In dogs, separation anxiety is an exaggerated fear of isolation. Separation anxiety is most common in dogs and one of the main causes of behavioral problems. Canines who fear being left alone will generally engage in destructive behavior within the first 20 minutes of their owners’ departure. In some cases, dogs that experience this type of anxiety over a period of time can develop depression. Fortunately, there are ways to treat this behavior naturally without exposing your pet to harmful drugs.

Factors That Lead to Dog Anxiety and Depression

After a dog experiences any type of stress, separation anxiety or depression can develop. For reasons that are not entirely understood, some dogs retain their fear of being left alone from the time they were puppies. These dogs may have been removed from their mothers too soon, or been neglected by their mothers.

Some may have changed owners several times, or been moved from home to home, while others may have experienced abuse. Traumatic events such as these predispose some dogs to develop a very strong attachment to their owner. These pets will have a hard time accepting new homes, pets or people in their owners’ lives. If the dog is exposed to any of these things, or left alone for any amount of time, behavioral problems are sure to follow.

Behaviors Associated with Depression and Anxiety

Each dog will react somewhat differently. Some dogs will exhibit only one type of behavioral problem, while others will display several. Many dogs will sense when their owner is about to leave and will engage in excessive whining, barking, or howling. They may follow the owner from room to room, shake, whimper, or even become aggressive. After the owner has left, the dog may continue to whine for an extended period until they are left with a hoarse throat.

Some dogs will dig, scratch, chew or urinate on objects in the home. Other will become depressed and not eat or drink until their owners return. This can be extremely unhealthy is the owner is away for a considerable length. In rare cases, dogs will engage in self-destructive behaviors such as chewing on themselves, or licking excessively until they create ulcers. As researchers Voith and Borchelt discovered, the dog will be wild to greet the owner upon arrival and will remain clingy and anxious for a while.

Treating Your Dogs Anxiety

In some cases, all that is required is to place your dog in a small crate as Dog World magazine suggests. Enrolling your dog in an obedience class can be extremely helpful as well. These classes teach the dogs confidence and help them develop a better sense of security. You may also use the technique of graduated exposure. This means you leave the dog alone for a short period, and gradually increase the lengths of those periods.

Using natural products will also be a productive tool in training the dog to become accustomed to being left along. Products like this increase the neurological communication, which significantly help with behavioral problems. Avoid using harmful drugs or pet medications, as this can intensify the animals stress level. Over time, with the use of these techniques, your dog should exhibit normal, healthy behavior.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 1:29 am and is filed under Depression & Anxiety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.