Helpful hints to cure separation anxiety
Exercise is the best medicine. Try to take your dog for a walk before you have to leave. A tired dog is a good dog. If you can’t walk them because of health, time, a bad neighborhood or weather, try walking them on a treadmill. (You need to have a trainer show you how to walk them on a treadmill. If done improperly, you will never get them on it).
It might not be separation anxiety. It may be extreme boredom. Exercise will help with that. A dog in his natural environment is constantly migrating and moving forward. You need to fulfill your dog’s needs before you leave him alone.
Don’t pay attention to you dog 10 minutes before you leave. Don’t pay attention to your dog as soon as you get home. Ignore him until he is calm. Practice your usual movement that you do when you are going to depart, but don’t leave. Do it in small increments. Put on your coat, shoes, get your keys, etc., and just sit down and watch TV. These actions can trigger anxiety. Then go to the car and start it up, but don’t leave. Then go to the car, start it up, open the garage door and don’t leave. Then do the above but just drive around the corner and come back. Vary your time away. Gradually increase your time away. Set up situations so when the real time comes for you to leave, it’s no big deal.
No emotional goodbyes or hellos. Don’t talk to your dog when you are leaving.
Do not open the door or comfort your dog when he is crying, whining, barking, scratching at the door etc. To do so will reinforce that bad behavior. Only give love and affection when your dog is calm and quiet.
Crate train your dog. Make your dog love his crate. In his natural environment, they love to be enclosed on three sides. If you have an open crate, try covering the top and three sides with a towel or blanket. It makes him feel safe. Keep him confined if he cannot be trusted.
Try using Rescue Remedy. It has no side effects, does not change their personality, does not drug them, does not interfere with other medications. You cannot overdose on Rescue Remedy. You can buy it at a health food store. It’s about $14.00 a bottle. It works on some dogs and some dogs it does not. There is also something you can get at Petco or PetSmart. It is called Comfort Zone. It is like a Glade plug-in and releases calming pheromones into the air. Again, it works on some dogs and some it does not. It is expensive ($25.00 to $30.00 each).
Give them plenty of chew toys when you leave. A stuffed Kong is an excellent chew toy and will entertain them for a long time. But use high value treats to make it interesting. Hide a couple of them around the house—it will give them something to do. Most dogs love bully sticks (also known as pizzles, bullwrinkles) and they are better than rawhide bones.
Correct bad behavior. A penny can thrown behind a closed door will sometimes do the trick. Never shake a penny can in their face. Don’t let them see you throw it or pick it up. The idea is to make them think that they are causing this uncomfortable noise.
Everyone in the family must follow the same rules.