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Dealing with puppy separation anxiety is key to raising a happy, healthy dog. In this guide, we will cover the causes, symptoms and science backed training for puppy separation anxiety. To create independent doggos!
Dealing with puppy separation anxiety is key to raising a happy, healthy dog. In this guide, we will cover the causes, symptoms and science backed training for puppy separation anxiety. To create independent doggos!
It’s never nice to know your pup is unhappy when you aren’t home. But now and then it’s important to be able to leave your dog home alone, even for very short periods of time. So you might wonder ‘How can I help my puppy with separation anxiety?’
Let’s start with the basics: thecauses and signs of puppy separation anxiety.
Separation anxiety is defined scientifically as distress in dogs following the absence of an attachment figure, usually you - their best buddy since leaving their furry mum.
This distress in puppies can look like any of the following:
Separation anxiety is defined scientifically as distress in dogs following the absence of an attachment figure, usually you - their best buddy since leaving their furry mum.
This distress in puppies can look like any of the following:
It’s unclear why some puppies are more prone to separation anxiety than others. Most theorize that as the only attachment figure in a young dog’s life, puppies can feel unsafe or afraid if left alone. Older dogs may experience separation anxiety as a result of a lack of training or a past trauma. Other triggers include life changes like a sudden switch in schedule, a new house, or the sudden absence of a family member. Plus, each dog is different, just like humans, with some more clingy than others.
One myth we cleared up in our debunking blog is that separation anxiety is caused by being too “nice” or spending “too much time” with your puppy. Recent studies have found that separation anxiety is not always based on “hyper attachment” of the dog to the owner, that even dogs that score lower in their attachment can suffer from anxiety when left alone.
Whatever the cause, it’s important to think of prevention as the best cure. Puppies are new to everything in the world, including being left alone. In the same way we can teach them to be unfazed by cars or other people, we need to teach them that alone time is ok too.
However, do bear in mind that with dogs under the age of four months, it’s recommended that the maximum they should be left alone for is two hours.
Research to the rescue. A comprehensive 2014 review of the strategies for treatment and management of separation anxiety really gives a great roadmap to how to create an independent doggo!
First off prevention. The study found that by utilising the following steps, separation anxiety is less likely to occur:
Often pups do experience issues even with the above steps. That’s totally normal and you haven’t done anything wrong!
First off prevention. The study found that by utilising the following steps, separation anxiety is less likely to occur:
Often pups do experience issues even with the above steps. That’s totally normal and you haven’t done anything wrong!
Research found the most effective treatment of puppy separation anxiety, or an older dog experiencing symptoms, is a combination of systematic desensitization andcounterconditioning.
Guess what? This study found that this combination of treatments was successful for 100% of the dogs they treated. That’s pretty good odds! So stay happy in the knowledge that that little shadow will be on their way to an independent, happy and very chilled future.
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