The signs
Your dog follows you around the home. Your dog whinges when you don’t let her follow you. Your dog gets anxious when you are about to go out. Your dog may be destructive when left home alone (chewing/digging). Your dog may bark, cry or howl when left alone.
We want our dogs to be relaxed even when we are not in sight. We cannot be with them 24 hours a day and we must teach them it is OK to be on their own.
Quite a few dogs that attend daycare show signs of separation anxiety. We notice it when dogs whimper, whine or even bark when we are not in the same enclosure as them. Even though we are still in sight and in fact just the other side of the barrier! Most dogs that come do not mind when we move in and out of the enclosures, they happily carry on playing or sleeping. Usually, after just a few days with us the anxious dogs really improve and stop worrying.
Things you can do
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Don’t give attention when your dog whinges |
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Don’t make a fuss when you leave your dog, just a quick “see you later” |
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Don’t make a fuss as soon as you come home; wait until your dog is settled |
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Don’t let your dog follow you everywhere, every now and then just shut the door behind you. When you come out of the room walk past her, don’t give her attention immediately. |
Make sure your dog knows that you are the leader of the pack and not her. It is the leader’s job to protect the pack and if your dog is the leader she thinks she has to protect you and she will get stressed when she cannot see that you are OK.