Anxiety in animals

All pet owners want to know their happy empty spaces. We bring them with us during the holidays, we buy toys and rewards, walk, play and love them. Even if we want to spend a lot of time with them, sometimes, we have to leave them alone at home to make buyers, go to work or go out with friends. It may happen that when we return home to find less pleasant «surprises» (red furniture, destroyed shoes, urmed at home, etc.).

The pandemic was an extremely difficult moment for everyone. Many people worked from home and perhaps the only ones they enjoyed this change were the dogs who benefited from the presence of the owners much longer than before. But since things started entering the normal bean, people have resumed their program before the pandemic. They started going to work, going to the city or shopping. And this meant that they had to leave their patrols alone at home. Dogs can become anxious when they are young or when adults. A special case are senior dogs that develop anxiety. Unfortunately, all psychic functions, memory, perception begin to deteriorate with age and can generate confusion. Some elderly dogs suffering from cognitive dysfunction syndrome may have serious anxiety problems.

Separation anxiety can affect all dog breeds and can be felt independently of age. This manifests itself by an intense emotional stress when the dog is left only at home or in some cases in anticipating the master’s departure. It is not possible to establish an exact cause of the appearance of this phenomenon, but instead there are more theories. One in them is that the premature radius can lead to this condition. Even an excessive dependence on the teacher, a slightly unstable emotional background, aging, bad management and the owner of the master are only other possible causes. Before being anxiously diagnosed in separation, a visit to the veterinarian and a series of analyzes is needed to eliminate a discomfort generated by a health problem.

The symptoms of separation anxiety may vary. The most common are as follows:

• bark/ scream excessively
• urinated/ defecated at home,
• Destructive behavior (in particular the frame of the red door or the wall next to the door) or self -destructive (licking or an excessive scarf that can generate healthy problems or desperate attempts to get rid of the «detention» which can cause serious injuries)
• salivation, excessive jam or tremor
• refusal of food or water

Although it is difficult enough to manage and requires a long -term commitment of the master, anxiety can improve or even disappear. The first step is to completely change the way we start and enter the house. When we leave the house we have not embraced the dog, we do not greet and we do not show any gesture of affection that increases only the anxiety of the dog. In the same way, when we go home, we will eat the dog only when it is calm and we will ignore it if it is very agitated. We can make «simulations» starting and entrance to the house. Dresses and prepared as if you are going to the city or shopping. Some dogs show the first signs of stress since the teacher starts to dress or prepare to get out on its own. Dogs will immediately recognize the clothes or footwear with which you get it for a walk and the one who comes out in the city or shopping. It is essential to go through the whole routine you have when you leave it yourself. Take the keys, the bag, put the coat you usually take. Exit and enter the house several times a day, following the protocol so as not to be affectionate with the dog. In this way, we desensitizes the dog when leaving and arriving. After a while, it is possible to gradually increase the interval between the departure and get a few minutes and depend on the dog’s response, tens of minutes. You don’t have to hurry, you can increase time only after the dog no longer manifests anxiety. The final goal is to get used to the dog with your absence and no longer have inappropriate behaviors when you miss. The process can take months.

Another way to improve anxiety in separation is to learn the dog to stay in a cage or formation in the cash. Although for many people, the cage has a negative connotation, things are totally different for dogs. The canids are naturally Kne/ Barlog animals, so you will of course like to stay in similar spaces. And a cage is similar to a den, a safe and closed space that belongs to them completely. The cage will feed the feeling of security and can calm anxiety. It is very important that the cage is suitable for dog’s life. He must feel at ease standing, lying down and can turn inside without problems. Therefore, the cage should not be too small or too large. The cage will be the favorite place of the dog to relax. Depending on the dog’s preferences, we can put a bed or towels, although there are many breeds of dogs that will prefer to sit directly on the floor of the cage. If we have an ideal dog chicken it would be to put only absorbent forests. To motivate a dog to accept the cage we will use positive conditioning. We will give the dog reward when it is interested in the cage, at the beginning it will sniff it, it will be curious, it will only enter with the legs in front of the cage, then with the whole body. Every time he receives prizes for each step undertaken inside the cage. It is very important not to hurry with the introduction of the cage. The process can take 6 months. We can move on to the next step only when the dog feels comfortable. At the beginning, the door of the cage will always be open, assigning the dog to enter and exit. We can disassemble it or possess something that we do not hit it by mistake in order to frighten the dog. Although it may seem like a titanic work, it takes a lot of devotion and involvement from the master. Short training sessions are requested several times a day. After the dog has accepted the cage and feels comfortable, we can mount the door and close it for 10 minutes to increase the duration. Initially we will remain in the room as the dog will be closed in the cage, then, after a while, we leave the room. It is not advisable to leave a dog in the cage for a long time. They need to play, go out for physiological needs, food or water. It is essential to keep an eye on every time we leave the dog in the cage. As a precautionary measure, it is advisable to remove the collar or anything else it could hang in the cage and cause the dog strangulation. After the dog can be left for 30 minutes in the cage without showing any symptoms of stress, we can think of leaving it there when we leave the house. It is essential that during the day, when we are at home to close the dog in the cage so as not to associate the cage with our lack. We can use the cage when we have guests, when we have something to do and the presence of the dog would make us uncomfortable or when we think we need a break. We can leave him a Kong type toy to keep him busy. After the dog has become accustomed to the cage and has no more anxious behaviors, we can increase the space and go to a room, therefore a room, so that we can leave the dog alone throughout the house. We will never use the cage as punishment.

Another way of managing separation anxiety is the dog’s dress with jackets or compression shirt, as well as thunder or t -shirt of tuonsin. The light and constant pressure exerted on the dog’s trunk will release the soothean oxytocin and the endorphins. If necessary, you can use a scarf or scarf.

In specialized sites there are speakers or scratches with pheromoni. Pheromones are synthetic hormones that imitate the hormones produced by the mother to calm their chicks. Their presence in the room or around the dog through the collar will stimulate its olfactory sense and could calm anxiety.

It is essential that the animal has exercise and above all mental. A bored and stimulated dog can have emotional problems more easily than a tired. A tired is happy. The fact that you have a busy program, you are very busy and you cannot pay too much attention to the quadrupeds, it could be a factor that triggers its anxiety. In addition to the walk of at least 1 hour a day, the dog should necessarily be socialized with other dogs. You can bring it to swim or run with it. In addition to physical activities, it is very important to stimulate the dog’s mind. This can be done with puzzles or training toys. By learning a new weekly order, we improve our relationship with our dog and consolidate it. Ideally, before being left alone at home, a dog should be walked, correct and tired. In this way, we prevent subsequent problems.
Sometimes anxiety can have serious forms and request a pharmacological treatment to improve the quality of the dog’s life. The choice of treatment is performed only to the indication of the vet and only if it recommends this treatment for the dog.

The anxiety installation in separation cannot be prevented despite the efforts supported. Once installed, it takes a lot of work, time and involvement. The collaboration with a coach specialized in canine behavior is essential and Poste has had a real success. With patience, involvement and a positive attitude you can have good results and reduce the stress tried by your dog when left alone.