Dog Separation Anxiety

If you have a dog that freaks out whenever you go out and leave him alone, he probably has an anxiety problem. Often times dogs with this problem tend to overact whenever their owner leaves by crying, whining, howling, trying to jump over the fence, excessively digging etc. sometimes dogs even hurt themselves while in this panic stage. Just remember that consoling your dog whenever he is doing this is not a good idea. Doing this can reinforce the problem and the result is going to be more of what you are trying to avoid all together. Here are some ideas of what to do instead:

• Make sure that he is getting plenty of vigorous exercise.
• Teach him to be obedient and control his stress.
• Whenever going out or coming in the house make sure that you are relaxed and don't pay attention to your dog.

Some other ideas to help your dog deal with having to see you leave include:

1. Taking him to different places (indoors) both familiar and unfamiliar to him. Tie his leash and practice walking a short distance from him. Practice doing this first so he can see you and then walk to a place where he cannot see you. If he does well, make sure to reward him and praise him. Make sure to repeat this until he learns.
2. This idea consists of telling your dog to "Sit" and walking away. It is similar to the previous exercise and gradually increases the amount of time that you leave him alone. Remember though that it is different with little puppies. You cannot expect them to wait for over a minute, as your puppy matures you will be able to increase the amount of time. Practice this often and be sure to reward him kindly. Don't despair if you see that your dog regresses and goes back to the whining and complaining, this is normal, it just means that you have to practice more.

Begging