How to Avoid Separation Anxiety in Newly Adopted Dogs
Offer your dog a favorite toy and play with it before you leave., Play it cool when you come and go., Switch up your exit routine., Give your dog more exercise., Crate train your dog.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Offer your dog a favorite toy and play with it before you leave.
Spend some time playing with your dog before heading out so it will be in a positive mood before you leave.
Choose a couple favorite toys to play with for 15 minutes or so before departing.Puzzle or food-dispensing toys are especially useful when trying to keep your dog occupied and avoid giving it anxiety when you leave the house.
A toy might take about 20 minutes for your dog to figure out, and by the time it does, it will tire and rest until you return. -
Step 2: Play it cool when you come and go.
Try not to make a big deal about greeting your dog or saying goodbye when you enter and leave the house.
Do your best to avoid indications that you’re leaving in order to keep your dog’s arousal level at a minimum.
While some owners might offer low-key hellos and goodbyes, consider leaving the greetings out altogether., Try keeping your keys in your bag, keeping your coat in a different location, or leaving the house without wearing a coat or bringing a bag.
Randomly change your exit routine so your dog doesn’t come to associate you putting on a coat or the sound of keys with being alone.Make sure to keep mixing up your routine instead of just changing it once in order to desensitize your dog. , Exercise can be an effective way of avoiding both canine boredom and separation anxiety.
Depending on its breed or mix of breeds, your dog will, on average, require at least an hour of exercise daily.Consider increasing the length of your walks, and try to vary the locations you walk your dog.
Switching up its walk will expose it to more sights and smells, which will keep your dog stimulated and curb boredom.
Command training and games like fetch and hide and seek with treats can give your dog beneficial mental exertion in addition to physical exercise.
A combination of physical and mental exercise can help prevent anxiety and increase the chance that your dog will rest until you return. , Since dogs are den animals, they find safety and security in enclosed spaces.
You should consider crate training your new dog, especially if it’s a puppy.
However, be sure that you don’t treat the crate as a form of punishment.Avoid putting your dog in a crate if it exhibits signs of severe separation anxiety and you’re afraid that it might injure itself.
If your dog has tried to escape, is extremely destructive, or is an older dog that has never been crated, use desensitization training and consider talking to a trainer instead of using a crate. -
Step 3: Switch up your exit routine.
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Step 4: Give your dog more exercise.
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Step 5: Crate train your dog.
Detailed Guide
Spend some time playing with your dog before heading out so it will be in a positive mood before you leave.
Choose a couple favorite toys to play with for 15 minutes or so before departing.Puzzle or food-dispensing toys are especially useful when trying to keep your dog occupied and avoid giving it anxiety when you leave the house.
A toy might take about 20 minutes for your dog to figure out, and by the time it does, it will tire and rest until you return.
Try not to make a big deal about greeting your dog or saying goodbye when you enter and leave the house.
Do your best to avoid indications that you’re leaving in order to keep your dog’s arousal level at a minimum.
While some owners might offer low-key hellos and goodbyes, consider leaving the greetings out altogether., Try keeping your keys in your bag, keeping your coat in a different location, or leaving the house without wearing a coat or bringing a bag.
Randomly change your exit routine so your dog doesn’t come to associate you putting on a coat or the sound of keys with being alone.Make sure to keep mixing up your routine instead of just changing it once in order to desensitize your dog. , Exercise can be an effective way of avoiding both canine boredom and separation anxiety.
Depending on its breed or mix of breeds, your dog will, on average, require at least an hour of exercise daily.Consider increasing the length of your walks, and try to vary the locations you walk your dog.
Switching up its walk will expose it to more sights and smells, which will keep your dog stimulated and curb boredom.
Command training and games like fetch and hide and seek with treats can give your dog beneficial mental exertion in addition to physical exercise.
A combination of physical and mental exercise can help prevent anxiety and increase the chance that your dog will rest until you return. , Since dogs are den animals, they find safety and security in enclosed spaces.
You should consider crate training your new dog, especially if it’s a puppy.
However, be sure that you don’t treat the crate as a form of punishment.Avoid putting your dog in a crate if it exhibits signs of severe separation anxiety and you’re afraid that it might injure itself.
If your dog has tried to escape, is extremely destructive, or is an older dog that has never been crated, use desensitization training and consider talking to a trainer instead of using a crate.
About the Author
Patricia Armstrong
Enthusiastic about teaching pet care techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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