Its certainly not uncommon for your dog to have separation anxiety, its actually more common then what you think. I’m not sure if that comes from the way so many people have taken their dogs into their homes and treated them like family or if its just the genetic make up of some dogs. Whatever it is, there are ways to control this.
First, you need to identify if its a mild, moderate or a severe case of anxiety.
For mild cases of anxiety, make your leaving very low key. Don’t make a big production of it by saying bye and hugging and kissing your dog, make it seem like no big deal. When you arrive home, don’t make a big deal either, pet your dog for half a minute, maybe a little treat, and be on your way. You can also leave a shirt or a blanket down for your dog that has your smell on it. This may help to make them a little more comfortable.
If their anxiety is a little more moderate then that, you may want to have safety cues for your dog, such as leaving the tv on, or giving them a favorite toy. Practice these cues with your dog. He will come to understand that these cues mean you are coming back.
For more severe cases of anxiety, go through you normal steps when preparing to leave the house. First start with putting your coat on, then sit down till your dog sees it as no big deal. Then go on to getting your keys, another sign dogs come to realize. Again, sit down till your dog doesn’t care. Next approach and open your door. Keep doing this till its not longer a problem for your dog, then leave for just a couple minutes. Repeat each of these steps until your dog is fully comfortable with your leaving when all the steps are put together. If your dog gets upset at any point, go back to the beginning and start over. Eventually, your dog will have become desensitized to your leaving, which is what we are aming at. Start out with short periods of time away from home and work your way up to longer periods of time.
No matter what age you dog is, you will be able to help his anxiety by determining the severity and laying out a game plan by following these steps.
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