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A happy and healthy dog!
Separation anxiety is a man made behaviour where-in the dog becomes so dependant on being with his ‘pack’ that he physically can’t function when he’s on his own and as a result a whole host of behaviour problems begin occurring as the dog tries to cope with his stress.
It is one if the most common problems of all in our modern day dogs. It is also a problem that can prove quite difficult to cure. It manifests itself in all sorts of negative ways. The dog becomes extremely clingy to a particular person or persons in the household while they’re at home, shadowing them everywhere, even down to sitting outside the bathroom door when they go to the toilet. They then fret uncontrollably when they’re separated from that person, whether that’s simply by a door or the person actually leaving the house.
Many people don’t understand the absolutely devastating effect separation anxiety can have on a dog’s mental state and put a lot of the behaviours down to having a naughty dog or a spoilt brat. Men especially tend to be unwilling to accept that the dog has a genuine, psychological problem, and generally put it down to their wife being ‘too soft’. Whilst this can be true and can make the situation worse, the key to understanding behaviours such as separation anxiety comes from understanding that it starts in the mind. Cure the mind, you’ll cure the behaviour.
Although any dog can suffer from separation anxiety, it is also more likely to happen in some breeds more than others. Certain, family orientated breeds such as Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds often suffer from this and the breeds that are naturally inclined to be nervous, such as Yorkshire Terriers and Italian Greyhounds, are also more likely to suffer from this dependant syndrome. It is also more prevalent in rescue dogs that have been mistreated in the past and then suddenly find themselves being treated well. As a rule though, separation anxiety is a behaviour inadvertently created by us, and then made worse by us. And we cause it by treating our dogs too well, giving them the world, unlimited affection and letting them come everywhere with us.
Separation Anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways. Some common signs are:
- Continuous barking & howling when left alone
- Chewing
- Defecating around the house when usually house trained
- Self harming (chewing or obsessive licking of their own skin)
- Getting up onto raised surfaces such as sofas and tables & going to the toilet
Separation anxiety is a psychological problem so no amount of training will ever cure it. To cure this problem we need to tackle the source, and that is the nervous, insecure mind. By letting him follow you around constantly to suddenly leaving him at home alone for hours on end will only make the problem worse. It needs to be done slowly and gradually, letting him build his confidence up piece by piece and day by day.
Separation Anxiety is one of the saddest behaviour problems of all. It is also one of the hardest to cure and one of the most likely to get a dog re-homed or taken to a shelter because the behaviours that this problem elicits are generally so undesirable and so difficult to live with that most people can’t cope with the sacrifices they have to make for the animal that was supposed to be a pet. What makes it even sadder is that generally it was them that created the problem in the first place. They spoiled the one thing they wanted to take care of.
It is very difficult, as human beings, to see a neglected or frightened creature and not feel sympathy and not want to help it. If we saw a little girl in a supermarket, lost and crying for her mummy, our instinct would make us rush over and help her and comfort her until you could find her mum. What we need to do with dogs, is understand that they are not humans. They don’t think like humans, they don’t behave like humans, so therefore they don’t understand human logic.
If we treat our dog, from day one, in a neutral, calm and strict manner then we will have few, if any, problems. Let him be alone, don’t overcompensate with love and treats and make sure he understands that you are pack leader and he is at the bottom of the pack. This isn’t cruel, this is thinking like a dog. If he understands his place in the pack and understands that sometimes he has to be alone and this is perfectly normal, then he’ll automatically be a happier and more content creature.
© Lindsay Cowie website
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