Dogs are one of the most common pets that individuals can have. It is estimated that somewhere around 46,300,000 households own dogs, which is a massive number of “Man’s Best Friends.” But sometimes dogs are a handful, especially if they have separation anxiety. That can occur often with things like dog kennels, or leaving them for prolonged amounts of time.
But there are ways to help handle this anxiety, and to work to lower the chances of your pet destroying something important while at home. Here are some tips to deal with your dog’s separation anxiety!
- Start Your Day Right!
Start your day with some exercise, like a brisk walk (but remember the dog poop bags). To make the walk even more tiring and energy consuming, use special dog exercise equipment like a backpack with weight in it. The reasoning is to make your dog tired and make them nice and sleepy for when you leave.
That’ll make them less likely to have anxiety and energy to destroy anything at home. - No touch, No Eye Contact, No talking.
When you get home you should not make a big deal of it, the same should be when you leave. When you do this you are communicating to your dog that the time apart is no big deal. It’s just business as usual, and there’s no reason to get too excited or too wild. This may take a lot of practice, depending on the severity of the anxiety your dog has, so keep that in mind.
If may seem a little mean, but it can work wonders to calm your dog in the long run. - Stay Calm, Stay Assertive
When you’re getting ready, or ready to, leave don’t let your nerves, guilt, or any other emotions show. Be calm, and be assertive. Let your dog know by projecting the presence of a pack leader. That’ll help their nerves. Calm and assertion in a leader can help ease a dog’s anxiety about separation.
So no matter what you’re doing, leaving for work or getting your dog ready for the dog kennels, keep these tips in mind. You want to make sure that your dog realizes that you’re not leaving forever, that you leaving is not a big deal. That you’re a pack leader that can, and will, keep everything Okay.
It should do wonders for your dogs anxiety.