Is Your Dog's Separation Anxiety Making You Stressed?

"Learn How To Remedy
Separation Anxiety In Dogs"

Separation anxiety in dogs is fairly common and is usually worse during the first hour or so of being left alone.

You should never punish your dog for anxious behaviour - he can't help it; instead, you might like to try some of the remedies suggested below.

The main thing is to keep your Cocker Spaniel occupied to help stop him becoming bored and to help keep him out of mischief.

Safe Toys To Play With

A good selection of interesting toys to play with will help to combat your dog's separation anxiety.

Make sure his toys are safe enough for him to play with unsupervised, for example, nylon bones, rope toys, and other safe chew toys.

Kongs are great for helping reduce your dog's separation anxiety as they will keep him occupied while you're away.

They're strong and chewable, and can be filled with food such as grated cheese or cream cheese, kibble, sausage, hot-dogs, liver, chicken, peanut butter - in fact, anything your dog favours.

We bought Max a hollow bone filled with a meaty paste from the local pet shop.

Unfortunately, He wasn't too keen on the paste so we dug it out and replaced it with our own filling.

We've used a mixture of kibble and meat paste, hot-dog and meatpaste, and cream cheese and sausage - he loves them all and it keeps him quiet for a while!

These hollow bones have certainly helped with our dog's separation anxiety.

They're ideal as they may be used over and over again and, to make it more interesting and last longer, you can even freeze them - great on a warm day!

Don't forget to offset any treats you give him against his food allocation otherwise you'll end up with a fat Cocker Spaniel!

And remember to rotate his toys so that he doesn't get bored with them.

Any toys or bones you give your dog to keep him occupied during your absence must be taken from him on your return; only let him have them when you go out to ensure he doesn't get bored with them.

If your dog becomes bored it may increase his anxiety and he may become destructive.

Plenty Of Exercise

If your dog has too much pent up energy, he's more likely to get into mischief if left on his own.

Lots of physical exercise and mental stimulation can help with your dogs separation anxiety as both will help to tire him out and make him feel less stressed, so that when you leave him on his own your dog will be relaxed and more likely to sleeep while you're away.

A good long walk before you leave will usually do the trick!

Make sure he gets to run around; throw a ball or a frisbee for him and let him run until he's exhausted.

You might also like to try a few puppy obedience training exercises or some exciting puppy games to give the mental stimulation to help with your dog's separation anxiety.

If You're Going Out - Just Go!

When it's time to leave the house, don't make a fuss - just go.

If you make a fuss, there's the danger that you make your dog more nervous and anxious about being left on his own.

Try the following exercise to help reduce your dog's separation anxiety:

• Without making any fuss, leave the house by the front door and close it behind you. Let your dog see you leave.
• Wait for a few moments and then return - the aim is not to allow your dog time to become upset.

  Don't make a fuss of your Cocker Spaniel on your return otherwise he may view your attention as confirmation that he was right to be anxious. Don't react to your dog - wait for a few moments, until he's calmed down, then greet him and stroke him quietly.

• Repeat this exercise several times a day.

What Triggers Separation Anxiety?

Your dog's separation anxiety may be triggered when he sees you putting on your coat, or reaching for your house keys.

These actions will tell him that you're about to leave - don't be fooled, Cocker Spaniels easily pick up on your actions and soon learn to recognise your behaviour patterns.

If you always do the same things before you leave, he'll notice it and your dog's separation anxiety will begin as soon as you pick up your house keys or your coat.

Don't allow him to identify any pattern which could indicate that you were about to leave the house; vary your behaviour pattern slightly each time.

(If you need to take a coat or a shopping bag with you, perhaps you could place them outside a few minutes before you leave - but don't let your dog see you do this.)

Don't always leave by the front door; alternate your departure by leaving through another exit wherever possible.

As your dog's separation anxiety isn't limited to when you leave the house, this same exercise may be carried out indoors.

Simply walk into another room and close the door behind you.

Wait a few seconds and then return.

Don't speak to your dog, or make eye contact with him; remain calm and quiet.

Gradually lengthen the time you stay behind the door, and then vary it so that your dog is never sure how long you're going to be away.

Another effective exercise for reducing your dogs separation anxiety is to try to leave from, say the back door, and then slip back into the house through another door, without your dog seeing or hearing you - leaving you to get on with whatever you need to for an hour or so.

It may also offer you the opportunity to peek in on him to see how he's doing - if you're able to be quiet enough. If you think your dog may hear you, you could always peek through a window to see how he's doing.

Crate Training Puppies And Dogs

To help make your dog or puppy feel safe and secure while you're away, we recommend that you leave him in his crate - don't lock him in, simply leave the door ajar, but confine him to one room.

If he's been fed and watered, is feeling safe and secure, and has a full tummy, he'll probably relax and fall asleep.

As well as helping with your dog's separation anxiety, crate training your dog will help with many situations. Learn more, including how to crate train your puppy or dog here.

Leave The Radio On

If you leave a radio switched on to a classical, easy listening, or chat station, it may help your Cocker Spaniel to relax.

The sound of voices from a chat show or conversational radio station may make him feel that there's someone in the house with him and may help him to feel he's not alone.

Send Your Cocker Spaniel To Boarding School!

If your Cocker Spaniel is wrecking your home and you are at your wits end, if you can afford it, why not consider putting your dog in a local kennel as a day boarder while you're away from home - at least until you've resolved your dogs separation anxiety?

Kennels can help with further socializing your puppy or dog and can help to calm and relax him - especially if he's mixing with other calm, relaxed, and happy dogs!

Just like a child at nursery school, your dog will learn from other dogs, and will learn that he can be away from you for a while and still have fun and be happy.

Dog Sitter Or Dog Walker

An alternative to kennels which you might like to consider is to use a reliable dog sitter or walker for an hour or so each day.

This should help to break up the time your dog is alone and the extra walk would help to relax him.

Dealing With Your Dog's Separation Anxiety

Your dog's separation anxiety may not be so straightforward to deal with, especially when it means you have to ignore his behaviour when you return home.

You have this cute little Cocker Spaniel so pleased to see you that he's going mad with excitement (after all, he probably thought he was never going to see you again!).

It's so difficult to ignore him when all you want to do is give him a cuddle. However, it really is better to leave him until he's settled down before giving him any attention or affection - he'll soon learn that he won't get a cuddle until he's calm and quiet.

It's important to stress that if your dog appears distressed, or the symptoms of your dog's separation anxiety are also present when you are around, he's unlikely to be suffering from separation anxiety; this behaviour may be an indication of an underlying illness, in which case we recommend you take your pet to the vet immediately.

If, on the other hand, your dog's separation anxiety is severe, or you don't seem to be making any progress, we recommend you consider consulting a qualified dog behaviour therapist.

When your dog has overcome his separation anxiety, he should greet you calmly each time you return home.

He may pick up slippers, shoes, or one of his favourite toys and bring it to you as a present - this is quite sweet, endearing, behaviour, and if he does this in a calm, relaxed, manner, it is acceptable.

If you can get this far with your Cocker Spaniel - you've cracked it!

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