What Can Be Done To Retrain The Dog To Reduce The Dependence And Following
The most important aspect of retraining is to teach your dog to be independent and relaxed in your presence. Only when your dog will stay in his bed or relaxation area, rather than constantly following you around, will you be ready to begin mock or graduated planned departures.
“… teach the dog to be independent and relaxed in your presence.”
Attention-getting behaviors must not pay off. Any attempts at attention must be ignored. On the other hand, lying quietly away from you should be rewarded. Teach your dog that it is the quiet behavior that will receive attention, and not following you around, or demanding attention. Teach your dog to relax in his quiet area and to accept lengthy periods of inattention when you are home. You may have to begin with shorter sessions of inattention and gradually shape longer sessions. Training can progress much quicker if your dog learns the down stay and mat exercises on command . Be sure to schedule attention, interaction and play sessions and develop a routine while you are at home, and follow these with gradually longer sessions of inattention to try and approximate your times of departure. Your dog should get used to this routine so that you can depart while he is calm.
How Do I Fix Separation Anxiety
How to ease normal separation anxiety Practice separation. Schedule separations after naps or feedings. Develop a quick goodbye ritual. Leave without fanfare. Follow through on promises. Keep familiar surroundings when possible and make new surroundings familiar. Have a consistent primary caregiver.
Practice This Training Periodically Throughout The Day
Youre going to want to give your pup some alone time in their crate and puppy pen periodically throughout the day.
After eating and going out to potty, young puppies are generally ready for a nap. This is a great time for your pup to go into his crate.
When puppy wakes up, he will need to go potty again and will likely want to play. This may be when you play catch or chase and work on training important commands like sit, stay, come.
Then its time for some independent play time in his puppy pen with an enrichment toy.
Putting your pup in their crate periodically throughout the day is important for more than preventing puppy separation anxiety.
Puppies need naps and downtime otherwise they get overstimulated. An overstimulated puppy gets cranky, bitey, and cant focus or stop unwanted behaviors easily.
Crate time helps prevent over-stimulation by giving your puppy a safe, comfortable place to relax and nap.
Its beneficial for your pups mental health and well being when you teach them that its ok to be away from you for periods of time.
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Manage Your Departure Cues
There are likely certain actions you take before leaving that spark your dogs anxiety. These could be grabbing your keys, putting on your shoes, or opening the door.
As part of the desensitization training, you can incorporate a few of these departure cues to try to rob them of their power. Your dog needs to learn that its not the end of the world if you grab your briefcase.
Only work on one departure cue at a time. This prevents your dog from becoming overwhelmed while also giving you a clear idea of which cues upset them the most.
Let Him Explore The Crate And Toss Some Treats Inside
Once you set up your dogâs crate, heâll probably be pretty curious about it. Some dogs warm up faster to their crates than others, but all dogs will probably want to inspect it.
Make sure to reward your dog if he goes into his crate to check it out. And if he seems nervous about going in, toss a few treats inside! Not only will that get him interested in the crate, it will also get him building positive associations with it.
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Pet Travel Question: Crate Training And Separation Anxiety
Pet Breed: Labrador Retriever/German ShepherdFrom: Boston, MATo: Lugano, Switzerland
Hello,
I want to move to Switzerland after I graduate from college in 2015. I got my dog Ella in January of 2012 when she was three months old. I tried to no avail to crate train her, and unfortunately she hates being in enclosed spaces and has severe separation anxiety. So crating her ended with her gums bleeding and her destroying crates.How can I successfully crate train my puppy? Also, if you have advice for her separation anxiety I would greatly appreciate it.Thank you,
Hi Nicole,
This is an important question! Crate training can be a very difficult, time-consuming process, but it is also the best way to prepare your pet for travel. Unfortunately, it sounds like your dog might have built up some negative associations with her crate. This behavior can most likely be modified, but it will take lots of time, patience, and positive reinforcement of good behaviors.
Getting your dog comfortable with her crate should help to reduce her separation anxiety. In addition, check out these tips for reducing separation anxiety in dogs. If you are currently giving your dog sedatives to treat her anxiety, know that you will not be able to sedate her during her flight, as doing do can be dangerous.
If you have any more questions, feel free to contact us. Good luck with crate training and your move to Switzerland!
If Your Dog Is Hurting Himself
If your dog is hurting himself it is time to get help from your vet and read this to understand more. Your vet can prescribe medication that can make your dog more comfortable when you leave and while you work on behavior modification. Imagine having PTSD from war and having visions and panic attacks, insomnia you would probably want medication to help as you worked with a doctor, psychiatrist, or other homeopathic doctor while you worked on your own behavior changes and modifications right?
