Separation Anxiety
Separation Anxiety in Dogs
Separation anxiety in dogs can really suck! You feel like you can’t leave your house - even step out to take out the trash without your dog flipping out.
With social distancing in place, most everyone is working from home and limited to short walks outside. Unfortunately, we are setting up our dogs for a big letdown and potential behavioral issues when life goes back to “normal.” Changes in our schedules will be a very sudden shift for our furry best friends. It will go from being home 24/7 with them to being gone for 8-10 hours per day. How do you think they will feel? Yeah...not good.
You should start now in order to prepare your pup for when life goes back to the daily grind. He or she should be able to handle being alone. That means keeping busy with their toys, not getting into trouble (chewing wires, furniture, etc.), and not to bark, howl, or yelp.
So, what exactly can you do? Keep a routine. If you have a separate room in your home, put your dog there alone while you are working in another room. Go for walks without your pup. Run your normal errands. Do activities without including your dear fur baby. It may be hard to do at first, especially if you’re in a small space. But, I promise it will help make the transition so much better in the long run.
If you got a puppy during the quarantine, and he or she has never been home alone, it is a little trickier. Your puppy went from a breeder, adoption facility or a foster straight into your home. They don’t know any other reality.
My family is currently dealing with this exact issue at the moment. Our new puppy Teddy has never stayed home alone. He was born on January 13th and remained with his mom and siblings in a foster home for the first 10 weeks. After that, he went to a new foster home while the shelter in place restrictions were put into effect. Once we adopted him, he immediately became too attached to me. The first week I couldn’t leave the apartment for a second without him barking by the door, even if my husband was home. Fast forward to one week later and he is now okay staying home with my husband and not frantically looking for me anymore.
My strategy was to make him comfortable in his crate. I put him in there with a Kong stuffed with kibble mixed with peanut butter or small pieces of apple (fun fact: Teddy loves apples more than treats!) With this stuffed chew toy, he happily lays down in his crate. And with each nap he takes, I move his crate further and further away from the couch where I am. I also make sure to go to different rooms when he is chilling in his crate. Try to naturally create the space. Now, when I take a shower or do the dishes, I am not within Teddy’s immediate eyesight.
Some other tips:
Relaxing music or white noise can help to soothe dogs
Never use the crate as a punishment or a time-out space
Designate a certain toy as a “crate toy” and whenever it comes out, your pup knows it’s a crate time. In my home, it’s the Kong.
Separation anxiety may not be a problem right now, but it’s better to be prepared for the inevitable transition down the road. Remember that your dog needs lots of mental stimulation to keep their mind occupied. By teaching them to be comfortable alone, they will naturally begin to self soothe and ease off their human dependency. If you’d like more tips or a one-on-one consultation, please send me a note.
Chief editor: Lara Nicotra
