Puppy separation anxiety is a very common malady among the younger canines. Your dog is naturally dependent on his mother and littermates, so when you leave him alone, he gets anxious. Puppy separation anxiety is the change in a dog’s routine when you go to work, school, or away for the day. Some of the prevailing reasons for separation anxiety in puppies are:
Contrary to what is often believed, puppy separation anxiety is not as big a concern as you might think. If your dog has lengths of hair growing between the eyes and around the ears, or if your dog is shedding hair, or if your dog is hypersensitive to vibrations, it may develop problems if you make dramatic exiting. At extreme levels, the shedding of the puppies’ hair can reach the length of the whole closet, thus the whole neighborhood will be affected.
What you can do to prevent the development of separation anxiety in your puppy.
It is always better to prevent separation anxiety from the time when the puppy is young. Puppies that have comfortable surroundings, as well as are surrounded by human beings, have the best chance to avoid separation anxiety. Whenever possible, keep the animals in a secure area of your home and avoid having a lot of people around when the dog is alone. At night, make sure that the puppy has its own place, such as a crate or a separate room.
It is better to make the departure of the dog very low key, even to the extent of leaving the animal in a different room of the house. This helps the puppy to understand that there is nothing to worry about. Gradually your puppy will forget that you have been gone and will get used to being alone. This can be very difficult for the dog, however, it is in the best interest of your puppy to slowly get used to not having people around.
Many people believe that if their dog gets distressed at the first sign of being left, then they have a case of separation anxiety. However, this is not necessarily so. This is certainly not a case of the dog being upset at being left, but one of the dog becoming worried that someone may come in handy to chance upon. When you go out and leave the dog alone, you are of course transmitting a message to your dog, that you have gone out. When the dog then starts to make insane at your unreachable return, you are again probably transmitting a message that you have gone out. This is not a severe problem and can be dealt with by simply using the excuse of “I’m not at home” whenever you go out.
One of the underlying problems with dealing with the problems of puppy separation anxiety is the attempt by many owners to comfort their dog when they get upset at the owner for leaving. comforts on dogs are at all times welcome, but in the prolonged use, it creates a sort of tunnel effect, which means the dog effectively spends more and more time trying to comfort itself, and may well achieve little in the way of relief. This situation often leads to making the problem worse. Tectonic changes within the relationship can happen along these lines, as well as other factors. Try to be as objective and balanced as possible in your moods. And if you happen to be feeling stressed at the time, it would be preferable to leave the dog in a similar state to that which you had when you left, so that your leaving or return does not generate a negative effect on the dog.
A dog that is suffering from separation anxiety is likely to be highly strung, possibly trembling, and be extremely thirsty, and energetic when you return. Relieving the dog of some of its sonic stress in this way is obviously going to help the situation. Although the exact details of how to best begin this kind of treatment are far more complicated, there are some simple guidelines that can be followed. A great deal of patience is required at first, during which time the therapy dog will require a great deal of quiet resting time.
Once you have started your working hours, it is important to spend as much time as possible away from the owner, in order to avoid the dog become stressed in your absence. Dogs are experts at brushing up on the habits of their owners and will certainly develop a release through this. Should you choose to go away for extended periods on a daily basis, make certain that your working hours are regular ones, such as Monday through Friday.
When you return home from your extended absence, be sure to ignore the dog for a considerable length of time. When you return to the dog, be sure to play with it and ensure that the dog is relaxed. Initially, this may be as little as a minute or two, and it may take a number of days for the dog to become accustomed to your absences.
