How to Cure Dog Separation Anxiety

Coming home to a dog screaming bloody murder is frightening!

Hello, My name is Alex, and today I wanted to share with you how I was able to get my dog's anxiety under control.

Ava was always a cheerful puppy until one day; she started acting differently.

Anytime I left her in her crate for an extended time I would come home to her barking her head off, it literally sounded like someone was torturing her.

The first few times it happed it scared the shit out of me; I nearly busted down the door to get to her. Only to find her wagging her tail as soon as she saw me.

I thought she might have been caught in her dog crate or something. But no she was perfectly fine.

Weeks went on, and she kept having the fits. They started getting worse and worse. To the point, she was starting to drool all over the crate.

I was concerned about her health, so I took her to the vet.

Veterinary Analyses

After a brief visit to the vet, I was told that she was perfectly healthy but was suffering from separation anxiety.

"I was confused; separation anxiety?"

The vet replied yes, dogs could get separation anxiety just like humans and often deal with stress in the same manner.

He told me to take her home, and get her some proper dog training, and if the dog training did not work, then we could look into medication.

Finding a Dog Trainer

Per doctors' orders, I went on a hunt for a dog trainer, but nothing was sitting right with me.

"How would a dog trainer help with something like separation anxiety?"

I spent the next few nights researching the subject then came across a man named Doggy Dan; he was an online dog trainer from New Zealand.

I watched his introductory videos, and they were pretty mind-blowing, he was so confident and relaxed. He even had his dogs in some of the videos, and they were all so well behaved.

Impressed, after the videos, I decided to buy his program called The Online Dog Trainer.

Understanding What Causes Separation Anxiety

The very first thing the program taught was how separation anxiety could have been triggered. Especially if it came out of the blue.

• A change in home life, like relocation or scheduling
• Being left alone for the first time
• Past traumas, such as being left in a crate or a kennel
• Accustomed to constant human interaction

These are just a few of the main reasons a dog could develop anxiety. For me, number one was the culprit.

I had recently relocated to a new house in a new city with a new job and schedule. Everything was new to Ava, and it freaked her out.

3 Tips to Cure Dog Anxiety

These tips are just an introductory guideline because every dog's anxiety will be different so keep that in mind.

To get a full list of ways to cure any type of stress, then I suggest checking out the online dog trainer.

· Leave behind your scent

Sounds odd right? Yeah, I thought so too, but it worked wonders and was one of the leading ways for me to help Ava overcome her anxiety.

You see Ava got Separation anxiety because her life was flipped upside down, I was gone different times of the day, and the whole house was new to her.

For all I know she was thinking I was never coming back home, and she was locked away in a strange place.

Once I started leaving blankets in her crate with my scent, she was a lot calmer.

All you need to do is put a throw blanket in the crate with them when you leave. One that you have used often! It needs to smell like you, of course.

· Don't Hype them up

When you are dealing with separation anxiety, its ideal not to hype your dog up when you leave or come home.

It's best if just ignore them when you leave and when you come home.

I know this sounds cruel; trust me I didn't want to do it. But after I did I noticed a massive difference in Ava.

You don't have to ignore them for a super long time, just long enough for them to calm down before you give them affection.

You will learn more about why, if you visit The Online Dog Trainer.

· Never Punish

Never yell, or get upset with your dog if they are suffering from anxiety. The keyword is "suffering" yes, your dog is actually going through something very tough mentally.

The last thing you ever want to be doing is yelling at them or scolding them for making a mess, or being loud.

Possible signs of Anxiety

• Destructive chewing
• Barking, whining and howling
• Random urination and defecation
• Drooling
• Digging

If you notice any of the above appear out nowhere, then there is a good chance that your dog might be suffering from anxiety.

Final Thoughts

Dog Separation Anxiety is no joke and can bring serious harm to your dog if left untreated. In extreme cases, some dogs can even die.

There have been accounts where dogs have ripped off toenails, jumped out of windows, broken teeth and gotten stuck in dog crates.

All because they were trying to escape, some do escape and never make it back home.

Make sure your dog does not become one of those statistics!

I know I would never be able to forgive myself if I had let that happen to Ava, thankfully I went with a dog trainer that was able to help me cure my dogs' anxiety reasonably quick.

If you have or expect that your dog has anxiety then I highly suggest that you try out The Online Dog Trainer.

I no longer come home to Ava in a complete mess all thinks to Doggy Dan and his program!