How to Stop Dog Separation Anxiety

Dog separation anxiety can be caused by many reasons, but the main ones are: new family, new schedule or a new palce.

1. New family
   When a pup moves to a new family the experience can be very stressful. If you get your pup from a breeder they are essentially separated from their family and it is unusual for them to be without their siblings.

2. New place

3. New schedule
   People often forget that dogs, just like humans, rely on a schedule. If you big changes to the schedule or simply change it too often it can be stressful for your dog and cause anxiety.

4. New place
   If you just moved to a new place the new sounds and smells can be alarming for your dog and they need more time to get used to it before staying alone.

• Give your dog their meal in an enrichment feeder.

• Walk to the door of the room.

• Say “GOODBYE”, then step out of sight.

• Wait 30 seconds, then come back in and continue with your normal activities, ignoring your dog.

• Give your dog their meal in an enrichment feeder.

• Walk to the door of the room.

• Say “GOODBYE”, then step out of sight.

• Walk to your front door and jiggle the latch before returning immediately to your dog.

• Give your dog their meal in an enrichment feeder.

• Walk to the door of the room.

• Say “GOODBYE”, then step out of sight.

• Walk to your front door and jiggle the latch, then open and close the door before returning immediately to your dog.

• Give your dog their meal in an enrichment feeder.

• Put on your shoes and coat, gather up any bags and keys.

• Walk to the door of the room. Say “GOODBYE”, then step out of sight.

• Walk to your front door and jiggle the latch, then open and close the door before returning immediately to your dog. Dogs are very sensitive to patterns, and many quickly learn that when you put your outdoor gear on or pick up your bag, or your shoes, that you are going to be leaving them alone. As a result, they may become stressed before you've even departed, which will make the stress after you've left even more intense. By introducing these signals and then not leaving, you are making it easier for your dog not to experience anticipatory distress.

• Give your dog their meal in an enrichment feeder.

• Put on your shoes and coat, gather up any bags and keys.

• Walk to the door of the room. Say “Goodbye”, then step out of sight.

• Walk to your front door and jiggle the latch, then open and close the door. Wait 10 seconds before returning to your dog.

• Give your dog their meal in an enrichment feeder.

• Put on your shoes and coat, gather up any bags and keys.

• Walk to the door of the room. Say “GOODBYE”, then step out of sight.

• Walk to your front door and jiggle the latch, then open and close the door. Wait 30 seconds before returning to your dog.

• Today you'll need to practice this exercise in the morning, afternoon and evening.

• Follow the same steps as before, but make sure you do it throughout the day. Give your dog their meal in an enrichment feeder and put on your shoes and coat, gather up any bags and keys.

• Walk to the door of the room. Say “Goodbye”, then step out of sight.

• Walk to your front door and jiggle the latch, then open and close the door. Wait 1 minute before returning to your dog.

• Today we'll work on the duration of the separation. Follow the same steps as before. Give your dog their meal in an enrichment feeder and put on your shoes and coat, gather up any bags and keys.

• Walk to the door of the room. Say “GOODBYE”, then step out of sight.

• Walk to your front door and jiggle the latch, then open and close the door. Go for a 10-minute walk or grab a coffee. You deserved it!

The short answer is "yes", you can. You just need to do it gradually.

The main signs to look for is your dog barking for a long time when left alone, urinating or defeacating if they are house trained and destoying house items

1. Barking
   If your dog is barking for a long time after you left, this is often an indicator of them having a separation anxiety

2. Destroying things
   If your pup is destroying things while you're away this is often a sign of them having anxiety. If they generally destroy things we have a separate course at Fluffy for this. (you can access it via the app for free here)

3. Urinating and defecating
   If your dog is trained to go outside for the toilet but do this while you're away it can also indicate that they have dog separation anxiety. Just make sure you. If they're not house-trained yet, there is a separate course that we created at Fluffy as well. (you can access it via the app for free here)

If you use preventative step, it can take only a week, but if your dog has severe anxiety it can be up-to a month.

Every dog can get a separation enxiety, but some breeds are more attached to their owners

• Labrador Retriever

• Jack Russell Terrier

• Australian Shepherd

• Poodle

• Vizsla