Does your dog bark when you leave the house? Do they tear up your house if you leave them out of their kennel?
If you answered yes, then you're in the right place because today I’m talking to you about how to prevent separation anxiety in dogs.
If you’re dog already shows signs, you can still take the steps because they can not only help to prevent it but also help ease your dog away from it.
If you prefer to watch a quick video instead of reading, check out this video
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Let’s start off by explaining what it is.
Symptoms of Separation Anxiety
The most basic explanation is a dog that gets extremely anxious and stressed when a family member is gone because they are overly attached.
And with most of the world recently being at home all of the time because of the safer at home act, your dog may have started to develop separation anxiety because they are so used to you being home with them so much.
There are a few degrees of separation anxiety, but when people hear those words they usually think of the worst form of it.
This can be behaviors such as vocalization, peeing and pooping in the house and destruction of both objects and the dog itself.
An extreme case would be a dog that does all of those things. But most dogs with separation anxiety will just do one or two of those behaviors or symptoms.
But if your dog is guilty of these behaviors, it isn’t always because they are anxious about you being gone. Often times, it’s just plain boredom.
A dog shows signs of having separation anxiety by following their owner everywhere they go. Basically, they are attached to the hip.
How to Prevent Separation Anxiety in Dogs
1. If you take anything away from this post, let it be this: A tired dog is a good dog.
Before leaving your dog home alone or in their crate, make sure to fully exercise them.
And I don't mean just a quick 10 minute walk around the block. I mean a full-on exercise of either a 30 minute - 1 hour walk, go for a run, romp around at the dog park, or play fetch in the backyard.
Do whatever it takes for your dog to get tired. Not all dogs can handle a 1 hour walk, and that's okay, don't go for that long. Do what your dog needs.
2. Make crate time a special time by giving them a special treat and/or toy they only get while in the crate.
Before leaving them alone with it, test it with them first a couple of times to make sure there’s no chance of anything bad happening such as your dog choking or destroying the toy.
For us, we love using West Paws and Kong Extreme. I've also heard of people loving Busy Buddy toys.
Instead of just a special treat or toy, you could feed your dog his meal while in the kennel. Again, make sure the meal is in something that is safe for your dog to have unsupervised.
If you found this article helpful, please share it so we can help as many dog moms give their dog's the best life possible.
Related: How to Keep Your Dog Active During Quarantine
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