A dog that truly suffers from separation anxiety will benefit from medication AND behavior modification just like people. And, both are critical. Only medication will create the addict and will not address the behavior or the problem. Avoiding medication, sometimes, like the above example is sometimes horrifying and traumatizing and also will not work. Medication and behavior modification take time but go hand in hand.
And, until you can conquer the problem, I would look into finding a good doggy daycare that will keep your dog from hurting himself, screaming, barking all day or chewing and allow you time to work on problems in a fashion that is conducive to overcoming the problem and not making it worse.
For more on that click here
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Do Dog Separation Anxiety Toys Work
Toys specifically designed for dog separation anxiety can keep them busy so they dont realize that theyre alone. They can also offer a positive reinforcement so your dog associates the toy with your departure, which will lessen their negative behaviors.
However, dog separation anxiety toys tend to work best when theyre used with other training methods.
A Dog With Separation Anxiety May Try To Escape
Dogs experiencing separation anxiety are often in a panicked state when you are away and not thinking clearly about their actions. This can sometimes result in them breaking free either escaping out an accidentally opened door or chewing and digging through the backyard fence and running away in an effort to find you. Crating a dog with separation anxiety can reduce the chances that they will escape and become lost.
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How To Crate Train A Rescue Puppy With Separation Anxiety
To crate train a puppy is a wonderful thing! First you need to find whatever word or phrase you like to use that means the crate.
For example I used “Box” because it’s quick to say and distinct. I have heard others use “kennel up” or “crate”, it doesn’t matter what you say as long as you are consistent and don’t try to change it
changing the command will confuse your puppy, so ok? You got your word? Let’s start training!
Place your crate in a nice and open place, especially if your puppy has separation anxiety you want to put it in the room where you are the most. Ex. Living room, bedroom or a hallway.
Don’t pile stuff on or around your anxious dogs crate. Mainly because it limits their vision and won’t allow them to rest. Also because an unhappy dog will get bored and start chewing on it.
Put your dog bed or blankets in the crate and keep the door wide open, let your dog see it and explore. Throw a treat inside to entice them to go inside, don’t command or force your dog into the crate
When your dog is relaxed point inside the crate and say your dog’s name and the command example: “Lilly, Box” say this assertively but not too harsh.
It’s ok don’t worry this will take some practice. Try again until the dog goes in by itself
When your dog goes willingly into the crate on your command praise them and let them come directly out! That’s it Don’t shut the crate or lock them in This will instead lock into their brain our point
A happy crated dog!
Consider Calling In Outside Help
If you absolutely have to leave your dog home alone for hours at a time, it may be worthwhile to hire a dog walker or look into a doggy daycare service.
That way, your dog will get much-needed interaction and exercise, and they wont feel like theyre being abandoned every time you walk out the door.
This option is expensive but it may be your best bet. Plus, if your dog is already tuckered out when you get home, it may just allow you to get some R& R after work.
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Dealing With Dog Separation Anxiety
One of the most common phrases used by owners to describe a dog that appears stressed when the owner leaves homeor just leaves the roomis separation anxiety in dogs.
We can define separation anxiety as a dog problem behavior that shows itself through symptoms like excessive salivation, barking, whining, destroying items in the home, scratching at walls, doors and floors, and attempting to escape from the crate, or room.
Desensitize Your Dog To Departure Cues
Through desensitization, you can train your dog to not stress over signs of departure such as putting on a coat or picking up your keys. Desensitization involves exposing your pet to stimuli they find stressful in a non-confrontational way over a period of time. Eventually, your dog becomes accustomed to the trigger and doesnt react to it.
Heres how to desensitize your dog to departure cues:
- Put your dog in their crate and wait until theyre settled.
- Now, act out one of your departure cues, such as picking up keys, putting your shoes on, or fetching your coat. Dont leave the room while you act out this cue.
- Wait a few minutes, then put any items away and go back to your normal behavior.
- Repeat this process, increasing the duration and trying it in different rooms of the house.
- Do this training technique sporadically throughout the day.
- Once your dog no longer reacts, start leaving your house for brief periods.
- Repeat the process with another departure cue.
Keep in mind desensitization is only effective if its gradually built up you can start small by fiddling with your keys or simply moving your coat. Base your starting point on what your dog can comfortably tolerate.
