You will have to entrust your dog to a relative or professional during the holidays ?
Or do you have to leave it alone for a whole day?
The problem is that your hairball does not support the separation.
This is called separation anxiety.
Whether you leave for 15 minutes or several hours, he cries, barks and accumulates nonsense in the house? My dog was the same!
Fortunately, a veterinarian friend gave me 12 effective tips to soothe an animal anxious about separation . Watch:
Click here to easily print this guide in PDF.
If your pet exhibits the following behaviors as soon as you leave him alone, then he may be suffering from separation anxiety syndrome:
- Howl, cry and bark
- Urine or defecate in the house
- Chew in the void, dig holes and destroy everything
- Try to escape from the house
- Paces around in circles
- Defecates then eats excrement (coprophagy)
Do you recognize these symptoms in your four-legged animal?
Do not panic ! There are natural and effective remedies to soothe your pet.
1. Help your dog associate being alone with something positive. Offer him a small treat each time you leave him alone.
2. If you notice your dog getting restless when you're getting ready to leave, you may have gotten him used to giving him too much attention when you leave. To remedy this, try to cuddle less at the time of separation and for less time.
3. Try not to give your dog any attention for 5-10 minutes before you leave. This can really help him understand that there is nothing wrong before you leave. And when you get home, show him that there is no reason to worry about your absences by avoiding too much hugs.
4. Before leaving for good, put on your shoes and jacket, then sit down and watch TV. This little carousel will gradually reduce your dog's stress level before you leave.
5. Don't encourage your dog's bad habits. Don't comfort your pet by giving it attention when it doesn't behave as you expect it to.
6. Nothing prevents you from putting your dog in a crate when you leave for 2 or 3 hours. But leaving him in it all day is way too long for him! Instead, try putting it in a closed room or in a fenced area in the house or garden.
7. If you can, hire a pet sitter for 1 or 2 hours a day so your dog can get some exercise and some attention while you're at work all day.
8. Two or three times a week, take your dog to play with other dogs in a park.
9. Make sure your dog plays enough and gets enough exercise. Know that most dogs need at least 30 minutes of exercise a day and sometimes even more.
10. Dogs also need mental stimulation. Train him to obey your orders and make him do small daily exercises to train him mentally.
11. Before leaving for the day, put on a video with animals on TV or leave the radio on.
12. There are also drugs to fight against anxiety in animals. Do not hesitate to ask your veterinarian for advice.
There you go, you now know how to reduce separation anxiety in your dog :-)
But before you say your pet's maladaptive behavior is the result of separation anxiety, get him checked out by your veterinarian.
He can assure you that these symptoms are not the result of a medical problem.
