For most of us, we can’t afford to stay home with our dog 24/7. It’s just impossible and we can’t take them everywhere either. All breeds of dogs can suffer from what some call separation anxiety, but the bottom line is that most of the time they are just bored to tears. You can find out if it is boredom or anxiety.
For example, if your dog is the type of dog that is attached to you from the moment you are with him and even overnight and has to sleep with you and becomes destructive within the first few minutes you leave, then it is probably anxiety. from separation. If you have a video camera, you can figure this out right away. Nevertheless; if that’s not the case, your dog is most likely bored.
Signs of separation anxiety can be any or all of these symptoms:
Your dog chews on different things, but those things turn out to be things that have your smell on them, like clothes or a chair you sit in all the time. The dog is sitting near those things that he chewed that have your smell. Your dog chooses to go to the bathroom in many different places in the house. You find that your dog barks all the time while you’re gone, not once in a while but constantly. Your dog will display these behaviors every time you leave, no matter how long you’ve been gone.
Other things to watch out for is if your dog absolutely goes crazy over you when you get home, but is still stressed and won’t leave you alone even after you’ve been home for a while. If the dog doesn’t seem guilty about the things he may have chewed. Another clue is that your dog starts to get very nervous and upset when he sees you getting ready to go somewhere.
Some things you can do to help your poor dog would be:
When you are getting ready to go and when you return, keep it boring and very low key. Make sure you don’t make a big fuss about saying goodbye or hello to your dog. Just treat it casually and always be very happy and optimistic.
It’s important that any interactions you have with your dog are always on his terms and not on your terms. Make sure you give him attention, give him treats or take time to play with him only when you want and not when he wants to. You need to know who is in charge.
Another thing you should consider doing is giving your dog some extra exercise. If you take your dog out, he will not only be happy, but he will be a better dog and he will most likely sleep most of the day if he tires him out enough the night before. This exercise is not only physical, you also need to exercise your dog’s mind to tire him out completely.
Make sure you don’t draw too much attention to those forbidden things before you plan to leave the house. So this means don’t go around fixing things or pointing out to your dog what he doesn’t want chewed on. This could be misconstrued as the things you want him to pay more attention to.
If nothing seems to work, you may need to consider putting him in a cage while you’re gone. Some dogs actually feel more secure and comfortable when confined to a smaller area when left alone. If you don’t like the idea, you can always try to keep your dog in one room and then leave him with music and some clothes that have your smell on them which really isn’t that important to you but will be immensely important to him.
