Preventing Separation Anxiety - a post every dog owner should read.
Do you make a big fuss of your puppy before leaving and after coming home? Or when you’re at home, do you let them spend every moment by your side? Here’s why you might want to rethink doing that..
Separation anxiety in dogs is not much fun to deal with. It can lead to them damaging your property or even themselves through chewing or trying to escape, or annoying the neighbours with their whining and barking. It can make leaving your dog for any length of time, even short periods in some cases, very difficult. Luckily there are some things you can do to help prevent this from occurring, making life with your dog much easier!
The key to preventing separation anxiety is teaching your dog that being on their own is not a big deal. There are many ways to do this and doing all of the below is the best way to minimise the risk of your dog developing separation anxiety. As always, start as you mean to continue and practice these things even when your puppy is very small, it will make everything much easier when they’re an adult!
Don’t make a fuss of your dog when you’re leaving. This means don’t go through a big elaborate “good bye, I won’t be long etc etc” process, just grab your things and go, like it isn’t a big deal that you’re leaving.
Totally ignore your dog for at least the first five minutes after coming home. This one can be hard, especially when you have a gorgeous wee puppy who is super excited to see you. However, if you do say a big “hello, did you miss me?” etc with lots of cuddles, you are making a big deal of the fact that you came back. Which means you leaving and returning becomes a big deal in your dog’s mind and they begin to react accordingly. If it’s just something you do, with zero drama, then they are less likely to make a drama out of it too. You want your dog to be calm about you leaving and coming home, not excited, as excitement can easily turn into anxiety.
Let them practice being on their own, even when you’re at home. This means spending some quiet time outside with the door shut, or in their crate. They won’t like it for a start, but spending time on their own is a fact of life that all dogs need to deal with at some point, and the faster they get used to it, the more comfortable (and happy!) they will be. This is true even if you currently spend a lot of time at home – your dog could be around for the next 14 years, and you want them to be able to adapt if your work situation changes.
When you first try leaving them on their own, they will probably whine and cry for a start. Just ignore this - if you react and let them back inside, or out of their crate, you’re accidentally teaching them that if they whine or bark, it gets the result they want (to be let back in with the family). Then the next time they’re in that situation, they’re more likely to whine or bark, because it worked last time. Give them a bone or a toy to give them something to do, and let them hang out by themselves for a while, even if it’s just a few minutes to start with. Only let them back in when they’re quiet.
The other reason for putting your dog outside or in their crate for short periods while you’re home, is dogs are very good at picking up on associations. This means that if the only time you put them outside, or in their crate is when you leave, they will associate that action with you leaving. If you randomise it, so sometimes you put them outside for five minutes and let them back in, and sometimes you put them outside and leave the house for the day, they are less likely to associate being put outside with you leaving, and will be happier about going out there. Giving them a yummy bone or toy while they are out there also helps them to be happy about being outside by themselves.
Tire them out before you leave – a tired dog tends to be calmer than one with pent up energy. This can be through physical or mental exercise – training (i.e. mental exercise) done the right way can be just as tiring as physical exercise (remember how tired you were after a big exam? It’s the same for dogs.) Just make sure that whatever you do results in a calm, happy dog by the time you leave, not a more excited one!