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Separation anxiety occurs in the dog left alone by
the owner for a period of time. Dogs with this
condition can become vocal, howling or crying for the
owner, and/or they can become destructive, chewing,
digging, and tearing up items in the household.
This problem needs to be addressed by the owner as
soon as possible for obvious reasons. If destructive
behavior is not a concern, loud vocalizations may make
for bad rapport with the neighbors. At any rate,
these dogs are extremely anxious, and this behavior
reflects on how stressed they can become.
Counter conditioning, a procedure involving desensitization
of the dog to being left alone, is one technique that
has been shown to be quite successful. Leaving
for only short intervals at a time (to begin no more
than 1 minute intervals), and then returning.
It is VERY important that when you come back, not to
make a "fuss" over the dog, but to almost
ignore them for the initial few minutes of returning.
Dogs with separation anxiety are craving for attention,
and you don't want to reinforce this by giving it to
them upon return. Repeating this leaving/returning
cycle, and gradually increasing the time spent away,
tends to work to desensitize the dog from being separate
from you.
As well, you can "make believe" that you
are getting ready to leave (as in getting together your
keys, and belongings etc.), and then simply stay.
This acts to reduce your dog's anxiety that tends to
"build up" as they watch this preparation
for departure taking place.
Distracting the dog before you leave is another technique
to reduce the level of anxiety. Often times a
treat or toy that is filled with a treat, will provide
adequate distraction, that little attention is directed
to you leaving.
Always when leaving your dog, make a point of not making
a "big deal" about the act of leaving.
Praise your dog, and pay attention to them 5 minutes
or so before leaving-when ready to go, simply go.
When these "tricks" don't seem to work, check
with your veterinarian for medication available for
Separation Anxiety known as Clomicalm. This medication
is not a tranquilizer, and works in the brain by altering
hormonal levels circulating in the brain responsible
for undesirable behaviors.
Check with your veterinarian or submit a request to
Questions
for the vet for more information.
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