A10-Point Plan to cure your dog's separation anxiety

Stopping a dog's separation anxiety is not difficult when the solution is crafted around your lifestyle and the lifestyle of your pet.

What is a Separation Anxiety?

A separation anxiety is a subset of the group of behaviours called anxieties where your dog  exhibits signs of distress when separated from you.

While there are many signs which are well-described in this member’s sheet called Home Alone and Anxious a quick summary is:-

1. Your dog will show an emotion related to sadness, moroseness or anxiety when you are preparing to leave

2. It will show anxious behaviours while you are gone such as distressed vocalisation, escaping, house soiling and other behaviours.

3. And it will be over-attentive when you arrive home.

Assessing your dog’s separation anxiety

There are several ways you can assess your dog’s separation anxiety.

1. Complete this assessment form and use the DIY email we then sent you.
   
2. Book a consultation with Dr Cam but remember that members get at least a 10% reduction in fees and free telephone support, and many other benefits.
3. Listen to the first few Podcasts from one of Dr Cam’s seminars on Separation anxiety. (Here's the first one Home Alone Behaviours - Introduction  )

Here's Your 10-Point Plan to Solve Your Dog's Separation Anxiety

The solutions you employ depend on the way in which the anxiety presents and the severity of the anxiety.

1. It’s really important you ensure your dog is medically fit because medical disorders can certainly contribute to separation anxiety behaviours. Refer to this sheet – Medical Causes of Behavioural Problems. Your veterinarian will help you to determine if a medical issue is contributing to your dog's problem or we can help with that when you book a consultation.
   
   
2. The sheet Home Alone and Anxious is the main page you need to read. It stitches the solutions together very well and is the keystone sheet you can use to get the problem solved. That sheet is really detailed so be sure to work through it all.
   
   
3. You can also listen to the whole collection of Dr Cam’s Separation Anxiety Podcasts (2 hours of audio) via this link  and you can download them to your iThing or MP3 player. Membership is needed to access them.
   
   
4. Perhaps your dog’s anxiety is mostly manifest by barking and howling in which case this Barking Dog Pet Pick contains a wealth of information and an additional two hours of podcasts which are well worth the small cost of membership.
   
   
5. If your dog is destructive in your absence then you may be interested in our No Bored Dogs Pet Pick. For us, boredom relief is one of the key concepts that allows the development of techniques called Trial Separations and Staged Leavings (which are also mentioned in Home Alone and Anxious).
   
   
6. You may also benefit from reading solutions to hole digging behaviour here and boredom-relief toys such as the Kong Wobbler can really help to create an easy separation from your dog.
   
   
7. Some dogs develop separation anxiety when you move to a new house.
   
   
8. Alternatively you may feel the solutions your dog needs relate to the means by which you can keep him or her happy and content so Happy Pets – It’s as Simple as ABC is what you need to read.
   
   
9. A comfortable wolf-like Den can be important for some dogs and very comforting too, so refer to this sheet on the Denning Principle. (It’s a member’s file).
   
   
10. Calming Dogs with Separation Anxiety can be Life-Saving

If you are looking for means by which you can calm your dog then look at the homeopathic product called Anxiety.

The Dog Appeasing Pheromone can be very effective for calming your dog and there are three versions available including a power-point diffuser, a pheromone collar and a pheromone spray.

For really serious anxieties, especially those where your dog is panicking or injuring itself and your property when you are away, medications can be vital and life-saving. Curing Panicking Pets is what you need to read in that case.

Re-assessing your progress

No matter what solutions you implement, mark a point in your diary three weeks from now when you will review your dog’s progress. You should be able to make significant progress in three weeks. If that’s not the case, contact us for assistance by completing this assessment form or by ringing us on 07 32550022

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