One of the most difficult things when being a dog owner is to leave your dog at home alone when you need to go somewhere without him. It won’t really feel natural for you two to be apart at first, and your dog might so distressed that he destructs your home while you are gone.
Not surprisingly, separation anxiety is a very serious issue for many dog owners. Your dog may always be super well behaved, but when you leave he might worry so much that your furniture, clothes, shoes, and electronics will be chewing apart.
Is this a reason to give up your dog? Well, it certainly does not have to be. Yes, fixing the separation anxiety issue will take time and effort, but it can be accomplished.
So, how can separation anxiety be tackled? Well, to start off with, please be mindful that your dog is likely to cause more trouble when he has a lot of energy when you are gone.
Remember that a tired dog seldom causes any problems. Give your dog a good run, for about 30-60 minutes, after which it will be quietly content panting away. It may even take a long nap and not even notice you are gone.
And here is something else to think about: Dogs are smart, and they will figure out when you leave. There will be certain queues that you repeat every time such as jingling the car keys or saying goodbye.
If you find your dog getting excited or depressed with those queues, you will need to re-condition him. That is, he will need to learn to ignore the queues. You can achieve this by performing them without leaving afterwards.
It is as simple as this: Perform the queue and stay around. Just carry on with something, like watering the flowers or so. The purpose of the exercise is for the dog to learn that the queue does not mean he will be left alone.
Last but not least, please keep in mind to give your dogs enough water and food when you are gone. They will be fine for a while without food, but water is absolutely crucial. Also, if you will be gone for a while, food is important too. Or else your furniture and shoes will probably suffer.
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