Separation Anxiety in Dogs

How to help a dog with separation anxiety

Dog Separation Anxiety

Ten Exercises to help Dog Separation Anxiety

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Well summer is here and that means nicer weather (hopefully!). With the nicer weather brings lots of opportunities for dog owners to take their dogs out and do fun things with them! And my mom always says, exercise is a huge help with dog separation anxiety!

Here are my top ten favorite exercises that helped my dog separation anxiety:

1. Walk

There is nothing like a nice long walk with my mom and dad to tire me out! I love it when my owners let me stop and sniff things and read pee-mail!

2. Play Fetch With a Ball (or keep-away in my case!)

This is my sister’s favorite game and I love it too! We really like the orange Chuck-it balls! BEST-BALLS-EVER!

3. Go for a Hike

Every summer my mom and dad take us up mountains on hikes! It’s so great to smell all of the wild animals and see the new places! I’m usually tired for days after a hike like that!

4. Go for a Swim

Swimming is probably the best thing EVER in summer! I can do it for WAY longer than other exercise because it keeps me cool!

5. Hunt for Bunnies

I like chasing bunnies, but my sister Brie LOVES to hunt them. She gets so tired from sniffing around looking for them. Sometimes I help her but sometimes I get bored and eat grass instead.

6. Practice Obedience and Tricks In a New Environment

This can be very difficult for me! I find it hard to focus when there are all kinds of new and exciting things going on around me! This can make me very tired mentally after I have to focus so much!

7. Dig!

Nothing better than doing a little digging… of course ONLY in the places your owners allow you to! I love it when my mom buries stuff int he sand and I have to dig it out. So much fun!

Here is a video of me and my sister Brie digging!

8. Go On a Bike Ride! (a swim at the end to cool down is a bonus!)

This is the ultimate tire me out fast exercise! I like to tug on the leash and try to pull my mom and dad faster… they can’t even bike as fast as I can run!

9. Go for a Run With My Favorite Human

Running with my dad is also so much fun! I get very tired but it’s nice to have a partner to run with, and it is a little slower than biking so I can also see what is going on around me!

10. Play Outdoor Search!

This is my favorite game! Mom hides treats or a toy and I get to search for it! It is really hard outside and boy oh boy does it tire me out to use my nose that much!

Hope you are all having a great summer and this will help you be tired so you don’t have as much dog separation anxiety!

Woof! Manchego the Anxious Dog.

Ps. Don’t forget to check out our Dog Separation Anxiety Program! These are all of the things my mom did to help me get over my dog separation anxiety!

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How to Avoid Puppy Separation Anxiety

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So you just got a new puppy hey? Well I want to tell you from experience that if you spend every minute of every day with your puppy you will probably end up with a dog with dog separation anxiety! The best thing you can do to help your puppy avoid dog separation anxiety is to leave him alone! YES, that’s right, make sure you leave him alone every day for a little while! My mom spent every day all day with me and that is why I developed dog separation anxiety. So do your puppy a favor and give him some alone time!

Woof!
Manchego the Anxious Dog

A Study on Separation Anxiety in Dogs

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dog separation anxiety cure study

I recently came across a study on separation anxiety in dogs

conducted by A. L. Podberscek, Y. Hsu and J. A. Serpell titled ‘Evaluation of clomiprimine as an adjunct to behavioural therapy in the treatment of separation-related problems in dogs’ (ie dog separation anxiety). I found this article very interesting because it supports everything about curing dog separation anxiety that I have shared on this website. As you know if you have read my blog and followed me on Facebook, I am not an advocate for using prescription medications to cure dog separation anxiety. I much prefer natural methods of calming mixed with positive dog training.

In a study of fourty-nine dogs showing signs of separation-related problems (dog separation anxiety) the researchers found that: ‘The typical signs of separation-related behaviour problems were not significantly affected by treatment with clomipramine, but behavioural therapy on its own was highly effective in reducing behavioural problems.’

I find this very interesting and great news for dogs! This means less of them have to be on un-needed and hard dog separation anxiety drugs!

