Dogs and SeperationAnxiety

If you happen to be a parent, then you are already familiar with how it feels to be around someone that needs to learn how to effectively separate themselves from you. A dog can have the exact same crisis when it comes to their owners and having to separate themselves from them. Some dogs even wind up in animal shelters all over the world for their behavior with this type of anxiety.

When a dog suffers from this ailment, they tend to be much like a small child that would need to always be around their mother or father. They become very attached to their owners and tend to lay next to them, even walk right next them all day long. While some owners may find this behavior as cute or not even have an issue with it, when it becomes time to leave the home the dog can become quite challenging to allow them to leave freely. In fact, some dogs have such a tough time dealing with their separation issues from their owners that they begin to tear apart their surroundings when they leave. While often a puppy will get into trouble and perhaps even chew on your favorite pair of shoes, these types of dogs with the separation anxiety can destroy furniture, clothing and even soil the carpets. If the dog cannot fall asleep by themselves and must sleep with you or another family member living in the home, then you may need to consider speaking with your vet to get some solutions. Certainly, there are many dogs that simply enjoy sleeping with their owners and they have no issues when the residents of the home leave for the day. There are however dogs that cannot control themselves at night and even spend the evening barking or crying if the owner is not in plain view while they are trying to sleep.

Dogs are naturally close to their owners simply because they adore the interaction and they are born into the world as pack canines, which means they like to be with other animals and people alike. If a dog has been abused or they have survived some form of natural catastrophe, such as a tornado or earthquake, they may need to seek some form of therapy for their anxiety. This is only because they may feel that they are in harm’s way when you leave or that they fear they will be abused if you are not there to protect them, all completely natural feelings if you were to place yourself in their situation. To begin to train them to learn to cope better when you leave for the day, try to look at the events that take place when you leave and start making them more recognizable so when you do leave the dog loses some of that fear. For example, when you leave do you open a garage door or do your keys make noise? Time and again get your keys and make noise with them or open the garage door and walk around with the dog so they begin to not be so alarmed when they hear these noises and instantly associate it with you leaving the building. Give them something to chew on while you are gone and even walk them for a while before you head out, they will nap when you are gone and enjoy their new chew toy!