Anxiety separation dogs are one of the most common problems that dogs can develop. It’s an anxiety disorder, and is defined as a state of intense panic brought on by the dog’s isolation or separation from her owner(s). In other words: when you leave for work in the morning, your dog is plunged into a state of nervous anxiety which intensifies exceedingly quickly. All Dogs are social animals – they need plenty of company and social interaction to keep them happy and content. No dog likes to be left alone for long stretches of time, but some dogs do a lot worse than others: these are the ones most prone to separation anxiety. There are a number of contributing causes to the condition: – Some breeds are genetically predisposed towards anxiety and insecurity, which is something you should consider when decision making which breed you’re going to go for (particularly if you’re going to be absent for long Periods of time). A few of these breeds include Weimaraners, Springer Spaniels, German Shepherds, and Airedales – A significant proportion of dogs from shelters develop separation anxiety. Most of these ‘shelter dogs’ have undergone significant trauma in their lives – they’ve been abandoned by their previous owners – and thus they have little trust that their new owner (you) isn’t going to pull the same trick.

Dogs that were separated from their mothers and siblings too early have been identified as being especially prone to separation anxiety. Also Puppies from pet-stores are a Typical example of this: they’re usually taken from their mothers well before the earlier possible age (which is 8 weeks), and confined to a small glass box in the pet store for anywhere between a few weeks to two months. This early weaning, coupled with the lack of exercise and tenderness while in the pet store, is psychologically traumatic for the dog. – Neglect is the number-one cause of separation anxiety for dogs. If you’re absent much more than you’re present in your dog’s life, separation anxiety is pretty much inevitable. Your dog needs your company, affection, and attention in order to be happy and content. The symptoms of separation anxiety are pretty distinctive: your dog will usually learn to tell when you’re about to leave (your dog will  hear keys jingly, will see you putting on your outdoor clothes, etc) and will become anxious. She may follow you from room to room, whining, trembling, and crying. Some dogs even become aggressive, in an attempt to stop their owners from leaving. When you’ve left, the anxious behavior will promptly worsen and usually will peak within half an hour. She may bark incessantly, scratch and dig at windows and doors (an attempt to escape from confinement and reunite herself with you), chew inappropriate items, even urinate and defecate inside the house.

In extreme cases, Your dog could  self-mutilate by licking or chewing her skin until it’s raw, or pull out fur; or will engage in obsessive-compulsive behaviors, like spinning and tail-chasing. Upon your return, she’ll be excessively excited, and will leap around you in a frenzy of delight for a protracted period of time (more than the 30 seconds to one minute of a happy, well-balanced dog.) This extended greeting is a source of some misunderstanding: without realizing that such a greeting actually signifies the presence of a psychological disorder, some owners actually encourage their dog to get more and more worked up upon their return (by fueling the dog’s excitement, encouraging her to leap around, gainful her protracted attention, and so on.) If you’re behaving in this way with your dog, please stop. I know it’s enticing and very easy to do, and it seems harmless – after all, she’s so happy to see you, what harm can it do to return her attention and affection in equal measure? – but in actuality, you’re just validating her belief that your return is the high point of the day. So she’s as happy as Larry when you return – but, when it’s time for you to leave again, her now-exaggerated happiness at your presence is under threat, and she gets even more unhappy when you walk out that door. Luckily, there are things you can do to minimize your dog’s tendency towards anxiety. Here’s a short list of do’s and don’ts :

