Effective Ways to Ease Separation Anxiety in Dogs

How to Keep Your Dog Calm When You Leave

Separation anxiety is a lot more common than most dog owners may assume. The tell-tale signs usually consist of exceedingly nervous behavior as soon as your pet realizes that you are about to leave the house. Dogs suffering from separation anxiety tend to destroy shoes, furniture, and other things while their owner is away.

Separation anxiety occurs when your pet becomes hyper-attached to you as their owners and becomes exceptionally tensed and stressed out when you are absent. While you will not be able to ease the situation by merely remaining at their side, as work and personal responsibilities mean hardly anyone can stay housebound forever. 

There are ways that you can ease separation anxiety in your dog and encourage their confidence when left alone., and we have mentioned them below:

Chew Toys 

Dog chew toy
Image by Anna Dahlhaus from Pixabay

Your pet may be exhibiting destructive behavior simply because they do not have suitable dog-friendly toys to keep them occupied when alone. Regardless of how old or young your furry friend is, toys are a pet essential. Therefore, your pet deserves only the best toys and gifting your dog with a new gadget when you return home may also instill calm and keep them entertained. Alternatively, you can bring out new toys before leaving the house.

Natural Calming Remedies

Depending on the severity of the separation anxiety, natural calming remedies might be the best solution. However, it is best to use calming remedies such as CBD products for dogs and others in junction with toys for entertainment and other effective methods. Combining solutions will radically enhance your pet’s comfort while you are out.

Greet with A Treat

Dog treats
Image by Capri Tography from Pixabay

Greeting your pet with a tasty treat can be done to comfort your pet either before your outing or the second you return. Just as you would reward house training efforts, you should also reward good behavior noted when you are out. It would help if you used your pet’s favorite treat to create a reward system and primarily train them to be left alone for a set period.

Establish Routine

Just as small children need a routine to define comfort and security, your pet does too. If you have been leaving the house at irregular hours and your pet is unable to establish a set time in which you go and later return, uncertainty might be the core of the separation anxiety.

It would be a great idea to craft a routine in which you leave the house every morning or afternoon for a short period. Gradually enhancing the time and frequency of being left alone will allow your pet to understand that you are not going forever. 

Keep them Entertained

Dog toys
Image by BlueRemyDog from Pixabay

Your pet may be feeling anxious if you are leaving them alone at home without any sound or entertainment. Even though dog chews toys and tasty dog treats will provide some entertainment, it would be a great idea to leave the TV on or play music. The noise will prevent your pet from feeling even more anxiety towards odd sounds from outside your home.

Featured Image by StockSnap from Pixabay