Help your dog overcome separation anxiety
Scratching the door, biting off the table’s corners, breaking shoes or slippers, nervous when someone’s leaving or overjoyed when someone’s coming home—these may be signs your dog experiences separation anxiety. Overcoming separation anxiety might be challenging but here are some things you can do to help your dog beat this phase.
Help your dog overcome separation anxiety
Ignore your dog when departing and arriving
Avoid as many signals as possible when your leaving the house to not increase your dog’s anxiety. Ignoring your dog for the last 15-30 minutes before departure is totally fine. Saying good bye to your dog before leaving will only draw his attention and might contribute to his separation anxiety.
When you get home, ignore your dog until he settles down. This can be around 10-15 minutes. Cheerful and excited forms of greetings can also increase your dog’s anxiety. The goal is to work on your dog’s calm attitude whenever you’re leaving the house and arrive home, making it a no-big-deal.
Keep your dog busy if you’re leaving the house
Your dog should be busy and immersed with a simple activity like giving him a bone to chew. Let your dog enjoy it while you’re away and pick it up when you get home. This tip can distract your dog and reduce anxiousness when you’re leaving. You can also try giving your dog toys stuffed with chicken liver or frozen dog treats. Just make sure that the toy with treats you leave your dog with catches his interests the most.
Leaving your recently worn clothes can also be an option as your dog can smell you from it. This provides a sense of belongingness and security to your dog, as if you’re still with him while you’re not at home.
Engage your dog with simple physical and mental activities
They say the best part in a dog’s day is time for walks. If your dog has been home alone all day, use that energy to take your dog for a 20 to 30-minute walk. If the weather isn’t that good, you can still perform simple physical and mental activities with your dog.
To stimulate your dog’s brain, try to give your him a treat-dispensing puzzle toy. You can also play fun and interactive games with your dog like fetch or tug-of-war to stimulate his body.
Avoid too loud environment
Some dogs bark to counter outside noise, especially when they see or hear other people or dogs walking outside the window. You can prevent your dog from making too much noise and barking by closing the curtains to limit your dog’s view. Also try to place your dog in a quiet room or leave a mellow music on to block outside noise.
Punishing your dog is never a good help
It is important to not show any signs of disapproval if your dog did something troublesome while you are away. Your dog may be startled if you choose to raise your voice at him. This can make the situation worse.
Your dog will be even more distressed the next time you go out. It is essential to never physically punish or yell at your dog even if you go back to a messy home.
There are no shortcuts to fix most dog behavior problems. Separation anxiety is not an exception to that. Owning a dog is a big responsibility and you should make sure to give your dog and yourself enough time and energy to overcome this phase.
