Tips For Keeping Your Greyhound Entertained While Youre Away
Tips for Keeping Your Greyhound Entertained While Youre Away
1. Provide your pet with lots of toys and puzzle-like objects to keep them active and engaged while youre away. These can include interactive toys such as treat dispensers, puzzle feeders, fetching games, and chew toys.
2. Provide plenty of physical and mental stimulation for your pup by engaging in regular exercise or training sessions.
3. Give your pup a window with a view, as this can provide much-needed distraction and mental stimulation when alone.
4. Distract your pup with television and music, as this can help keep them calm and relaxed while youre away. Just make sure that the volume isnt too loud.
5. Utilize food dispensing toys to keep your pup entertained and engaged for hours.
6. Start the day with a high activity level to tire out your pup and ensure theyre ready for a nap while youre away.
What Dog Breeds Have The Most Separation Anxiety
In order to know how to prevent separation anxiety in dogs, first, one needs to know which breeds are more prone to the condition. Generally speaking, terriers, toy breeds, and certain large breed dogs are more prone to develop separation anxiety. The dog breeds that have the highest rates include:
- Australian Shepherds
Separation anxiety is an unwanted dog behavior that develops in these breeds for two main reasons. First, these are very active dog breeds they crave mental and physical stimulation, making it difficult for them to go through alone time.
The second reason is that they are social breeds and crave companionship. Therefore, if left alone for long or short periods, they will develop feelings of loneliness and become anxious.
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How To Cope While Your Dog Learns To Be Calm
It can take time for your dog to unlearn their panic response to your departures. To help you and your dog cope in the short term, consider the following interim solutions:
- Ask your veterinarian about drug therapy to reduce your dogs overall anxiety.
- If your dog enjoys the company of other dogs, take your dog to a well-run doggie daycare facility or kennel when you have to be away.
- Leave your dog with a friend, family member or neighbor when youre away.
- Take your dog to work with you, if possible.
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Provide A Window View Of The Outside World
Since one of the major causes of separation anxiety in dogs is being left alone or unattended for a period of time, you can make things easier for your dog.
Providing a clear window view of the outside world for your dog will go a long way to keep him busy while you step out for other things.
You can set up a small step for your dog to climb up to the window and see what is happening around your area, especially if you live in an area that is usually busy in the daytime.
For you to achieve this, you must make sure that you properly socialize your dog to avoid them barking at people or other pets they see from the window, also make the window easy to access.
Does My Dog Have Separation Anxiety
Many of the behaviors that are attributed to separation anxiety can have alternate diagnoses that are medical or behavioral.
For example, excessive drooling might be caused by a fractured tooth or nausea, barking could be a response to a territorial threat, and accidents might mean that the dog isnt fully house-trained or has a urinary tract infection.
In order to determine how to treat separation anxiety in dogs, pet parents should first schedule a veterinary exam to rule out illness or other behavioral reasons for the responses.
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Factors That Predispose Dogs To Separation
Researchers investigating the factors that predispose dogs to developing separation anxiety have found contradictory results. Most researchers have found that dogs with anxiety-related problems are more likely to be male,6,14,17,25,3033 but some research has not supported any sex difference in the incidence of separation-related problem behaviors.11,34
Similarly, some researchers have found that dogs are more likely to develop separation-related problems if they sleep on the owners bed or sofa,29 while others have not found the same result.6,9,35 Some researchers have found no link between the source of dog acquisition and the presence of separation-related problems,11 and they report that dogs obtained from breeders are just as likely as dogs sourced elsewhere to develop separation-related problems.29 Other researchers report that dogs obtained from animal shelters, or those that are found, are more likely to develop separation-related problems,6,29,35 and that dogs obtained from friends and family have a lower incidence of separation-related problems.17
Dogs exposed to humans outside the home, and to a wide range of experiences between the age of 510 months are less likely to develop separation-related problems.30 Some evidence exists to suggest that dogs that are separated from the litter early are more likely to develop problem behaviors, including destructive behavior and excessive vocalization,36 particularly if those dogs are sourced from pet shops.
How To Exercise A Dog With Separation Anxiety
Exercising a dog with separation anxiety can be a challenge. It is important to ensure your dog gets enough exercise, as it has many physical and mental benefits. Exercise can help reduce a dogs anxiety levels and keep them calm when you are away. Here are some tips for exercising a dog with separation anxiety.
