Separation Anxiety In Dogs

Does your dog freak out when you leave the house? Then read on!

Not long ago we adopted a dog that we soon found out had separation anxiety. No one told us (of course) so we found out the hard way that my dog had separation anxiety.

But after following a few simple techniques we were able to overcome his anxiety.

Does this sound familiar?; you don’t want to leave your house because your dog goes crazy. Or that you hope and pray that your dog doesn’t destroy the house while you’re away?

Or maybe you’re dragging your dog into a kennel and he barks/howls like a wild animal?

My dog did all of the above and I never thought he would get better. We were unprepared to deal with my dog’s separation anxiety and made a lot of mistakes at first.

Renly (my dog) almost chewed completely through our bathroom door, and destroyed curtains and windows to get out of the house to be with us.

It got so bad that we thought we might have to re-home him.

This continued until we got some good advice. Here are a few great tips that really helped us out:

Too Much Freedom Too Soon

When we first rescued our dog we felt sorry for him, he was malnourished and had a hard life. Most people feel this way when they first get their dog.

Whether you’ve rescued your dog from the pound, pet store or shelter you want to give them freedom in their new home.

We feel sorry for them and the last thing we want to do is keep them in a kennel.

Oh boy, that was a huge mistake.

We gave our dog too much freedom too soon. Leaving him in the bathroom, or to roam the house alone was a BAD idea. As in, we needed a new bathroom door and kitchen blinds bad idea.

Promoting security and safety is key when dealing with separation anxiety in dogs. And the best way to do that is…

Get A Kennel

Dogs are wired to be den animals, that’s their natural habitat. They naturally den to feel safe, a kennel provides that security.

If you haven’t already, get a kennel. They may not like it at first but that’s OK, we’ll fix that as well.

Having structure for them and knowing where they need to go when they can’t be with you helps them deal with being alone.

I used to feel bad when we first started kenneling our dog, I shouldn’t have; here’s why:

Renly would bark and bark once we put him in the kennel, it got so bad that I bought a little webcam and pointed it at him so we could check on him while we were away.

After awhile he stopped barking when going in the kennel and all he did was sleep the entire time we were gone. It was quite boring to watch really.

I was worried for nothing.

Kenneling gives you peace of mind knowing that your dog isn’t going to get into anything that could be hazardous to their health while you are away.

Plus, when your dog is waiting for you and there’s no mess to deal with when you get home you can focus on being excited to see your pup and spend positive time with them.

Renly now even goes into his kennel on his own when he knows I’m about to leave the house.

Now that’s music to my ears!

Kenneling your dog provides:

• Safe and secure space
• A place your dog knows is all their own
• Natural den-like atmosphere
• Prevents them from getting into trouble while you’re away

Of course you don’t want to leave them in a kennel for long periods at a time, especially at first. For a guide to kenneling and getting your dog to love it cheek out this post.

Create Space (If your dog follows you around the house everywhere)

Renly used to have such bad separation anxiety that when I left the room he would immediately get up and follow me, even if I came right back.

So I started doing a test – I would leave my living room and sit at the kitchen table. Once he followed me there and laid down beside me I would get right back up and move back into the living room and sit down.

I kept doing this and he would follow me back and forth and after several times of this he eventually got tired of following me and finally stayed in one spot when I would move.

I did this for a few weeks and he started to understand that it wasn’t necessary to follow me all over the house and be right next to me.

It can be endearing for your a dog to follow you around every where but it can be a hazard as well, especially in the kitchen. I can’t tell you how many times he almost got tripped over or something hot spilled on him.

Note: Dogs have been breed for years to be a companion for us, so it can be stressful when they can’t be with you. If you feel bad leaving your dog alone just remember that in order to provide for them you must be able to leave and have a job!

Letting your dog know that they can stay in a different room from you is OK, and it will help them along with their separation anxiety issues.

One trick that works well is to get a KONG toy that you stuff treats into and leave it in a different room while you’re in the kitchen. We’ve used that thing a lot!

Get The Right Help

Sometimes you need to get outside help, and that’s what I did.

We signed up for a group training class when we first got our dog. It was designed to help with behavior and manner issues.

And it was a huge waste of money.

My dog was either bored out of his mind as he picked up on certain things fast while waiting on others or the teacher was so distracted by the other dogs that we felt we couldn’t ask any questions.

Like most dog training classes, ours did not offer make-up classes, so if you miss one you will fall behind. With everyone’s busy schedules you will most certainly miss classes (as did we)!

We quickly learned that this wasn’t the best way to train our dog.

So I went online and did a bunch of research and found an online go at your own pace dog training course called Doggy Dan – The Online Dog Trainer

The benefit to online training is that you go at your own pace and you can retake each video course without having to pay to do so (unlike group or private lessons).

The course is taught by Doggy Dan, an accomplished dog trainer and behaviorist that specializes in unwanted behavior and manner issues.

I spent hundreds of dollars on group training classes and I had nothing to show for it. For a fraction of the price, this online course can teach you so much more.

As well as helping with separation anxiety in dogs, Doggy Dan has video courses that treat many issues including:

• Pulling on The Leash
• Jumping On You or Other People
• Not Coming When Called
• Toilet Training Issues
• Mouthing and Biting Issues
• Crying When Left All Alone
• Not Responding To Your Commands
• Digging Issues
• All Types of Aggression
• 
Barking While You’re On Walks
• Issues With Running Away
• Excessive Licking or Chewing
  …And More

There’s even a whole section dedicated to separation anxiety in dogs (my favorite lesson).

We’ve even been leaving him out of the kennel since he’s doing so well now and he doesn’t whine or freak out when left alone. His anxiety has been curbed, and getting the right help was essential.

That’s why I promote Doggy Dan’s program whenever I can. I truly believe in what they’re doing over there!

One of my main goals is to reduce the re-homing rate for rescue dogs. A lot of people don’t know how to deal with these issues by themselves.

If more people knew about this course I know the re-homing rate would drop significantly.

You can sign up for only 1$ on a trial period, risk free. Sign up and check out the website, I know you’ll find it as valuable as I did…

Click Here To Visit The Online Dog Trainer!

If you liked this post please consider clicking the Like button on the left. We can lower the re-homing rate with rescue dogs by reaching those struggling with their serious dog behavior issues. Thanks for reading!