![]() In this blog post, we’ll be discussing the symptoms of separation anxiety in dogs, along with its potential causes and treatment options. So what do you do when your best friend suffers from debilitating anxiety every time you leave them? Dog separation anxiety is a real thing, and it can be quite traumatic for both you and your furry friend. ![]() Desensitization is best for dogs with moderate or severe separation anxiety.How To Help A Dog With Separation AnxietyĪ dog is a man’s best friend.How long it takes to fully desensitize your dog depends on its ability to learn that your departure behavior and cues should not inspire anxiety. Enact departure rituals and head out the door several times each day for several weeks in order to fully desensitize your dog.Every few days, increase the amount of time you spend outside your house by 60 seconds.Continue doing this several times each day for a few days. Walk out of the house, then walk back in after 30 seconds or so. ![]() Once your dog has become desensitized to pre-departure rituals and behaviors, desensitize your dog to exiting the house.You can desensitize your dog to this behavior by putting on your coat and then – instead of exiting the house – sitting down to read a book. Maybe your dog pants and paces as you put on your coat or jacket. For example, start by confronting your dog’s pre-departure anxiety.X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source Your desensitization program should always begin by addressing the most basic first-stage symptoms of anxiety separation, then tackling more intense symptoms. Desensitization is a separation anxiety solution that requires confusing your dog’s mental "anxiety monitor" by separating from your dog with progressively greater duration and frequency over a long period. Counterconditioning works best with dogs who have mild separation anxiety.If your dog’s separation anxiety is only triggered when you or another family member leaves the house, whichever of you remains at home could soothe the dog by administering a doggie treat, petting and patting the dog gently, and offering soothing words of affection like, "It’s okay," or "Don’t cry, doggie.".As your dog shakes and plays with the toy, small bits of the snack will come out so your dog can eat them. KONG toys are rubber playthings filled with bits of kibble or other doggie snacks. For instance, you could give your dog a KONG toy when you leave the house.You can do this by ensuring your dog has a positive experience when you leave the house. Counterconditioning is a process whereby your older dog’s fearful or anxious reaction to separation changes to a happy, pleasant, or otherwise positive reaction. If your dog urinates or defecates when you are around as well as when you are not, it is probably not a case of separation anxiety.Alternately, it might be because you (and your dog) just moved into a new house and the dog wants to mark its territory. Urination or defecation in the house in a trained dog might also be due to a medication they recently started.As dogs age, they often lose control of their bowels due to urinary incontinence or other medical conditions. It is important to note that issues with either urination or defecation may or may not be related to separation anxiety in older dogs.X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source X Research source Your dog might poop or pee right before or right after you walk out the door. If your doggie is house trained but suddenly starts voiding in the house, it might have to do with separation anxiety.
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