First, getting your dog out for regular walks or runs every day is important. This will help to give them the mental stimulation they need to stay calm while you are away. You can also take your dog to a nearby park and let them off the leash to give them more freedom to explore. This will allow them to get plenty of exercises and help reduce their anxiety levels.
Finally, you should try to stimulate your dog mentally by playing games with them or teaching them new tricks. This will help keep their minds active and reduce their anxiety when you are away from them. Playing fetch or hide-and-seek are great ways to keep your pup excited and active and help reduce their anxiety. Additionally, if you have other pets at home, playing with them can also help your anxious pooch feel more secure and comforted.
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What Causes Separation Anxiety In Puppies And Dogs
Its unclear why some puppies are more prone to separation anxiety than others. McConnell theorizes there may be several reasons, including never previously being left alone and traumatic separation, such as would be seen in some abandoned shelter dogs. Even a single traumatic event in the owners absence, like the house being robbed, can lead to SA. Finally, she suggests that personality can play a role, with clingy dogs perhaps being more at risk than independent ones.
Other triggers to watch for involve life changes like a sudden switch in schedule, a move to a new house, or the sudden absence of a family member, whether its a divorce, a death in the family, or a child leaving for college. Recent research has even pointed to a lack of daily exercise as a possible cause. Because there are so many potential triggers for SA, its essential to work on prevention and start treatment at the first sign.
Identify The Cause Of The Anxiety
Identifying triggers for separation related behaviours can be difficult, as the majority of behaviour happens while your dog is on their own. If possible, set up a camera that allows you to see what your dog is doing when youre not with them. This footage will allow you to more accurately identify any specific environmental triggers that may be contributing to your dogs behaviour such as: the sound of people passing the house, loud cars and trucks or maybe even the sound of the neighbours dog barking.
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Early Training Is Essential
The earlier you intervene the easier it will be to help your dog get used to some alone time. Ideally this training should take place during puppyhood and our in-depth article about dealing with puppy separation anxiety is a useful resource for this. However if you have an adult dog experiencing separation anxiety you can still start using gradual training. Teach them it is okay to be alone for a minute and then gradually extend the amount of time they are left to their own devices, even if you are still in the house. This way, it will not come as a shock when you leave them alone for the first time.
Give Your Dog Interactive Toys
Dogs with mild separation intolerance can also learn to enjoy the ritual of getting a treat-stuffed goody when their person leaves the house for the day. However, Flores cautions against leaving interactive food toys with dogs that are suffering from full-blown separation anxiety.
Sometimes, because the food toy has been given so often before departure, the food becomes a cue that something bad is about to happen, she explains. Once the food has been consumed, the dog will realize their person is still gone and panic.
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Dont Leave Your Dog Alone For Too Long
Your dog can learn to be alone for part of the day, but if you need to be away for longer than 6-8 hours, bring them to work if possible. You can also structure your errands so that you are only away for short periods of time. If you need to leave for several days, ask a friend or a relative or consider a doggy daycare service or hotel to make sure they’re taken care of when you’re away.
How Do You Calm An Anxious Dog
1. Provide your dog with plenty of exercises and physical activity to tire them out physically and mentally.
2. Give them a safe, comfortable place to rest like their bed or crate and make sure the space is away from potential triggers that could increase their anxiety levels.
3. Massage, snuggles, and brushing can help relax an anxious dog by providing a distraction from troubling thoughts or fears they may have while also stimulating dopamine production .
4. Create mental stimulation with toys, puzzles, and games specifically designed for dogs to keep them occupied when feeling anxious or restless food dispensing toys are great!
5. Be consistent with positive reinforcement techniques when rewarding good behaviors during stress, as it will help teach the pup new coping mechanisms over time instead of relying on human comfort alone during episodes of distress.
6 Consider speaking to a vet about medication options if behavioral therapies arent enough to manage your pups stress levels effectively however, consult with a professional before making any decisions regarding this route, as there may be other underlying factors that need addressed first!
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How To Keep Your Dog Occupied
We recommend giving your dog a bone or something they enjoy as it can help distract from the fact youre gone. A LickiMat or Kong filled with peanut butter, yogurt, or mashed banana to give your dog a yummy challenge. Repetitive licking is also helpful because it releases endorphins, which are calming hormones, into the body. Additional benefits include stimulating saliva production and removing bacteria from the tongue . Just use caution and supervision when leaving them solo with a LikiMat, as dogs can chew through them .
