Being Able to Solve Your Dog's Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety, or ‘owner absent misbehavior’ as it is sometimes known in the dog training world, happens to be a frequently encountering problems for dog trainers.

Separation anxiety reveals itself in so many different ways, including chewing, destroying the property, excessive barking, self destructive behavior and inappropriate urination and defecation.

Dogs who are suffering from this problem of separation anxiety manifest such behaviors as whining, barking, crying, howling, digging, or they chew and scratch at the door for the whole time their family members are out.

Dogs that have been lost previously, or those dogs that have been turned over to shelters and then readopted, will usually have the worst problems with separation anxiety.

It is easy to encourage this misbehavior by rushing home to reassure the dog, but is must be remembered that for the sake of the well being of both dog and owner that the dog needs to learn how to deal with extended periods of separation.

The way in which the owner leaves the house will often influence feelings of separation anxiety.

If it is a long and drawn out period of departure can result in the dog feeling himself even more isolated when the owner does finally leave.

These long farewells can get the dog excited, and then cause him to develop more excess energy without a way to work it off. This leads isolated dogs to then work off their excess energy in the most destructive of ways, such as chewing up a favorite rug or piece of furniture.

Sometimes excess energy can be mistaken for separation anxiety, since they have the same results.

If you think that excess amounts of energy may be part of the problem, give your dog more exercise and then see if this eliminates the problem. If separation anxiety is the problem, then it is neccessary to be able to address the root causes of that anxiety.

 To be able to prevent separation anxiety from occurring in the first place, you need to take steps the make the dog feel happy, safe, secure and comfortable while the owner is away for a period of time.

You should see that the dog has plenty of things to keep it busy while you are away. This could be include providing him with lots of toys, such as balls or chew toys. Having a pet companion for your dog is often effective at relieving separation anxiety as well. In fact this is a great way for busy pet parents and pets alike to cope with the stress of being left alone.

By setting aside scheduled play times, during which the pet is given your undivided attention, can be another great way to alleviate boredom and separation anxiety.

By playing with the dog, and providing it with sufficient attention and exercise, you are sure to avoid having a stressed and anxious dog. A happy dog that has been receiving good exercise and is in good condition will be able to sleep the day away happily and be able to wait patiently for the return of his owner.

It is important to schedule one of these daily play sessions before you leave the house each day.

It is also very important to give your dog at least a few minutes to settle down after playtime before you leave the house.  For dogs that are already experiencing separation anxiety and other misbehaviors, it is important to get him used to your leaving gradually.

Be sure to practice leaving and returning at irregular intervals, several times during the day. Doing so will allow your dog to become more used to your deparartures and this should help him see that you are not going to be leaving him forever. Part of treating this problem is making sure the dog will learn that your leaving is not permanent.

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