Dog Separation Anxiety - Most Common Problem In Dogs

One of the most common dog behavior problems is probably dog separation anxiety. In order to be happy and healthy dogs need to have a lot of social interaction either with humans or other dogs. They are very social animals and leaving a dog alone is something they cant stand.

In order to solve dog separation anxiety you will need to first understand this anxiety disorder that brings on a state of extreme panic in your dog. The main cause of the distress is the separation or isolation from their owner.

Different levels of anxiety are possible. Some dogs can deal with being left alone while others might start worrying the minute you have left home, or even as soon as noticing you are preparing yourself to leave.

There are dog breeds that are more prone to separation anxiety so it is important you do your research before buying a dog. If you know you are not going to be home very often and your dog will have to spend time on his own, you better not buy Airedales, Weimaraners or Springer Spaniels for example.

Plus a higher number of dogs that come from a shelter seem to develop dog separation anxiety easily. These dogs might have gone through some severe trauma before ending up in the shelter and once they are placed in a home with an owner they can trust, they will start relying on that owner a lot faster than dogs that havent experienced any trauma in their life already.

When buying a puppy in a pet shop be aware to check the age the pup was separated from its mom. Dogs being separated from their mom too early on in life (before being 8 weeks old) and then put in cages like is the case in most pet shops, very easily develop feelings of anxiety and stress later on in life.

Lets look at what causes this behavior problem now that we know which dogs are more likely to suffer.

The number one reason for your dog to develop anxiety is neglect. Now this might sound harsh but I am referring to the type of neglect like leaving your dog alone for longer periods of time without having him prepared properly for you absence. Your dog needs a lot of attention, love and company to become a happy and content pet.

Being left alone, your dog will start looking for you and when unable to find you or unable to get to you, all sorts of anxiety symptoms will appear.

Dog separation anxiety can range from mild signs like stress when you are walking out the door to full blown anxiety problems where it is not abnormal to find your furniture completely destroyed upon return.

Great improvement can be seen when using the right tools and training methods, but completely solving your dogs behavior problem can be a tedious process in this case. Be prepared to properly deal with it the moment you find your dog becoming stressed when you arent around, that will save you a lot of time and effort.

If you have a dog with separation anxiety and are completely at loss, having tried all common tips to help you pet deal with this behavior problem I am happy to be able to tell you that there is a solution.

As a dog owner myself and having dealt with dog separation anxiety on several occasions already, I know how hard it can be, coming home each time and find that your dog has been chewing on furniture, peeing everywhere and basically trashing the house, not to mention the number of angry calls from the neighbors.