Our Firsthand Experience With LikiMat
We tried out the LickiMat in exchange for an honest review, and Lexie, our separation anxiety-prone King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, loves it. She licks until the mat is clean, then she falls asleep on top of it. The only downside is her long ears tend to get messy when they drag through the peanut butter. The mat washes clean, and its easy to store when not in use. Lexie seems to look forward to when we leave because she jumps when I get the LickiMat out.
Sadie C., Canine Journal
Are There Other Reasons That My Dog May Engage In These Behaviors
Dogs with separation anxiety vocalize, become destructive, or eliminate beginning either as the owners prepare to leave or shortly after departure. Destructive activity is often focused on owner possessions, or at the doors where owners depart or the dog is confined, and most often occurs shortly after departure. The vocalization is due to distress and may therefore consist of howling or whining. If the dog destroys, vocalizes, or eliminates both while the owners are at home and when they are away, other causes should first be considered. Dogs that eliminate when owners are at home may not be completely house trained or may have a medical problem. If the destruction, elimination and vocalization are more likely to arise the longer the owners are away from home, it may be that they are being left alone too long. Barking when the owners are away could be due to the sounds of strangers or other animals on the property. Some dogs will attempt to escape or become extremely anxious when confined, so that destructiveness or house soiling when a dog is locked up in a crate, basement, or laundry room, may be due to confinement or barrier anxiety and associated attempts at escape.
“…make an audiotape or movie clip of the behavior when the dog is alone.”
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Before You Leave The House Take Your Dog For A Walk
Start your day by taking your dog for a brisk walk. To make the walk even more rigorous, use a dog backpack with extra weight in it. Then reward your dogs calm-submissive energy with food and water. Some dogs may need to rest before eating, but all dogs can benefit from hydration. The idea is to leave your dog in quiet, resting mode while you are away.
How To Treat Minor Separation Anxiety
- Dont make a big deal out of arrivals and departurestalk to your dog in a calm voice when youre leaving or returning.
- Establish a word or action that you use every time you leave that tells your dog youll be back.
- Consider using an over-the-counter calming product that reduces fearfulness in dogs.
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How To Help Your Dog
There are many ways you can help your dog overcome their separation anxiety. However, it is going to require you to take time and not give up on him.
Don’t Make A Big Deal
Whenever you are getting ready to leave, and as you return home, no matter how hard it may seem, you need to not smother your dog. One way to do this best is to casually leave and return home. Don’t make a huge deal about it or have a long extended goodbye and hello. When you come home, casually go about your business and wait a few minutes before calmly saying hi and petting them.
Departure Cues
Departure cues are anything that you do right before leaving. Your dog will see this and their anxiety can kick in. This is where they could start whining and pacing. To get this to stop, start by doing the things you would do to leave and then don’t leave. This could be getting your jacket on, grabbing your keys, and then sitting on the couch and watching some tv.
Create A Safe Space
The Humane Society recommends that you create a safe space for your dog. A safe space is another great way to aid your dog with their separation anxiety. To create an ideal safe space for your dog, you can do a few things:
Supplements
There are also calming supplements available that can help reduce separation anxiety in dogs. Here at Liquid Health Pets, we manufacture our K9 & Kitty Calmer for dogs and cats. This could also be used for many other things such as traveling with your pet.
Don’t Ignore Separation Anxiety
You may have heard that ignoring your dog or letting them cry it out will teach your dog to self-soothe or learn healthy boundaries, but for a young puppy this probably won’t work and may have the opposite affect. “When you’re in need of an attachment figure, you’ve been separated from your mom, lost your litter mates, your new owners should not be distancing you. Leaving a puppy to cry is precisely the wrong approach because, at this stage, newly adopted pups need all the care and attention you can muster,” said Dodman.
“They should be kept as close as possible, spoken to kindly and have all their needs met.” That being said, Dodman continued it’s important to strike a balance between loving them and being matter of fact, especially when it comes to departures. Being overly emotional when you leave will make them feel like it’s a big deal and that they should panic.
To help find that balance, Basinger suggests thinking about it as “coaching them on how to learn how to self soothe and self pacify.” If your dog is in their crate or in another room and starts to get upset, get closer to them, allow them to see you and talk to them. The key is to address it, not ignore it, because your dog’s separation anxiety won’t get better on its own.
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