How To Ease Separation Anxiety Between You and Your Pup: Three Easy Steps

By Lisa Albanese
2008-03-05

How To Ease Separation Anxiety Between You and Your Pup: Three Easy Steps

Let's face it; as much as our dogs depend on us, we depend on them just
as much. Love, companionship, and playtime are all things that people
depend on their dogs for just as much as their dogs may depend on them.
For this reason, leaving your dog home alone for extended periods of
time while at work or on vacation can cause a variety of problems for
both pet and pet owner.



Separation anxiety is real, and it affects our four-legged friends
too. The difference between you and your pet in this instance is that
while you know that the two of you will soon be reunited, your pet
probably doesn't have this type of forethought and so it is important
for humans to be as accommodating to their canine companion as possible
in this aspect.



Pets experience separation anxiety on a variety of levels. Some
pets are perfectly fine with being away from their owners for extended
lengths of time whereas other pets may fall into a deep depression.
Even worse, there are those mischievous little guys out there who seek
to tear up everything in your home that is important to you, perhaps in
the hope that you will rethink leaving them alone ever again.



If any of the above sound like the situation between you and your
pet, it is time for you to take action. Even though it may not seem
like it at times, there is a way for you and your pet to handle
separation in a much easier, more constructive way. Here are a few tips
on how to help your pet handle his down-time.




Provide Them With a Comfort Zone



Providing your pet with a comfort zone is one of the most
successful ways of making sure that they are as comfortable as possible
when you can't be together. For every pet, this comfort zone is
different; for some, it may require the confinement of a kennel or dog
crate in order to be successful. Either way, having a place for them to
call their own might help in the long run.



Make their area as comfortable as possible, even if it is a form of
caging them to protect your home. Old pillows, a dog bed, their
favorite toy, maybe even a tee shirt or something that smells of your
scent—these are all things that could help them to feel a bit more at
ease in their area, and perhaps make the hours until you come home that
much more bearable.




Keep Them Entertained



A bored pet is a bad pet, plain and simple. If they don't have
something of their own to keep them busy, chances are that they will
find something of yours to accommodate their interest. Stop a disaster
in its tracks by making sure that your pet has plenty of their own toys
and items to entertain them while you are gone. This doesn't mean using
old shoes and things of yours as it just confuses the difference
between what items are okay for them to have and what are not okay for
them to have.



Keeping your pet entertains not only gives them something to keep
them away from your things, but something to help them pass the time
while they don't have you around to keep them company.




Consider Getting Them a Pal



While this may be a big one for some households, sometimes the only
surefire way to cure separation anxiety between you and your pet is to
give them a playmate. If your household cannot handle two pets, by all
means do not get into something that your family may potentially be
unable to handle. However, if you do have the means this is a great way
to get rid of otherwise seemingly incurable separation anxiety on the
part of your pet.



These are just a few ways to help keep the time your pet spends
alone as pain-free as possible, and you are encouraged to think of some
of your own. Now that you know your pet will survive without you, now
it is just a matter of handling yourself when the two of you are apart.



Article Pages:
» How To Ease Separation Anxiety Between You and Your Pup: Three Easy Steps

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