owner’s fault if their dog has been wrongly conditioned to be hyperattached to them. It is absolutely essential to instill a sense of independence in a dog in order to avoid this situation, and there are ways to do this while still appreciating the wonderful qualities of loyalty and unconditional love that dog’s exhibit.

Separation anxiety is a terrible ordeal for your dog to go through. It’s up to the owner to take the first step to break that sense of constant attachment. The dog needs to be taught a measure of independence. This job can be very challenging, but ultimately, both your dog and you will be better off for the effort. Other people in the house can start taking care of the dog, you can teach the dog to play on its own more, and try not to give constant attention. This isn’t cruel at all, because the benefits for you both far outweigh the difficulties.

Desensitizing the separation is the second important part in treating your dog’s anxiety. Keep in mind a major part of the anxiety starts for the dog long before you have left. Dogs are intelligent and observant. They will realize unfamiliar behaviors, such as rattling your keys, changing your clothes and turning off appliances - all of which are signals that you’ll be leaving soon. Obviously when they see this they realize you will be leaving and fear begins to set in. You can divert this behavior by acting as if you are leaving the house, but not actually going anywhere. The more you do this, the less the dog associates them with you being gone, and the calmer he becomes before you go out.

Dog separation anxiety can also be aided by a variety of other methods. You may opt to use certain dog pheromones that are designed to calm your dog and free them from anxiety. Though odorless to humans, the pheromones create a more relaxing environment for your dog. Since the dog has learned to associate silence with your absence, leaving the TV or radio on helps keep that level of anxiety down.