5 Myths About Separation Anxiety In Dogs

So you’re a worried pet parent who thinks your pooch has developed Separation related distress – you are not alone . You may have been told or have begun to think that you are the reason why your dog has started to display these phobia like behaviours- well I’m hear to bust a few mini myths about how dogs get Separation Anxiety in the first place to hopefully put your mind at ease a little bit more – 👇👇 The following statements are NOT TRUE so please don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise….

❌Cuddling your dog too much can cause separation anxiety – FALSE ….if anything dogs with SA have anxious disposition and need MORE reassurance than normal in worrying scenarios.

❌Letting your dog sleep in your bed causes separation anxiety- FALSE- it’s the best bed in the house it makes sense he loves it there.

❌Letting your dog go through the door first- FALSE- wrong again- it’s just super exciting getting to go for a walk with you- these dogs just need to learn a few impulse control games with consistent training not “alpha leadership” – calm positive reinforcement to sit their bottom on a mat (target training) and learning to settle over time is all that is required – you barely have to say anything at all as hand signals will suffice as well as barely have to touch a dog if treats are involved. 👍

❌Letting him eat first will cause separation anxiety – FALsE – and again nope- your dog is not hell bent on household domination- your dog is hungry and probably gets once or twice a day to indulge in his favourite thing -EATING – don’t withhold this from him – I’d be super cranky if you took my Roast dinner away halfway through eating it – It’s highly likely if you do it too often I’d stab you with my fork (metaphor for resource guarding) 😅😅

❌The most common “internet advice” is often LET THEM BARK IT OUT – you guessed it…also FALSE – This statement implies that SA will fix itself if you leave it long enough (if it does rectify like this it wasn’t Separation anxiety in the first place. What IS likely to happen is that without predictable gradual training to cope with absence dogs that “bark it out” constantly rehearse going over threshold and subsequently get worse not better (like screaming on rollercoaster- it’s seems to have no function except to “self soothe” until the scary thing stops) in our case it’s barking until your owner gets home.

SHORT SUMMARY- Separation Anxiety is a phobia of being alone usually from a specific person which only happens or increase when that person is out of the house and aside from preventative training as a puppy you are unlikely to have caused this phobia and is usually a result of the genetics of stress being passed on my a parent dog or previous learned history (ie a scary situation has increased the likelihood of this phobia)🐶

Starting Home Alone Training now even if your dog doesn’t seem to be exhibiting SA is also advisable for all puppies young dogs and rescue dogs who need to get into a routine before you tended period of time .

If you suspect your dog might be exhibiting separation distress or any similar situation please get in contact i can get you started on your journey to becoming a guilt free home alone hero for your dog today using the link below 👇👇

Help Your Dog To Cope Now

❤️🐶 Sara @ About Town Pets

Ps If you enjoyed this post and would like advice on other dog behaviour related topics be sure to check out my blog on Help I Think My Dog Is Resource Guarding