Dogs Separation Anxiety

Dogs Separation Anxiety - Common Symptoms and Treatment

A close relationship with your dog is a great joy for every dog owner. But sometimes it happens that your dog becomes so dependent on your presense that the dog experiences uncertainty or anxiety when apart from you. Your dog is experiencing separation anxiety. About one third of all dogs are said to experience a degree of dog separation anxiety and for around 10% of all dogs the separation anxiety grows into a major problem.

Dog separation anxiety from your dogs point of view

A dog is a pack animal and you are as the pack leader the one most important thing in your dogs life. So it is only natural that when your dog is separated from you he is confused, he doesn't know when your coming back and he experiences varying degrees of distress, loneliness and even anxiety. As when humans are experiencing anxiety, also dog separation anxiety can be a self stimulating process. Your dog can become afraid of the anxiety sensation, meaning that when your dog is feeling the first signs of anxiety he gets afraid of the anxiety sensation it self. This leads into an escalating process of constantly rising anxiety very close to what we know as panic attacks. 

Signs of separation anxiety

- Your dog is getting nervous and anxious by the first signs of separation. Small actions like when you are taking your coat or your car keys seems to start the dogs separation anxiety.

- When you are separated from your dog he engages in bad behavior that he otherwise don't do. Excessive barking, destructive behavior or relieving himself inside are typical symptoms of dog separation anxiety.

- It is a typical sign of potential dog separation anxiety when your dog never leaves you out of sight and shows signs of distress or anxiety when you goes to a private room.

- If your dog gets over excited when you comes home and it takes him a while to calm down, it can be a sign that he has been experiencing a degree of dog separation anxiety.

Events that can cause dog separation anxiety

Dog separation anxiety can develop slowly over a period of time. But in other cases it seems like the dog separation anxiety arises out of nowhere. Here are some events that can trigger the dog separation anxiety.

- A significant change in the family routine can result in dog separation anxiety. It can be your working schedules changing or maybe a family member leaves the family.

- Your family is moving into a new home. This can sometimes cause dog separation anxiety in even older dogs.

- Dog separation anxiety is sometimes due to frightening events the dog experiences on his own. It could be a fire alarm that goes of by mistake or a severe thunderstorm.

- If your dog gets used to you or your family always being around, the dog can be too dependent on your company. This can happen if you are unemployed for some time and when you returns to work the dog separation anxiety can develop.

Dog separation anxiety treatment

The good part is that dog separation anxiety can be treated, the bad part is that according to how severe the separation anxiety is, it will take you a lot of time and you will need a lot of commitment to succeed. In severe cases of dog separation anxiety it can be necessary to involve anxiety medication for a period of time. But don't do this without consulting a Vet. Also remember that anxiety medication is not a solution in it self, but in severe cases of dog separation anxiety it can be as necessary a remedy as it is for humans suffering from panic attacks and anxiety problems.