Keeping
Your Dog Sane
Have you ever wondered what your dog does
when you're not at home? Perhaps he takes
a nap on your bed, chews on your favorite
pair of shoes, or even enjoys terrorizing
the cat. People whose dogs suffer from separation
anxiety are lucky if their house is still
in one piece when they return home.
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Separation anxiety is a form of mental
illness which affects dogs. The second their
owners leave, the dogs become extremely
upset and anxious, they can then become
frantic. At this point the dog is not in
control of its behavior.
Separation anxiety is a panic disorder
caused by over stimulation of the parts
of the brain that regulate fear and stress
in your dog, but the term is often misapplied.
Like Attention Deficit Disorder in children,
separation anxiety in dogs has become a
trendy diagnosis. Not every dog that misbehaves
when the owners are away has separation
anxiety.
Dogs are pack animals. They are extremely
social and form strong bonds with their
owners. Most dogs do not like it when their
owners leave and will exhibit mild forms
of the behaviors associated with separation
anxiety. A typical dog left alone may chew
shoes out of boredom, but dogs with separation
anxiety will almost chew the refrigerator.
The three main signs of separation anxiety
are destruction, vocalization, and elimination.
These dogs will bark and howl the entire
time the owner is gone. The destruction
these dogs can do is astounding.
There are several distinctions of separation
anxiety. The first is the mass destruction
when the dog is left alone. The dogs literally
destroy the house, chewing through walls,
doors, and even into the refrigerator! Exit
points to and from the house are targets,
maybe because the dogs think they may get
outside to find their owners. Another distinction
is that this extreme destruction normally
occurs within the first 15 minutes after
the owner has left.
Separation anxiety is not a problem which
is commonly seen in puppies. It is seen
in dogs that have been through trauma. Unfortunately
separation anxiety is self perpetuating.
These dogs keep getting more and more upset
each time the owners leave the house. Having
another pet does not help these dogs, as
it is not boredom that is causing their
behavior. These dogs are extremely attached
to their owners, and are usually wonderful
pets.
Photos to cute pets
There is no quick fix for this problem.
Anti-depressant and anxiety drugs alone
are not enough to conquer this anxiety.
Medication needs to be used in addition
to desensitization therapy. Desensitization
therapy involves having the dog sit and
stay as the owner gradually steps away.
Eventually the owner will step out of the
room as the dog stays and learns that the
owner will return. The goal is to take the
"scary" factor out of the owner's departure
and reassure the dog that the owner is coming
back. This is time consuming work and takes
a lot of dedication.
reprint permission goarticles.com
& Mark Woodcock - 1 Flea Control |
