Pets

How To Stop Dog Separation Anxiety

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Many families took the plunge and got a family dog during the coronavirus lockdown. Being stuck at home was the perfect time to introduce a pup into your family home because people were able to spend plenty of time helping the dog become used to the family home.

However, now that normal life seems to be resuming, it appears that some families are struggling to stop their dog from developing separation anxiety. This is understandable, seeing as the dog has become accustomed to having people at home most of the day.

Separation anxiety, however, can be very stressful for both the dog and the owners. Dogs can become destructive, they can cause noise by howling or crying, and can show other signs of extreme distress.

In this blog, we will take a look at how you can stop dog separation anxiety once and for all!

Easing your dog into the new routine

If you drop your dog in at the deep end by leaving them for a number of hours at once, you can’t expect them to just be fine with it. Dogs are pack animals; they are best suited to being around their pack as much as possible.

This being said, it is possible for a dog to feel calm when left at home by itself if you put in the work.

Here are some tips for leaving your dog at home by itself for the first time, and how to put these into practice going forward.

  • Only leave for five minutes at a time in the beginning, then build this time up. To ease your dog into the change, leave for five minutes at a time, returning back home like clockwork. This will teach your dog that when you leave, you’ll always come back. To see how they react when you leave, you can leave a smartphone recording the dog so that you can monitor his reaction.
  • Ignore the dog for a few minutes before you leave. This feels counterintuitive, but ignoring your dog while you get ready to leave the house can actually reduce their stress. If you give them loads of affection, you might excite them, meaning that they’ll have pent-up energy when you leave the house. You want your dog to be as relaxed as possible when you leave.
  • Leave the radio on. Sometimes, background noise can help a dog feel relaxed. If they are faced with total silence they can become more worried.

 

Incorporating calming treats into their diet

If these methods don’t completely work, you can try helping to lower their anxiety with calming treats or supplements. Calming hemp treats for dogs are totally safe and healthy, and the natural properties of hemp produce calming effects for your pet. This will help him to feel more relaxed while you are out of the house.

Incorporating music into their life

As pet owners, we can’t help but ask ourselves, “Does calming music help dogs?”. While it’s not uncommon for dogs to react to sounds such as thunderstorms and fireworks negatively, dogs can actually react to calming music such as classical music in a positive way.

If you are going back to work soon, use this blog to help you keep your pet calm while you’re out of the house during work hour

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