5 Easy Tips for help a dog with separation anxiety.

[Jeff_L_Swift]

Have you ever come home form work after a long day to find your dog super excited, spinning, jumping a bundle of crazy energy. Your dog follows you into the kitchen where you find out he have chewed up the trash and your stuff. Then you get a call form the neighbor who tells you that your dog has been caring on and howling for most of the day making your neighbor crazy. Does this scenario sound familiar?

Your dog may be suffering from separation anxiety.

In nature a it unusual for dogs to be away form their packs, so it unnatural for them to stay alone at home all day with out a pack.

Here are five easy steps you can take to ease the stress your dog is experiencing due to separation anxiety.

1. Start the day with exercising your dog vigorously, and then reward your dog’s calm submissive energy with food and water. The idea with this step is to leave your dog in a quiet, resting mode.
   
2. Do not create a big deal to you dog when you are getting ready to leave. Your dog doesn’t understand what “good bye” means. Also do not create drama when you return with excited “hello” or “I missed you”.
   When you say good-bye in leaving or hello in returning home and your energy is not calm-assertive, all your dog is receiving is excited energy. Which we do not want.
   
3. Start practicing leaving your home and entering your home by not touching, looking or making eye contact with your dog. Your energy should be calm and assertive when you do this.
   Start this exercise small by leaving your dog for 5 minutes then returning. Build up to 15 minutes at a clip, and over time you can build up to 8 hours with your dog at home alone if need be.
   
4. If you must show your dog affection before you leave your home do it well before you leave your house like 30 minutes before. Remember that this display of affection is for you and not your dog!
   
5. Leave any guilty, nervous, or concerned feelings behind you. Let your dog know that everything is going to be OK by projecting the calm and confident energy of a good pack leader.

Let me know what you think?

[colliewog]

What if you don't want a submissive dog? Is there an alternative method if I want a strong, confident dog?

[corgipower]

Colliwog, I'm with you...I don't want a submissive dog. In fact, I rehomed a dog primarily because she was too submissive.

*sigh*

Apparently we have another CM-worshipping spammer.

[adojrts]

Ditto, that makes 3 (so far)!! Besides, most of that is well known on how to work with a SA dog. Just hate all that calm/submissive CM crap............

[Dekka]

Add me to the list of someones who doesn't want a lump of cowed dog! I want my dog to get over SA, not just make it so the dog is glad I have left lol. (extrapolating from the calm submissive nrg CM type 'training')

[Jeff_L_Swift]

My dogs are very confident and do not coward to me, but I am the alpha dog in my house.

How would you suggest getting a dog over SA?

[lizzybeth727]

Originally Posted by Jeff_L_Swift

How would you suggest getting a dog over SA?

You can use the search function - or just lurk here a while - and find many threads about SA.

[Dekka]

Originally Posted by Jeff_L_Swift

My dogs are very confident and do not coward to me, but I am the alpha dog in my house.

How would you suggest getting a dog over SA?

Why do you want to be seen as alpha? What purpose does that have for you? Why can't you just let your dogs take care of being dogs and you be the human?

And yes the search function works great.

[corgipower]

Originally Posted by Jeff_L_Swift

My dogs are very confident and do not coward to me, but I am the alpha dog in my house.

How would you suggest getting a dog over SA?

You're a dog? Very skilled to be able to sign up on a forum and post.

And yes, there's a search function here and many discussions regarding SA that you can go read.

[Maura]

Actually, this is pretty much from Jan Fennel's book, The Dog Listener.