
Separation Anxiety
Does your dog bark and make a mess around the house when you leave? Are the neighbors complaining nonstop? Are you desperate because you´ve tried it all and don´t know what to do? We understand what you are going through – many of us have gone through the same situation. These are some of the things that worked:
Dogs are animals that live in groups and are not used to being alone. When you leave them home alone, it can be stressful, causing them to bark and cry. All they want to do is grab your attention and get you to come back. These behaviors can start at any age, not just when they are puppies. This is why we should try to apply some of the things below so they never suffer.
If you want to hire a dog trainer, go for it. First, however, you should make sure the trainer doesn´t require your dog to take a bunch of additional classes to correct other, unrelated behaviors. If this happens, you have two options:
- Call another dog trainer.
- Tell your current dog trainer to charge for a one-time package that focuses on correcting separation anxiety.
These options will make sure that you´ve gotten your money´s worth.
Nowadays, being a dog trainer is trendy so you must be careful who you trust. It is important to know that working with a dog trainer without reinforcing behavior through exercises that he or she assigns is pointless. It´s crucial to be consistent.
Here is one simple and effective exercise that you can do at home:
Start by putting your dog in a room by himself (you can leave treat inside) for a few seconds. Enter the room just before he starts to bark or get upset. This way, he´ll start to realize that nothing happens when he´s alone. You can do this exercise as many times as needed, each time leaving him alone for longer periods.
Here´s another helpful tip:
When you get home or re-open the door after practicing the exercise above, ignore your dog for at least 5 minutes or until he calms down and is completely relaxed. If you start petting him as soon as you see him and he is excited, you will contribute to his anxiety and re-enforce unwanted behavior.
If you have practiced the two exercises above for a while and see no change, you can talk to your veterinarian about other options. For example, you can try using a pheromone collar for a month. Not only is it not harmful to your pet, it calms him by giving off a substance called the appeasing pheromone.
You may also like:
How much do dogs sleep?
Have you ever felt a little envy because your dog can sleep at any time of the day? It seems like our best friends have the capacity of falling asleep anywhere and everywhere, but do you know how much they sleep? Dogs go through the same sleeping stages that we do and...
How dogs communicate
Dogs have a rich and varied language; not solely relying on verbal language, they use other mechanisms so that we can understand them. There are three main ways they use to communicate with us: VISUAL COMMUNICATION They communicate by using body postures or using...
Advice and care for dogs with arthritis
It seems like yesterday that you first brought your puppy home, and now he´s starting to get old. He wakes up with pains, moans and complains going up stairs… This happens with age, and it is time to get proactive and find small solutions. Arthritis does not just...
Share on: