These tips will help your loved one to take the stress out of separation. Read now!
Help! My dog suffers from separation anxiety
Many dog parents know it: while friends are happily planning for the next concert, the next visit to the bar or the planning the next party, their thoughts only revolve around the question of what will happen to the four-legged friend at this time.
The guilty conscience is spreading. Take the doggo with you? But sometimes it doesn’t help and the fur nose stays at home alone. A horror scenario for some dogs and their owners:
Whimpering, howling, barking: This is what animal loneliness sounds like. The remote control and favorite sneakers also fall victim to the frustration of separation and are misused as chew toys. Sometimes, out of sheer desperation, the four-legged friend even leaves a pile in the apartment.
All of this sounds familiar to you? These tips will help you and your darling to fight the stress of separation, soon your dog will be able to stay alone!
Reasons for separation anxiety in dogs There can be many reasons why your furry friend suffers from separation stress. All dogs are naturally highly social creatures and pack animals. Basically, none of them are made for being alone. The causes of the extreme fear of abandonment usually lie in the dog’s past or in its character:
Missing Puppy Training
Your darling never learned when he was a puppy to stay alone, it will be all the more difficult for him in adulthood to bridge the time without you in a relaxed manner. It is therefore best to start training when you are a puppy.
Previous experiences of the dogs Have you rescued your four-legged friend from an animal shelter or animal welfare or taken it over from a previous dog owner? Then it may be that staying alone means a completely new situation or that Bello has had bad experiences with separations in the past. The mere situation that one day the master or mistress has actually not returned to him can be enough.
Loss of control in the dog Not so cute: Even in the dog world there are control freaks. This means that your dog is not really sad about your departure, but has the feeling of losing control over you and your actions. The result: frustration.
Recognize separation stress in dogs
How dog owners can recognize separation anxiety. Dogs that are afraid of abandonment often exhibit at least one of the following behaviors:
Restless pacing and pacing
· Destroying furniture and objects
· Scratching at doors and windows
· Whining, yelping or Barking
· Urinating and/or droppings in the apartment despite being housebroken
· Extreme grooming up to Self-harm
· Increased salivation and drooling
Before you start anti-separation stress training, you should make sure be that your loved one’s behavior is actually caused by being alone. The veterinarian can rule out other causes, such as health reasons.
Bello alone at home – these dog training tips will help No question: If your four-legged friend literally suffers like a dog alone at home, it is unbearable for neither the owner nor the furry friend. So that you and your darling remain a relaxed team even if you are physically separated, there are a few things to consider during training. With these tips, the problem will soon be a thing of the past and you can leave your dog alone:
Prepare absence properly In order for your dog to be able to rest while you are away, it is important to exercise it physically beforehand. In the “best case” your four-legged friend sleeps while you are away. If, before leaving your home, you – minutes of exercise increases the chance of leaving a more relaxed dog behind. Another plus: The tiredness also reduces the risk of gnawed shoes, carpets, etc. Despite everything, please make sure that you never leave your dog alone for more than a maximum (!) of six hours at a time.
Dog training for staying at home alone: practice early Logical: Dogs learn to be left alone best while they are still in their puppy shoes. This increases the chance that they will be able to stay relaxed at home later in the dog’s life. If you have recently given a puppy a home, it is best to start training right away.
Spatial limitation helps to stay alone What sounds like being locked up can be a real relief for your four-legged friend.
If you give your darling just one room instead of the whole apartment or house, he feels often feel less lost during your absence. Find an area where your dog likes to be and create a place for him to retreat and relax – with his favorite basket or snuggly blanket. Make the room dog-proof. Exposed cables, poisonous indoor plants, carpets, trash cans, breakable objects, shoes and clothing have no place here.
Create separation rituals Depending on the dog’s character, separation rituals can help to signal separation phases to your darling , in which he can and should relax. Separation rituals are not suitable for all dogs and – depending on the trigger for separation anxiety – can lead to more stress. Therefore, check individually whether the separation is made easier for your furry friend by rituals.
The rituals can look very different: It doesn’t matter whether it’s switching on a certain lamp, playing certain music, putting on a certain scarf or giving a small treat – your dog learns that certain actions are followed by a phase of solitude, which at best is combined with relaxation.
With the When using a scarf, you should make sure that it is an item with snaps or Velcro. Knotted towels are unsuitable as your darling could get caught and injure himself. You should also not offer your four-legged friend any chews such as bones or pig’s ears when they are alone. The danger of him choking is too great.
Simulate leaving the apartment You pack your bag, grab it Your jacket and keys jingle – a quick look in the direction of your favorite four-legged friend tells you: Panic is in the air here! Sounds familiar?
Then it’s time to take the fright out of routines that prepare you for your night out. Take your jacket, keys and bag several times a day, put on your shoes and then leave the apartment – not. Make sure to do the whole thing as calmly and calmly as possible and you will see: the more often you pull off this fake scenario, the less your furry friend will be interested in it.
Slowly increase alone times – reduce separation anxiety with training Slowly increase the times Bello is left alone. This will get your dog used to being left alone. Are you at the beginning of the training? Excellent! Then leave the apartment for a minute and come back without paying much attention to your four-legged friend.
Behave normally and signal to your dog that coming home is the most normal thing in the world is. If your four-legged friend can take your one-minute absence well, you can slowly increase the loneliness.
Extra tip: Avoid coming back while your darling is yelping, barking or whimpering, otherwise he will learn that you react to his “call”. Unloved vocalizations are thereby further intensified. This is where human discipline is required.
Offer distraction Applies to dogs too: those who are well distracted worry less. You can offer solid play options as an alternative during your absence to those who are left alone and no longer have a desire to destroy. Because dogs are often restless not only because of fear, but also because of boredom. A treat-filled dog toy – such as a Kong – can work wonders here.
Or how about a little hide-and-seek? Simply pepper the room with little (!) favorite treats. On your marks, get set, search! Your dog will love it and separation anxiety will soon be a thing of the past.
Train, train , train As is so often the case in dog training, training is also necessary for successfully staying at home alone the be-all and end-all. Therefore, repeat the tricks and methods as often as possible. This is how you keep getting used to situations without a dog mom or dad.
Are you unsure about the progress your darling is making in training? A security camera can help check behaviors while you’re away.
Dogs Dog Trainers
Stay alone: Please be patient! Dogs need a lot of time in addition to training. For some it may work a little faster, for others it takes longer until they are left alone without any problems. Keep a cool head here and be patient with your dog.
Relaxing little helpers against separation anxiety and the stress of separation Natural ingredients can help dogs reduce anxiety and provide calm. They can help you stay alone.
Whether in tablet or liquid form: Our Relax tablets and our Rescue are available with natural calming power from valerian, St. John’s wort, ashwagandha and L-tryptophan Drops for relaxation and a good mood on the four-legged side. Also available in a box with double power!
Staying alone: With patience & training to success As social-loving contemporaries, staying alone is for many dogs the supreme discipline. So give your darling the time he needs to get used to the situation.
The training can take several months and, depending on how you feel on the day, sometimes better and sometimes work worse. So be lenient with your sweetheart, be patient and celebrate small successes. This is how it works in the long term with the relaxed dog alone at home.
Helpful products for separation anxiety and staying alone: The Relax Box
Relax Tablets
Relax Liquid
