What is Separation Anxiety & How to Deal with It?
@EliteK9TrainingCentre Separation Anxiety, What is it & How to Deal with It?
When dogs are overly attached or dependent on their family members.
What is the symptoms and diagnostics of separation anxiety: It is when dogs that are overly attached or dependent on their family members. The dog become anxious to the extreme and show behaviours like howling, barking, destruction or soiling in the house.
“Just very recently I dealt with a 14 year old yorkie that is so overly attached to her mom. They went away for the weekend and it was so distressful to see her running up and down looking for her mom, she would not accept the petsitter. Certain calming medication did not work and she had to go to the vet for stronger medication which helped her coped for the weekend. She is going for a check-up for a possible underlying issue, or stronger meds.
The point of this story is, the separation anxiety is real. It can differ from dog to dog. Age plays a role (like the story above), trauma as well and sometimes a pup has been taken away from her/his mom to early.
If you see your dog is showing signs of separation anxiety, start by taking your dog to the vet to check for possible underlying medical conditions. If there are no medical underlying issues, ask your vet (depending on the severity) for calming meds for the shorter periods that you may need to go out shopping, a jog, etc. If you are going out longer, consider getting a petsitter in for a few hours, or to come in and check on the dog. If its very sever, contact us to help you assisting with your dog’s behavior modification.
Remember, punishment is never the answer. He or she may look guilty, but by punishing the dog for the separation anxiety only treats the symptoms, not the root of the problem. So contact us if you have a dog with separation anxiety.
- References:
https://www.hillspet.co.za/dog-care/behavior-appearance/dog-separation-anxiety?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnfmsBhDfARIsAM7MKi1d0-IRc6ZwBH3_nzV8RsbIQPxVQ75YUpvNnxXp_Sxl2HGimRHU6dMaAuPAEALw_wcB - https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/separation-anxiety-in-dogs#:~:text=Separation%20anxiety%20describes%20dogs%20that,when%20separated%20from%20the%20owners
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