Dealing with Dog Separation Anxiety – Can You Do It?

Dog separation anxiety is probably one of the most common problems you can encounter with your dog. Dogs are very social animals heavily relying on companion, whether that be the companion of another dog or their human, for their happiness and health they need to engage in plenty social interaction.

When it comes to trying to solve separation anxiety you will need to know what exactly causes this state of panic and stress. The separation from the owner is something dogs dont normally seem to deal with very well.

You can normally easily recognize the signs of this problem even though many people think their dog has just been naughty or is asking for attention after having been left alone. Also it is important to understand that some dogs dont mind as much while others go completely out of control.

Before buying a dog you should take this problem in account if you are planning on leaving the house for longer periods during the day like if you are going to your work. Some breeds are more prone to anxiety and insecurity, like the German Shepherds, Airedales, Springer Spaniels and Weimaraners.

Apart from breeds you also need to check the back ground of a dog you are wanting to take in. If you are thinking of taking in an adult dog with traumatic experiences, it is very well possible that once the dog start confiding in you he will also start relying on you more, and therefore become more vulnerable to developing separation anxiety.

When buying a puppy in a pet shop be aware to check the age the pup was separated from its mom. Dogs being separated from their mom too early on in life (before being 8 weeks old) and then put in cages like is the case in most pet shops, very easily develop feelings of anxiety and stress later on in life.

Lets look at what causes this behavior problem now that we know which dogs are more likely to suffer.

Neglect is the number one cause of your dog developing separation anxiety, if you are gone most of the day leaving your dog alone, you can almost be sure that your dog will end up with this problem. You as an owner should give plenty company, attention and love to your pet for it to be happy.

A dog alone at home will start looking for distraction or try to find you. Realizing he is completely alone with nothing to do, anxiety symptoms will start popping up.

Some signs are dogs becoming nervous the moment you are leaving the house (or even as soon as they notice you are preparing to go) and in the extreme cases your dog will completely trash your house while you are away.

Finding the solution and helping your dog deal with separation anxiety can be a tedious time consuming process but when you are taking the right steps and doing the right things in order to build confidence in your dog, great improvement can be achieved.

If you have a dog with separation anxiety and are completely at loss, having tried all common tips to help you pet deal with this behavior problem I am happy to be able to tell you that there is a solution.

I know from my own personal experience just how stressful it is to have a dog with separation anxiety. I have had to endure many angry phone calls from my neighbors and at some occasions even had to deal with the police because my dogs would cause noise. And every time I would come back in the house I would prepare to be cleaning the floors or having to put furniture back in its place.