How many times has your dog started barking when you get out of the house? This is one of the most typical issues that almost every pet owner - dog separation anxiety. Although this is mildly annoying to some, but in extreme cases your dogs may start to destroy your house, or barking continuously for hours when you go away. So here is what you need to know about dog separation anxiety.

The Sources of Dog Separation Anxiety

You should know that dogs are pack animals and they feel a direct bond to their owners. And they will grow agitated when you get out of the house. However, almost all of the anxiousness that they feel is because they are attached to the specific actions you take on your absence.

Your dog doesn't really have a direct reason why they grow upset when you go away. This is because their behaviors are reinforced on a regular basis; you give them attention after and before you leave or you go through the same habit every morning. This makes your dog unable to control their anxious feelings when you leave the house.

Ways to Reduce Dog Separation Anxiety

There are lots of ways to reduce the dog separation anxiety. Here are a few of the easiest methods.

Change Your Routine - By altering your morning routine you can decrease pre-leaving anxiety. You can get up at different times, take your keys down before you leave and wait for a while or get dressed earlier. You can also alter your routines to further decrease the pre-leaving anxiety of your dog.

Don't Reinforce It - When you lavish or pet your dog with attention just before you leave and when you return, you're actually reinforcing the behavior. One of the simplest ways to reduce dog separation anxiety is to ignore your dog for 10-15 minutes when you leave home or return from work. This way you are removing the relationship between you're comings and goings and their attention. This can be done by using crate training or putting them in a different room in your house then leaving and coming back in intervals.

Building Up to Longer Times - If your dog grows anxious the moment you go out of the door, you should start leaving the house for quicker periods of time. This can be done by leaving for several seconds and then come back. By doing this, you are changing the dog's expectations for how long you'll be gone and when will you come back and also increasing how long you are able to leave every time. This will help lessen dog separation anxiety can be treated by changing the dog's anticipation for how long you'll be out and when you'll come back.

You're Not Being Mean

You might think that you are being cruel or mean to your dog by using these methods. But in reality, you are really helping them to calm down, and letting them know that you're coming back and also that you're in control of the domain and there is absolutely no reason for them to feel that nervous. Not to mention that reducing dog separation anxiety is good for your dog's health - both physical and mental.

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