Help! My dog cannot stay alone
These tips will help to relieve your loved one of the stress of separation. Read now!
Help! My dog suffers from separation anxiety
Many dog parents know it: while friends are happily making plans for the next concert, the next visit to the bar or the next party, their only thoughts revolve around the question of what will happen to their four-legged friend at this time.
The bad conscience spreads. Take the doggo with you? But sometimes it doesn't help and the fur nose stays at home alone. A horror scenario for some dogs and their owners:
Whining, howling, barking: This is what animal loneliness sounds like. The remote control and favorite sneakers also fall victim to the frustration of separation and are misused as chew toys. Sometimes, out of sheer desperation, the four-legged friend even leaves a pile in the apartment.
Does all of this sound familiar to you? These tips will help you and your darling to fight the stress of separation, soon your dog will be able to stay alone!
Reasons for separation anxiety in dogs
There can be a variety of reasons why your furry friend suffers from separation stress. All dogs are naturally highly social creatures and pack animals. Basically, none of them are made for being alone. The causes of extreme fear of abandonment usually lie in the dog's past or in its character:
Lack of puppy training
If your sweetheart never learned to stay alone when he was a puppy, it will be all the more difficult for him to bridge the time without you in a relaxed manner when he is an adult.
It is therefore best to start training as a puppy.
Previous experiences of the dogs
Have you rescued your four-legged friend from the animal shelter or animal welfare or taken it over from a previous dog owner? Then it may be that staying alone means a completely new situation or that Bello has had bad experiences with separations in the past. The mere situation that one day the master or mistress has actually not returned to him can be enough.
loss of control in the dog
Not so cute: there are control freaks in the dog world too. This means that your dog is not really sad about your departure, but has the feeling of losing control over you and your actions. The result: frustration.
Recognize separation stress in dogs
This is how dog owners can recognize separation anxiety. Dogs that suffer from abandonment anxiety often exhibit at least one of the following behaviors:
· Restless pacing and pacing and restlessness
· Destroying furniture and objects
· Scratching at doors and windows
· Whining, howling or barking
· Passing urine and/or faeces in the home despite being housebroken
· Extreme grooming to the point of self-injury
· Increased salivation and drooling
Before you start anti-separation stress training, you should be sure that your loved one's behavior is actually caused by being alone. The veterinarian, for example, can rule out other causes, such as health reasons.
Bello alone at home - these dog training tips will help
No question: if your four-legged friend literally suffers like a dog at home alone, it is unbearable for both the owner and the furry friend. So that you and your darling remain a relaxed team even if you are physically separated, there are a few things to consider during training. With these tips, the problem will soon be a thing of the past and you can leave your dog alone:
Prepare your absence properly
In order for your dog to be able to rest during your absence, it is important to exercise it physically beforehand. In the “best case” your four-legged friend sleeps while you are away. Providing 30-60 minutes of exercise before leaving your home increases the chance of leaving a more relaxed dog behind. Another plus: the tiredness also reduces the risk of gnawed shoes, carpets, etc. Despite everything, please make sure that you never leave your dog alone for more than a maximum (!) of six hours at a time.
Dog training for staying at home alone: practice early
Logical: Dogs learn to be left alone best while they are still in their puppy shoes. This increases the chance that they will be able to stay relaxed at home later in the dog's life. If you have recently given a puppy a home, it is best to start training right away.
Spatial limitation helps with staying alone
What sounds like locking up can be a real relief for your four-legged friend.
If you only provide your darling with a room instead of the whole apartment or house, he often feels less lost during your absence. Find an area where your dog likes to be and create a place for him to withdraw and relax - with his favorite basket or snuggly blanket. Make the room dog-proof. Exposed cables, poisonous indoor plants, carpets, rubbish bins, fragile objects, shoes and clothing have no place here.
create separation rituals
Depending on the dog's character, separation rituals can help to signal your darling separation phases in which he can and should relax. Separation rituals are not suitable for all dogs and - depending on the trigger for separation anxiety - can lead to more stress. Therefore, check individually whether your furry friend will find it easier to separate through rituals.
The rituals can look very different: Whether switching on a certain lamp, playing certain music, putting on a certain scarf or giving a small treat - your dog learns that certain actions are followed by a phase of solitude, which he at best associated with relaxation.
When using a scarf, you should make sure that it is an item with snaps or Velcro. Knotted towels are unsuitable as your darling could get caught and hurt themselves. You should also not offer your four-legged friend any chews such as bones or pig's ears when they are alone. The risk of him choking is too great.
Simulate leaving the apartment
You pack your bag, grab your jacket and the keys jingle - a quick look in the direction of your favorite four-legged friend tells you: Panic is in the air here! Does that sound familiar to you?
Then it's time to take the fright out of routines that prepare you for going out. Take your jacket, keys and bag several times a day, put on your shoes and then leave the apartment – not. Make sure to do the whole thing as calmly and calmly as possible and you will see: the more often you pull off this fake scenario, the less your furry friend will be interested in it.
Slowly increase alone times - reduce separation anxiety with training
Slowly increase the times Bello is left alone. This will get your dog used to being left alone. Are you at the beginning of the training? Excellent! Then leave the apartment for a minute and come back without paying much attention to your four-legged friend.
Behave normally and signal to your dog that coming home is the most normal thing in the world. If your four-legged friend can put up with your one-minute absence well, you can slowly increase the amount of time you stay alone.
Extra tip: Avoid coming back while your darling is yelping, barking, or whining, or he'll learn that you're responding to his "call." Unloved vocalizations are thereby further intensified. This is where human discipline is required.
offer distraction
This also applies to dogs: Those who are well distracted worry less. You can offer solid play options as an alternative during your absence to those who are left alone and no longer have a desire to destroy. Because dogs are often restless not only because of fear, but also because of boredom. A treat-filled dog toy - such as a Kong - can work wonders here.
Or how about a little hide and seek? Simply pepper the room with little (!) favorite treats. Ready, set, search! Your dog will love it and separation anxiety will soon be a thing of the past.
Train, train, train
As so often in dog training, training is the be-all and end-all for staying home alone successfully. Therefore, repeat the tricks and methods as often as possible. This is how you get Bello used to situations without a dog mom or dad.
Are you unsure about the progress your darling is making in training? A security camera can help check behaviors while you're away.
dog's dog trainer
Stay alone: Please be patient!
In addition to training, dogs also need a lot of time. For some it may work a little faster, for others it takes longer until they are left alone without any problems. Keep a cool head here and be patient with your dog.
Relaxing helpers against separation anxiety and separation stress
Natural active ingredients can help dogs reduce anxiety and provide calm. You can help to stay alone.
Whether in tablet or liquid form: With natural calming power from valerian, St. John's wort, ashwagandha and L-tryptophan, ours are available Relax tablets and our rescue drops for relaxation and a good mood on the four-legged side. Also in the Box available with double power!
Stay alone: With patience & training to success
As social-loving contemporaries, staying alone is the supreme discipline for many dogs. So give your darling the time he needs to get used to the situation.
The training can take several months and, depending on how you feel on the day, sometimes works better and sometimes worse. So be lenient with your sweetheart, be patient and celebrate small successes. This is how it works in the long term with the relaxed dog alone at home.
Helpful products for separation anxiety and staying alone:
The Relax Box
