How To Ease Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety?

Dogs are not only our pets they are our friends, and just like humans, they have emotions. At the first signs of you leaving home or dropping your dog off at the groomer or dog daycare, your furry friend may become anxious, worried, and restless.

Dogs with separation anxiety become stressed and show behavioural issues when left alone. Some common signs of separation anxiety in dogs include barking and howling, pacing, scratching at doors, destroying items in your home and urinating and defecating indoors. If you notice any of the above symptoms with your dog, it will be best to ease your dog’s separation anxiety before it worsens.

Below we share a few tips that will help you ease your dog’s separation anxiety.

1. Conditioning

If you notice your dog has a mild case of separation anxiety, provide him or her with fun distractions when you are about to leave. Give a fun toy or a special treat to your dog to keep him or her occupied or engaged. This will teach your dog to stay calm while you are away by relishing in the fun or treat you provided. There are several toys with different interesting features that can keep your pet busy and rewarded.

2. Desensitization

Prepare your dog for separation with shorter periods away and gradually increase it to longer times. Also, do not make a big deal about leaving and coming home. When arriving back home, ignore your dog for a few moments before calmly petting them.

3. Dog Daycare

Taking your dog to a dog daycare is one of the best ways to ease your dog’s separation anxiety. Dog daycare offers immense benefits to your dog in terms of exercises, mental stimulation, and care from professionals. Also, your dog will be taken through a consistent routine that will help ease his or her separation anxiety. While under the care and observation of professionals in a dog daycare, any destructive habits that your dog has can be detected and your pet will receive help to overcome them.

4. Stay Calm

When you are ready to leave your home, try not to feel guilty or sad that you are leaving your dog alone. Dogs are very intuitive and can sense these feelings. Instead, exude positive vibes while letting your dog know that everything will be okay. By remaining calm yourself, you can relieve your dog’s separation anxiety.

5. Calming Scents

You can leave a recently worn article of clothing which smells like you for your dog to sniff and feel comfortable with your familiar scent. You can also purchase dog calming scents that are made specifically to help dogs relax. Dog appeasing pheromones can be infused into the dog’s collars and other devices. They are available online. You can also use this to ease your dog’s separation anxiety.

Calming your dog’s separation anxiety early can help prevent the issue from becoming more severe. Teaching your dog that it is okay to be left alone with positive reinforcement is always the best approach, what you don’t want to do is punish them by crating them while you are away. All this will do is have them feel anxiety while still in a crate and can also lead to injury as they try to escape for hours on end.