The research is all there so don’t wait to start training your dog to help cure his or her dog separation anxiety! Check out our dog separation anxiety cure program to start helping your dog today.

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Happy Dog Training,
Sarah & Manchego the Anxious Dog

Thundershirt for Dog Separation Anxiety

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dog separation anxiety cure thundershirtI want to take a moment to address managing your expectations around dog separation anxiety cures. I have seen many people get a Thundershirt, throw it on their dog in the middle of a thunder storm, or put it on them and leave them home alone immediately if they have dog separation anxiety and then claim that it doesn’t work.

I want to remind you that there is no instant cure for fear-related problems and dog separation anxiety. Fear and anxiety are some of the most powerful emotions that exist. You can’t just make it go away by snapping your fingers, giving a pill or putting a on Thundershirt. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your Thundershirt:

Use Classical Conditioning.

The first time you put it on your dog give them a lot of praise… GOOD DOG! Give them a jackpot of their favorite treat, we’re not talking pieces of kibble here we’re talking dehydrated bison hearts or cheese. Something that is VERY smelly and you dog will do backflips for. Then after 30 seconds or a minute of giving them treats with the Thundershirt on, take it off and stop the treats.

Repetition is Key.

Do the above randomly over the next few days or weeks. Always giving praise and lots of goodies and keeping the Thundershirt on for a longer period of time. The goal is to get your dog super excited when they see the Thundershirt come out!

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Day.

Dinner time! Every time you feed your dog dinner put on the Thundershirt. When he or she is done eating take it off!

Your Dog Isn’t Food Motivated?

Find what motivates your dog… The ball? Tug of war? A dog massage? Freedom in the back yard? Find what motivates them and substitute it for food in the tips above to build positive association with the Thundershirt.

Thundershirt = Happy!

Once you’ve got them to the point where they are ecstatic when they see the Thundershirt you are ready to put it on them when you can predict a scary time or when you predict they will have dog separation anxiety.

Timing is Still Key.

Try to put it on the at least 20-30 minute before this negative event happens. You don’t want them to associate the Thundershirt with the negative event. This is the number one reason why you have to condition them to like it because if you don’t they will associate the hundershirt with whatever they are scared of!

Continue the Positive Association Work.

Keep putting on the Thundershirt randomly in positive situations. You want to keep reinforcing the positive associations!

Good luck!
Manchego the Anxious Dog

Dog Separation Anxiety after Travel

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dog separation anxiety cure familyWoof! Hi friends, I know I have been away for a while and not posting. My family went on a vacation and I haven’t had any time to get caught up!

After being with my parents for a week straight driving in the car, camping and hiking my sister and I were a bit worried when we got home about being left home alone. But you know what… as soon as we were given our Kongs with Peanut butter and treats (our favorite!) we were back on track feeling calm and comfortable when left at home. It has taken a lot of work and we still get excited when our owners come home, especially our Dad because he gets equally as excited to see us! (Mom just acts calm and relaxed…but we know she’s faking it and is really jumping up and down inside!)

Here are a few times that our owners use to keep our dog separation anxiety away:

  1. Give us a Kong stuffed with a high-value food treat. If you don’t have a Kong, order one on Amazon.com today!
  2. Put Music on to keep the scary sounds from the outside masked – it especially helps if you use Through a Dog’s Ear CDs, which are scientifically proven to calm dogs. Get your copy on Amazon!
  3. Leave the lights on if it’s night time
  4. Keep us contained in our “Safe Room” where we can’t get into garbage or other dangerous item around the house. This is a room that we feel safe in.
  5. Don’t give us a view of the outside world, because it makes our dog separation anxiety worse if we see other dogs and people walking by the house all day

I hope you are all doing well! My mom said that she is getting close to having our dog separation anxiety program ready so be sure to sign up for our mailing list to find out when you can get your copy! (signup is in the right bar ——> )

Please leave me a comment and let me know how your dog separation anxiety is!

Woof!
Manchego the Anxious Dog