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Dog’s Separation Anxiety
Suppose your pet dog is showing anxiety over separation. In that case, this indicates that it could be uncomfortable to be alone at home. Since dogs are social animals by their nature, it can be unnatural for them to be away from their social group (you) for a prolonged time. Although most pet dogs can be left alone for some time with no issues, if yours isn’t one of them, you would have to take some steps to help your pet dog overcome their anxiety of being left alone.
It is also vital that you understand that your dog might misbehave. You must recognize that your anxious pup can’t help but do so and that you love them enough to invest time to help them from their anxiety. The following article will assist you in teaching your dog to be okay when they have to be alone in the house. Remember to have patience, as this can take several weeks or even months for some dogs to be completely fine with being left alone at home.
Building Confidence In Your Dogs
Conducting sessions can help build confidence in your dog over time. You should also have at least two to three training sessions consisting of no more than 5 minutes each day where you train them to listen to basic commands such as come, sit, down, shake, spin, rollover, speak, etc. As before, the training sessions should be similarly positive, especially while dealing with anxious dogs. You can utilize treats as rewards while ensuring it does not appear as bribes. Food treats for performing behaviors can be a quite effective and efficient way for building self-confidence in your pet dog.
Provide Attention As Well As Comfort
Your pet dogs should know that they have a place to go while you are away to feel safe and secure. Begin by teaching your companion dog a ‘go-to bed’ command and reward them when they follow it through. Provide them lots of love as well as attention while they are lying on their bed. You should ensure that this is the only place they get that kind of attention, especially when going through the training, which helps them feel reassured to be in their bed.
Try to resist giving attention to your companion dog whenever they demand it; attend to them when they come to you to play around but not as much as you would when they are on their bed. You should certainly provide them with attention but under control while you are training them.
Independence Training
Companion dogs who suffer from anxiety are generally referred to as velcro dogs as they tend to follow their owners wherever they go. The first step for treating their anxiety while left alone is to break this bond a bit. Even when you are present in some other room at home, make your dog learn not to follow you every time and stay in a different room. Give your dog a command such as down and start to build the duration of how long they can stay in this command. Initially, you should set a time in seconds. Add some additional learning for staying alone for a long duration. Take a step away from her. Add more steps now, like two than three and more. Lastly, you can leave the room. Before she becomes upset, you should come back. If she is not okay and becomes disturbed, you should take a few steps away from her, then a few steps back like this to attempt some more actions.
Alone Time
Put your dog in a room or crate, close the door, and leave them alone for some time. Now you should increase the period of how long you step away. In the beginning, you can leave for a few seconds and gradually increase the time up to 15 – 30 minutes. It would be best to give your dog a toy or other chewable article during the trial to make them busy with these before leaving the room.
Conclusion
Dogs are social animals; they love to be around people. It would be best if you had a lot of patience. Sometimes, it takes several weeks to help them overcome their separation anxiety. Take each step carefully and start giving your pet training to be alone in your absence. Maybe start with 15 mins to 2 hours, meanwhile, switch the TV on and go out, so it indicates that you’re not going for long. This write-up will assist you in teaching your dog to feel alright when alone in the house, and they will not feel anxious. Independence training is a must, along with other teachings to your dog.