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Should I Crate My Dog Who Has Separation Anxiety
Yes, you can crate your dog with . However, this can be done only if the dog likes the crate and does not see it as a method of punishment.
If your dog loves her crate, simply open the door and let her enter the crate on its own. On the other hand, if your dog dislikes the crate, do not force things. Use desensitization to help your dog get used to the crate before using the crate as part of the dog separation anxiety training.
To do this, you can start by opening the crate and letting your dog go in and out during the day. You can then progress to leaving your dog in the crate for short periods of time. Then, increase the amount of time slowly until she tolerates it.
Other training techniques like positive reinforcement and counterconditioning can also be helpful during crate training.
How Long Should You Leave Your Dog Alone When Doing Separation Anxiety Training Outside Of The Crate
When youre training a dog with separation anxiety, youre going to be working beneath the dogs anxiety threshold.
For example, your dog is good for 20 minutes and doesnt bark or destroy anything, but by the time he gets to 30 minutes, he starts to get anxious, his threshold is 20 minutes or less. So in that example, we would be fastidious about not leaving him for 30 minutes and allow him to rehearse this behaviour over and over and build up his anxiety.
It is key to back up and keep the dog under his anxiety threshold during training.
If the dog is under his anxiety threshold, he will not be barking, peeing or destroying things so is there a need to have him in the crate? The reason most people use a crate is because they dont want their dog chewing their stuff up, peeing on the floor or howling under the door. If hes not anxious, he wont be exhibiting those behaviors.
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My Dog Barks All Day While Im At Work What Else Can I Do
- Day care: In addition to the tips weve shared on this page and our Barx Buddy device, you might also consider doggie daycare one or two days a week. You might find that your dogs temperament becomes calmer after spending a day filled with energetic stimulation from other dogs. Again, we recommend that you use day care in conjunction with other training methods.
- Dog walking service: There are many dog-walking services that do thorough background checks or, you might hire a trusted neighbor to take your dog for mid-day walks. Make sure that your caretaker understands the train-treat-repeat method youre using with your dog.
- Dog TV: You may have heard about streaming dog TV channels or playing music to soothe an anxious dog. The jury is out on whether dog TV channels and music work to calm dogs that suffer from separation anxiety. You might try a free version for short periods to see if this helps your dog. We are skeptical that audiovisual stimulation alone will work for dogs that suffer from separation anxiety. Its likely that youll need to incorporate a train-treat-repeat approach.
Leaving Your Dog Alone In Their Crate
This is the trickiest step by far: getting your dog to be comfortable alone in the crate when youre not in the room with them. While difficult, its entirely possible with the right approach and mindset.
- Once your dog is inside the crate, walk a few steps away from them.
- After a few seconds, go back to the crate and reward your dog with a treat.
- Repeat this process, slowly increasing the distance and duration.
- You can start leaving the room once your pup is feeling confident, though initially only leave the room for a few seconds at a time. You also shouldnt shut the door on them.
- Dont make a fuss or show signs that youre planning to leave. This will just put them on alert and increase their anxiety levels.
Whenever you return to your dogs side, make sure to ignore them until theyre calm and settled. Then, open the crate door and reward them with praise and treats.
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Do Bark Collars Work For Separation Anxiety
Bark collars, like all dog training tools, work only if you use them properly. A bark collar can be used to distract your dog from doing unwanted behaviors, but you have to be consistent with the train-treat-repeat methodology. Therefore, bark collars tend to work best when you are home, with your dog, so you can press the button to distract him, issue the verbal command, give positive reinforcement and repeat.
Types Of Crates For Dogs With Separation Anxiety
Pet parents have a few options of crates designed for separation anxiety. According to Shelly, crates range from ones that play music to those crafted from fine quality wood. But finding the right crate for your dog with separation anxiety is only part of helping your anxious pup.
The most important aspect of using any crate to help an anxious pet is the training that goes along with it, says Shelly. It is highly worth the time and patience a pet parent must put in to enable their pup to benefit the most from his personal safe haven.
Below are a few common types of dog crates for separation anxiety:
Cave-Like Crates: These crates, with more darkness and seclusion, provide a sanctuary for your dog to enjoy his alone time. They come in all types of materials, from wood to durable fabric. These crates may provide comfort for dogs with low levels of anxiety, but may not be durable enough for dogs who suffer from severe separation anxiety and resort to chewing or escape behavior.
Steel Crates: A heavy-duty crate for dog separation anxiety, with reinforced steel tubes, is vital for dogs who turn to chewing or attempting to escape when under stress. These crates typically do not have any components that can be chewed.
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