Do: – Exercise your dog as much as possible. Really wear your dog  out. the longer you expect to be away, the more exercise your dog should get before you leave. For example, if you’re leaving for work in the morning, your dog will  probably be by its for at least four hours; and, if you’ve got a dog-walker to take her out mid-day instead of coming back yourself, she won’t see you – the person she really cares about – for at least nine hours. So she needs a good, energetic walk (fifteen to twenty minutes is the absolute minimum here!) before you walk out that door. the more the better. – Distract her from her boredom, loneliness, and anxiety by giving her attractive alternative to pining, pacing, and whining. All dogs love to chew – why not play on this situation? Get a couple of marrowbones from the local butcher, bake them in the oven for little over 20 minutes (so they go nice and hard and crunchy – and so she can’t smear marrow all over your furniture), slice them up into chunks of a few inches long, and give her one about 15 minutes before you leave. It’ll keep your dog will act as a distraction for your departure. – When you leave, put the radio on to a soothing station: classical music works great, but any station featuring lots of talk shows is also ideal. Keep the volume quite low, and it’ll calm her down a bit and give her the feeling that she’s got company. – If at all possible, supply your dog with a view: if she can see the world going by, that’s the next best thing to being out and about in it. – Acclimatize her to your leaving. Taking things nice and gentle, practice getting ready to go: jingle your keys about, put on your coat, and open the door. Then – without leaving! – sit back down and don’t go anywhere. Do this until she’s not reacting any more. When there’s no reaction, give her a treat and lavish praise for being so brave. Next, practice actually walking out the door (and reverting immediately), again doing this until there’s no reaction. Gradually work up – gradually being the operative word here!

Until you’re able to leave the house with no signs of stress from her. Do not  Act overtly sympathetic when she’s crying. Although it sounds very cruel, trying to comfort and comfort your dog by patting and cooing over them is actually one of the worst things you can do. it’s essentially validating her concern. Make sure your dog can’t tell that you feel sorry for them.don’t ever say, “It’s OK, good dog ” when you see them  upset! If you’re interested in getting a more detailed look at how to deal with your dog’s separation anxiety, you might like to check out Secrets to Dog Training.

It’s a great learning tool for anyone who wants to learn how to deal constructively with their dog’s problem behaviors. All of the common behavioral problems are dealt with in detail, and there’s a great section on obedience commands and tricks too.

You can visit the Secrets to Dog Training

Treating separation anxiety may often involve the use of anti anxiety medication along with behavior modification training, Medication solutions can range from certain prescription drugs or using some herbal remedies , it may take some trial and error to discover which works best for your dog . Behavior modification process includes desensitizing the dog to triggers that precede your departure ( this could be getting you keys , putting on your shoes or coat). Limit physical contact with your dog , keeping a physical distance from your dog when your are home. It is also good to increase your dogs exercise and training .Provide  you dog with chewing toys to play with when you are away ,this will prevent your dog from chewing on you furniture .Introducing some soothing music (classical) , or  radio on low volume in the background can also help to calm you dog while you are away ..

Learning to Deal with your dog’s separation anxiety can be easy to understand and fix once you start to think more like a dog and less like a human. You’ll never be able to be effective in dealing with any of your dog’s problems, without doing this. However, as a human, you may find this perplexingly difficult.Here are the aspects of your dog’s life which you will need to be aware of in order to understand where dogs are coming from and to effortlessly resolve your dogs separation anxiety issues.Dogs have a highly specialized social hierarchy. Very few humans will understand this, so give conflicting signals – one minute you are telling the dog (in body language) that you are the boss of the pack, the next minute you are telling the dog that they are the leader. It is no wonder that separation anxiety, and later aggression, occurs with your dog In a wild dog’s pack, it is always only the alpha pair who can go out on their own. Hunting can be dangerous, and the alpha pair are the only ones with the skills to hunt on their own.If you translate that as you going out to work. If your dog sees you as the alpha, then they are happy for you to go to work without them. However, by speaking the wrong dog language, most dogs feel that they are the alpha in your family pack. This means that when you go out and leave them, they can become sick with worry and act aggressively. You could be killed as you don’t have the skills to hunt alone.And so the increasing the risk of dog separation anxiety.Consider how you feel if your toddler went off on their own for hours at a time? Always remember that all Dogs are natural pack animals. They thrive and depend on companionship. If you have only one dog its fine as long as there is someone at home all day to provide the company. However, leaving one dog alone all day while you’re out at work amounts to passive cruelty. Consider getting a cat instead as they are solitary animals Dogs can adapt with love and care and using certain techniques, you might like to check out Secrets to Dog Training. for more great training and techniques to help deal with all of your dogs behavioral issues