While as much as 50% of dogs appear to be exhibiting signs of separation anxiety according to a recent survey, few dog owners are aware of what the symptoms of separation anxiety in dogs are, let alone how to spot them early on.
Symptoms of dogs anxiety are wide ranging and some definitely easier to spot than others. Take the dog that follows you around the house all day - are they just being friendly, or can they not bear you to be out of their sight? More easy to spot is the dog that destroys your furniture when you leave them at home for the day.
Don't Confuse Bad Dog Behaviour with Symptoms of Dog Separation Anxiety
Because separation anxiety in dogs can show itself in so many different ways, a dogs behaviour is often not attributed to the problem of anxiety and merely put down to bad dog behaviour.
A dog that chews up the owners belongings, or pees or poops in the house is often thought to be doing it deliberately so that the owners will think twice before leaving them home alone again. This results in them being thought of as badly behaved dogs rather than dogs suffering from separation anxiety.
If the root cause of a dogs behaviour is not identified then the chosen solution could easily back fire leaving the dogs anxiety greater than before.
Increasingly, the dogs that end up in rescue homes because dog owners are unable to correct their behaviour through training or other means, show signs of dog separation anxiety behaviour.
How To Tell The Difference Between Attention Seeking Behavior and Dog Anxiety
Unfortunately, a dogs attention seeking behaviour can look very similar to dog anxiety symptoms, making it difficult for owners to distinguish between the two.
Take the example of a dog urinating in the house. It could actually mean any one of these 3 things:
*An obvious indication of separation anxiety
*Behaviour designed to get the owner to take notice of them
*A dog challenging your status as leader of the pack
The clue here is whether the dog does this behaviour while you're in the house, or out. If the dog is peeing in the house while the owner is around, it is most likely to be attention seeking, or a gesture of dominance. However if it only does it while you're out and is clean while you're in, you're looking at a symptom of anxiety.
All dogs are different, which means the kind of behaviour they show will differ too, so the only way to correctly identify anxiety is to watch your dog carefully for a while. For example, notice whether they are chewing your favourite shoes while you're around and can see them, or only when you've left them alone. Remember that even negative attention like you being cross is still attention to your dog.
Symptoms to watch out for include excessive barking, whining or howling while you're out, destructive behaviour such as scratching at doors and furniture, chewing everything in sight, or peeing and pooping in the house.
Knowing What You Should Do About Separation Anxiety Will Increase Your Chance of Success
Don't stop here. Learn more about the most widely recognised symptoms of separation anxiety in dogs, and understand why your dog is behaving as he does and what the behaviour means, then you'll be able to start sorting out this problem - and your dogs behaviour - from a firm basis.
Taking action is the only way to sort this situation out. It's not something you can ignore in the hope that time will resolve it. Its more likely to get worse and the behaviour more extreme. The good news is that treated in the right way, symptoms will often start to disappear fast.
Symptoms of dogs anxiety are wide ranging and some definitely easier to spot than others. Take the dog that follows you around the house all day - are they just being friendly, or can they not bear you to be out of their sight? More easy to spot is the dog that destroys your furniture when you leave them at home for the day.
Don't Confuse Bad Dog Behaviour with Symptoms of Dog Separation Anxiety
Because separation anxiety in dogs can show itself in so many different ways, a dogs behaviour is often not attributed to the problem of anxiety and merely put down to bad dog behaviour.
A dog that chews up the owners belongings, or pees or poops in the house is often thought to be doing it deliberately so that the owners will think twice before leaving them home alone again. This results in them being thought of as badly behaved dogs rather than dogs suffering from separation anxiety.
If the root cause of a dogs behaviour is not identified then the chosen solution could easily back fire leaving the dogs anxiety greater than before.
Increasingly, the dogs that end up in rescue homes because dog owners are unable to correct their behaviour through training or other means, show signs of dog separation anxiety behaviour.
How To Tell The Difference Between Attention Seeking Behavior and Dog Anxiety
Unfortunately, a dogs attention seeking behaviour can look very similar to dog anxiety symptoms, making it difficult for owners to distinguish between the two.
Take the example of a dog urinating in the house. It could actually mean any one of these 3 things:
*An obvious indication of separation anxiety
*Behaviour designed to get the owner to take notice of them
*A dog challenging your status as leader of the pack
The clue here is whether the dog does this behaviour while you're in the house, or out. If the dog is peeing in the house while the owner is around, it is most likely to be attention seeking, or a gesture of dominance. However if it only does it while you're out and is clean while you're in, you're looking at a symptom of anxiety.
All dogs are different, which means the kind of behaviour they show will differ too, so the only way to correctly identify anxiety is to watch your dog carefully for a while. For example, notice whether they are chewing your favourite shoes while you're around and can see them, or only when you've left them alone. Remember that even negative attention like you being cross is still attention to your dog.
Symptoms to watch out for include excessive barking, whining or howling while you're out, destructive behaviour such as scratching at doors and furniture, chewing everything in sight, or peeing and pooping in the house.
Knowing What You Should Do About Separation Anxiety Will Increase Your Chance of Success
Don't stop here. Learn more about the most widely recognised symptoms of separation anxiety in dogs, and understand why your dog is behaving as he does and what the behaviour means, then you'll be able to start sorting out this problem - and your dogs behaviour - from a firm basis.
Taking action is the only way to sort this situation out. It's not something you can ignore in the hope that time will resolve it. Its more likely to get worse and the behaviour more extreme. The good news is that treated in the right way, symptoms will often start to disappear fast.
About the Author:
Tony Knight has trained dogs for over 10 years and has used his knowledge of successfully helping many dogs and their owners, to create a free report to help you spot dog anxiety symptoms. Get your copy by visiting his blog which is all about Dog Anxiety
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