February 28th, 2012
By Eric Letendre
Separation problems are very common with dogs. Dogs are highly social animals and some have a difficult time being left alone.
Separation problems can result in housetraining issues, chewing and destructive behaviors, barking, digging and anxiety.
If your dog is having a separation problem–the following are some steps you can take to help him overcome it.
Step #1: Understand your dog’s behavior. Your dog is not destroying your house to spite or get back at you.
Step #2: Your dog is highly stressed and cannot handle being by herself. You need to help your dog feel secure when left alone.
Step #3: Help develop your dog’s tolerance for being left alone. Your dog becomes stressed when you leave.
Step #4: To increase your dog’s stress tolerance, you need to gradually leave your dog alone for longer and longer periods.
Step #5: This is accomplished by putting on your jacket, grabbing your keys like you’re leaving and walking out the door.
Step #6: Once you’re outside, wait about 5 minutes and walk back in.
Step #7: If your dog can handle the 5 minutes, increase the time to 10 minutes. Once your dog can handle the 10 minutes, keep gradually increasing the amount of time you’re outside.
This does require some time and patience.
Step #8: Crate training your dog can also be very helpful when you have to leave for longer periods of time.
Step #9: Exercise your dog. A dog that has separation problems and a lot of pent-up energy will result in disaster.
Step #10: Bringing your dog to a dog daycare may be an option if your dog does not like the crate and if your dog is very active.
Step #11: The exercise and mental stimulation at the daycare should help your dog overcome separation anxiety.
Step# 12: In extreme cases you may need the help of your veterinarian. A vet can provide medication for dogs that are extremely stressed when left alone.
Get more help with separation anxiety at the Dog Training Inner Circle where I can answeryour questions personally.
All the best,
Eric
P.S. Please pass on to any friends or family that have a dog with this problem.
P.S. The Dog Training Inner Circle has over 85 videos and loads of articles to help with any behavior problem. You also get my step by step dog training plan at the Dog Training Inner Circle
Eric Letendre is a professional dog trainer from the United States and has been training dogs for over 20 years, teaching regular, average, every-day owners all over the world how to get the training results they want as fast as possible. Eric is also the author of numerous reports, the E-Book “101 Ways to Improve Your Dog’s Behavior,” “The Amazing Dog Training Man Book,” and produced and stars in his DVD “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.”
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Eric Letendre is a professional dog trainer from the United States. For more than 20 years, he has been developing dog training "hacks" that have worked for dog owners all over the world. Eric operates from a home office or a laptop while traveling and draws on his experience and passion for dog training to show others how to develop a dog that is truly “Man’s Best Friend”.
Eric is the author of numerous reports, the E-Book “101 Ways to Hack Your Dog’s Behavior,” “The Amazing Dog Training Man Book,” and produced and stars in his DVD “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.”
Separation anxiety in dogs is something that has become a big issue for dogs and their owners. This can cause a lot of stress and can be very painful for dogs. We have had a lot of great discussions about dog anxiety on our Facebook page and have received a lot of great tips. We would like to invite you to check out some of the advice on our page or feel free to join in the conversation on our page. Happy reading:) http://www.facebook.com/thundershirt