Many of us know the sad sound of our dogs howling when we leave them home alone. Some of them destroy your valuables or get into things that are dangerous to their well-being. My own dogs have gotten into prescription medications and ended up at the vet costing more money and heartache. I would like to share with you the dog separation anxiety cure that worked for me and my dogs.
The first thing you can do is to not make a big deal about exiting and entering. Be sure to practice exits and entries. Make sure you come and go for varying periods of time, going through the same motions you would go through for a one minute outing as you would if you were going away for the entire day. This way your dogs will never know if you are gone for a two minutes or ten hours. This is the most important aspect of the dog separation anxiety training.
When you return be sure to pay no attention to the dog, showing them that it is not big deal that you were not home. Once they have calmed down you can give them a brief praise. Do not reinforce excitement.
The next most important thing you can do to cure dog separation anxiety is distract them when you are away. The thing that works best for me is a Kong stuffed with things your dog enjoys, their dinner, peanut butter, blueberries, or whatever treats your dog likes best. I like to use a mix of wet and dry ingredients and freeze the kong so that it takes them a long time to get the filling out. This way they have to work hard and get tired and might even fall asleep while you are away.
In order to cure dog separation anxiety do not leave the dog with access to look out the window. This may cause additional stress to the dog if he/she sees other dogs or people walking by and they feel they need to protect their home. Also leave a television on. Studies have shown that classical music is the most relaxing to dogs with separation anxiety.
A couple other important aspects of the dog separation anxiety training More tips from the separation anxiety cure: purchase Rescue Remedy and put a few drops on their gums or inside ear flap about an hour before you leave. You can also get a plug-in of Dog Appeasing Pharamone (DAP) or a spray that you can spray on their bed or on a bandanna around their neck to help them stay calm while you are not home.
Make sure to give your dog plenty of exercise physically and mentally every day. Dogs who do not get out of their house and yard are not having their needs met and may have built up energy that translates into anxiety. A minimum twenty to thirty-minute walk every single day is a great way to help them meet their need to roam with their pack. If you have an extremely anxious dog you may need to roller blade or run to help cure dog separation anxiety
Equally as important is to integrate a mental workout into your everyday life. Dogs need to be challenged mentally as well as physically. Take an trick training course so that you can build a deeper connection with your separation anxiety dog. Training with your dog can be just as tiring (if not more) than biking and is a great way to build your connection!
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