PANDEMIC - PERFECT STORM FOR SEPARATION ANXIETY
Separation anxiety in dogs can be predisposed but most often it is created by too much togetherness, not enough structure and a lack of skill set for calm independence. Dogs who struggle with separation anxiety quite literally become addicted to togetherness (always being with their humans and never being alone) and so they really struggle (experience withdrawal symptoms) when they are left alone which can manifest into unhealthy behaviours like whining, barking, panting, drooling, shaking/trembling, destructive behaviour, peeing/pooping in the house, reactivity, excessive licking/chewing/etc. just to name a few!
With the pandemic restrictions, we are spending more time home with our dogs than ever before and because of this ‘perfect storm’ of events, we’re seeing more separation anxiety than ever! Unfortunately, separation anxiety is a very complicated issue to resolve BUT fortunately, it’s also preventable by providing our dogs with the right kind of daily structure like a consistent crating routine, boundaries and rules, exercise, discipline and accountability!
The way to prevent separation anxiety in any dog, including dogs who are predisposed to it, is by crate training the dog and maintaining a consistent life long crating routine, limiting or removing freedom and opportunities to make anxious choices, adding structure (crate, place command, thresholds, heel, etc.), holding the dog accountable for good behaviour and a calm mindset at all times, limiting or removing toxic interactions with people like coddling/babying/unearned affection/over permissiveness/spoiling/etc. Much like a substance addiction, separation anxiety isn’t a condition that can be magically ’cured’ or ‘fixed’ but we can keep it in remission by being very consistent with the crate routine, structure, boundaries, rules, accountability (correcting poor choices) and giving our dogs strong, dependable and healthy leadership.
I wanted to re-share this video from a few months ago about separation anxiety and how we can address it, maintain it in remission, and ultimately prevent it in dogs who haven’t developed it yet!
I’ve had the great opportunity to share a lot of helpful information about the anxious dog rehab training process on my social media accounts. For an inherently anxious dog, they need to learn better life skills like training, structure and exercise to cope with his anxiety rather than indulging it. Of course, it takes a very proactive handler at the helm to help anxious dogs stay on track but with these three foundational components in place, a dog will come leaps and bounds in his behaviour and mindset! In the video, I’m chatting about anxiety cases in general and the approach I take with dogs to help them become more calm and comfortable in their daily lives as we work consistently to keep anxiety in remission.