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Symptoms Of Separation Anxiety In Dogs

By Walt Jensen


A very common complaint amongst dog owners is that their dogs get into trouble when they are gone. They will become destructive by chewing things around them, going potty where they shouldn't, or try and escape.

When a dog starts drooling or showing signs of anxiety before you leave your home, these are not signs of a poorly trained dog. They are signs that they could have separation anxiety, and get upset when their owners leave them alone. Leaving them alone will make them do things that they normally wouldn't do in your presence.

Separation anxiety in dogs can cause them to try and escape. This means they will try and get out of the room they are in, which can cause injury and or household destruction, especially with windows and doors. If you see your dog getting agitated or anxious before you leave, or even depressed before you go, your dog suffers from separation anxiety and sometimes will try and prevent their guardians from leaving.

If your dog treats you as if they haven't seen you in years when you come home, or if they start barking and howling when you leave them, then separation anxiety in dogs could be the problem. We want to point out some of the more common separation anxiety symptoms your dog might have.

Digging, destruction by chewing in the room you left them, are tell tale signs your dog might have separation anxiety problem. Chewing on door frames or window sills, or digging at doorways can cause destruction of your house, but also cause broken teeth, scraped paws or damaged nails in your dog.

Barking and howling are more separation anxiety in dogs symptoms. They bark or howl when left alone and they will be persistent when doing this. Pacing is another separation anxiety in dogs behavior. Pacing is when your dog will trot along a specific path in a fixed pattern when left alone. The pattern can be in a circle or a straight line. You will know that this behavior is separation anxiety if your dog does not do it in your presence.

There are a number of reasons why your dog may suffer from separation anxiety, though there is no conclusive evidence why dogs develop this. The dogs that have been adopted from shelters seem to have separation anxiety more than dogs that have been raised by a single family since it was a puppy, which tends to make the loss of an important person or people in a dog's life can cause separation anxiety in them.

If your dog is bored when you are gone, that could be a reason for separation anxiety in dogs, or a change in their schedule or where they live can upset them enough that they become very anxious when left alone.

You can treat mild separation anxiety in dogs by a technique called counterconditioning, which is a treatment process that changes the animal's aggressive, anxious or fearful reaction to being pleasant and relaxed. You can accomplish this by associating the sight of a disliked person or thing with something that the dog enjoys.




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