How To Help Your Pet With Separation Anxiety?
Before labelling your pet's bad behavior as separation anxiety, have it examined by your vet to rule out any medical issues that could be causing the symptoms.
If your pet displays any of these symptoms only when left alone, it could have separation anxiety:
- Howling, crying or barking
- Spraying urine outside litter box (cats)
- Urinating or defecating indoors (dogs)
- Chewing, digging and destruction
- Escaping
- Pacing
- Defecating, then eating the excrement
Tips for reducing separation anxiety:
- Help your pet associate being alone with something positive! For dogs, offer them treats or toys every time you leave the house. This will keep them occupied and help to tire them out. For cats, put a few of their favourite toys away and only bring them out when you leave.
- Downplay goodbyes and hellos. Try to ignore your pet 5 to 15 mins before leaving and when returning, to show that your absence is nothing to get excited about.
- Try putting on your shoes, then just sit down and watch TV instead. This may work over time to lower their pre-eparture anxiety level.
- Never reward bad behaviour. Do not try to comfort them with attention when it is displaying the wrong behaviour.
- Leave your clothings around so they can feel your ‘presence'
- Get a dog walker or cat sitter to give you your pet some exercise and attention with you are away
- Take your dog to dog daycare a couple of times a week to socialise with other dogs.
- Make sure your pet is getting enough play time and exercise.
- Pets need mental exercise. Train them to obey and do what you command.
- Anti-nxiety medication is available for pets, so ask your vet. Consider working with a behavior professional to be sure you're on the right path.
- And remember this golden tip: A tired pet, is an obedient pet.
Fixing separation anxiety is hard work. It's all too easy to get frustrated with your pet's destructive behavior. Remember that they are not choosing to do it out of spite or malice -they panicked about their own survival without you to protect them. If you make the commitment to modify his behavior and succeed in helping him be brave about being alone, you'll not only save your home from destruction, you will enhance the quality of your dog's life immensely -as well as your own -and perhaps save him from bad experiences too!
