Ways To Help Your Separation Anxiety Dog – Dog Separation Anxiety Training
Many of us know the terrible sound of our dogs crying and whining when we leave them home by themselves. Some of them destroy valuable items or get into things that are very dangerous to their health. My own dogs have gotten into prescription medications and ended up at the vet costing more money and stress. I would like to share with you the dog separation anxiety training that worked for me and my dogs.
The first thing you can do is to not make a big deal about coming and going. Be sure to practice exits and entries. Make sure you leave and return for varied 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 eight hours. This way your dogs will never know if you are gone for a few minutes or all day. This is the most important aspect of the dog separation anxiety cure.
When you return be sure to pay no attention to the dog, showing them that it is not big deal that you were away. Once they have calmed down you can give them a brief praise. Do not encourage excitement.
The next most important thing you can do to cure dog separation anxiety is distract them when you are not there. The thing that works best for me is a Kong stuffed with things your dog really wants, their dinner, applesauce, bananas, 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 eat what is inside. This way they get a mental workout and might even take a little nap 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 guard the house. Also leave a tv on. Studies have shown that classical music is the most relaxing to dogs with separation anxiety.
Additional separation anxiety cure tips: purchase Rescue Remedy and put a few drops on their inside ear flap or their gums 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 away from home.
Make sure to give your dog lots of physical and mental stimulation every day. Dogs who do not get out of their back yard and house are not having their needs met and may have built up energy that comes out as anxiety. A minimum twenty to thirty-minute walk just about every 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 dog training into your daily routine. Dogs need to be challenged mentally as well as physically. Take an trick training course so that you can build a bond with your separation anxiety dog. Training with your dog can be just as tiring (if not more) than running and is a great way to build your connection!
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