Separation is the most heartbreaking moment for a furry friend. When you are not in the home for some time, and then you get back to your home, you get to see your dog’s quivering and eclectic eyes with fear. This kind of fear in dogs is called separation anxiety. It causes stress on your furry friend.
Here, in this article, you will come to know about signs of anxiety in dogs and tips to help your furry friend to come out of this situation.
What is a Dog’s Separation Anxiety?
Anxiety that happens because of separation is a stressful situation that a dog goes through when his master or the person he is mostly attached to goes distant from the home. The dog’s anxiety level ranges from mild symptoms like whining and pacing to exciting uneasiness, where he even tries to injure himself while endeavoring to escape.
There are specific reasons why dogs grow into this kind of challenging situation, but it is definitely a traumatic and surrounding change that they consider distressing around themselves. These changes contain:
- Changes in the dynamic of the family may cause due to the demise of a family fellow or legal separation.
- When changes take place in lifestyles
- When changes take place in daily routine
How Do I Know My Dog Has Separation Anxiety?
Many such behaviors clearly denote that your dog has separation anxiety. Separation anxiety brings a lot of change in a dog’s behavior. For example, drooling may cause nausea or a cracked tooth. Barking too much may create a territorial threat, and accidents may also take place if your furry friend is not properly trained.
If you feel that your dog has all these symptoms, you should go for a veterinary check-up first in order to treat this illness and behavioral change.
Signs of Separation Anxiety in Dogs
Dogs grieving from separation anxiety is a difficult period of time. As soon as the dog is left alone in the house, he starts showing the following signs:
Pacing
The dog’s separation from his master makes him completely unstable to relax in one place and they resort to walking back and forth repetitively.
Barking
Another important sign of anxiety is continuous barking or howling. It is a common response of a dog to separation. But when a dog suffers from separation anxiety, he keeps expressing himself the whole day.
Lack of hunger
Separation anxiety can lead to loss of hunger or appetite in dogs. They start ignoring treats and bones.
Devastation
Sometimes, dogs suffering from separation anxiety damage small domestic items like pillows, TV or AC controllers, or large items like scratching on walls, tearing through stuff, windows, doors, etc.
Drooling
Some dogs drool excessively and ultimately end up with a soaked chest and chin due to severe anxiety and depression.
Treating a Dog With Separation Anxiety?
To treat a dog with separation anxiety, you need to do a few things:
- First of all, install an underground dog fence around your yard. It will create a boundary line around the property and prevent intruders from entering your property. Let your dog enjoy some playtime in the yard. It will give them immense pleasure and happiness. In fact, they can enjoy this playtime even when you are not in the house.
- You should consider giving your dog training from a professional dog trainer. During this training period, never leave your dog alone. If there arises any kind of emergency, prefer to leave any of your friends, relatives, or family members in your place while the dog’s training is going on.
- Engage them in routine exercise. The more time you keep them engaged in a daily exercise routine, the more his separation tolerance will grow.
Therefore, separation anxiety in dogs is a big thing, and you need to be very much careful about how to take them out of this separation anxiety. You can consult with a veterinary doctor and ask him about the treatment procedure if you want.
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash.