Separation anxiety

Leaving your dog alone can cause anxiety. Excessive attachment to the owner and anxiety caused by separation can be explained by too early weaning from the mother, traumatic events in the past, and temperament.

You leave your dog for only 20 minutes to go to the store, and when you return, you see that he knocked over a trash can, chewed on pillows, or made a puddle in the hallway. If this behavior is repeated on a regular basis, your dog is most likely suffering from separation anxiety.

 

Excessive dependence

Separation anxiety is common in dogs and is usually caused by extreme dependence on the owner. The reason may be that the puppy was taken early from the mother, abandoned, or the dog just has such a temperament.

This condition is difficult to correct, but nothing is impossible. Patience - and you will eventually be able to correct such destructive behavior, which is caused by your pet's longing for you in your absence.

 

What to look for

Most often, there are problems such as defecation in unintended places, damage to the owner's personal belongings, barking and howling, refusal to eat, self-trauma, and obsessive licking.  

Punishment is not an option

Punishment is the last thing to do in a situation like this. The dog will not be able to understand the connection between its ugliness in your absence and the punishment that it receives after a few hours. It may seem that the dog is feeling guilty, but this is just submissive behavior - dogs do not feel guilty, but they can expect the coming punishment.

The dog may look down, pinch its tail between its hind legs, walk stealthily, or lie on its back showing its belly - these are signs of submissive behavior, but not feelings of guilt. The dog says to you, "Hey, you are the boss. Don't hit me." Punishment can only eliminate the symptoms of separation anxiety, but it will not tackle the root of the problem.

 

Train gradually

The best way to deal with the problem is to reduce dependence and anxiety in your dog. To do this, you just need to accustom your dog to different people coming to your house.

When you leave the house, do not make a commotion and lengthy goodbyes, as this will only increase the pet's anxiety. When you return, greet him only after he has calmed down.

You can practice walking in and out to get the dog used to your movements. Do this several times a day, while doing all the actions that you usually do when you are really going to leave.

Ring the keys, grab your bag or briefcase, put on your jacket and go out the door. You can even get in your car and drive around the house. Come back in a minute or two.

As your dog begins to get used to your disappearance, gradually increase the length of your absence. Your goal is for you to be able to leave home and come back without your dog doing anything during that time.

When you can leave the dog alone for an hour, feel free to leave for the whole morning or afternoon.

 

Just ignore her!

If the problems persist, you may need to reduce your dog's dependence on yourself. It sounds harsh, but you need to ignore your dog for a week or two.

Ask someone else to feed, walk, and play with the dog, and it is better if several different people will do it. It is not easy to ignore your pet, especially if he is desperate for your attention, but after a few weeks, you will find that he has become much less affectionate.

As always, if you have any problems with your pet, you should see your veterinarian, who can determine if the bad behavior of the dog is due to the separation or if there are other reasons.

Such problems can be solved together with an animal behavior specialist.