do you have any advice for dealing with separation anxiety? my 9yo wirehaired fox terrier becomes distressed/will bark all day if we leave him, sometimes if one of us goes outside. my parents work and i'm at college so unfortunately he's alone a lot.
Here’s a few things you could do to ease his anxiety:
- Exercise! Before you leave, take him out for a good long walk or a game of fetch to really tire him out. Several destructive or problematic behaviours are caused by boredom and too much energy.
- Leave him with toys, Kongs (stuffed with something that’ll take him time and energy clean out) or puzzle toys to keep him occupied and active throughout the day.
- Ask a friend or family member to pay him a visit during the day, hire a dog sitter/walker, or take him to doggy day care.
- Change your routine. If, for example, the last thing you grab before you leave are your keys, try picking them up throughout the day so your dog stops associating the action and noise with your departure. You could also condition him to associate the noise of the door opening/closing with something positive. Be prepared to look ridiculous lol
- Try leaving for a couple of seconds and reward calm behaviour when you return. Try not to fuss over him before you leave and when you return. If he barks, wait for him to stop before you enter. Slowly increase the amount of time you’re gone. This lets him know that you being gone is no big deal because you’ll be back.
If it’s really bad and he harms himself or is too stressed to listen to anyone, medication or professional help may be needed before he’ll be able to learn a new behaviour.
