thedogsdish’s posterous

The Dog Dish Blues

Dog separation anxiety is often (but not always) a result unintentionally caused by the human over-bonding with their pet or what I like to personally call The Dog Dish Blues.

Anxiety Symptoms in dogs:

Shadowing your every move - right under your feet, pacing, excessive licking, obsessive barking, urinating and/or defecating in the house even on the furniture even though they are potty trained and given sufficient time to go potty outside, whining/howling, hyperactive, jumping, nipping, digging, demanding being held, eating their own poop, hurting themselves if crated or confined due to trying to get out to find their person, excessive chewing.

Cause of Separation Anxiety aka The Dog Dish Blues:

There are some dog breeds that tend be more nervous then others but usually the root of anxiety issues is caused by spoiling your dog so much that your dog is never out of your sight. Allowing your dog to sleep in your human bed. Allowing your dog to sit at the human dinner table. Allowing your dog to be on your furniture. Allowing your dog to sit in the front seat or on your lap when driving a vehicle (also a driving hazard!). Allowing your dog to shadow your every move. Not properly training your dog in basic commands nor enforcing it. Not setting any rules and boundaries. Do you see where this is leading to? You have created a dog that cannot stand to be left alone! A spoiled dog brat! This is not a good scenario for you nor your dog nor your dogs caretakers. Your intentions were meant to be loving but you have gone overboard and the dog dish is so full it is an overflowing mess! Time to clean it up!

How to teach your dog to be independent:

This will take time and patience, as you must reverse an issue here that more then likely did not happen overnight! The goal here is to teach your overly dependant canine to become independent and of course teach you the human how to stop spoiling your dog to the point you have created a dog with issues. Granted there are some dogs with anxious personalities that tend to be a little more on the nervous side then other breeds and more clingy/needy and perhaps that is just their personality types. Here are steps to help guide you in the right direction to train you to train your overly dependent pup to mature into a independent dog. Of course always consult with a holistic medically licensed veterinarian to make sure there are no underlying medical conditions that need to be addressed first.

1. Stop treating your dog like a baby. It is a D – O – G. It’s needs are different then a human baby. Example: dog strollers - WTH? I am just going to say it. Unless your dog is handicap or geriatric that can not make it back from the long walk then it needs to walk beside you on a leash (or off leash if recall trained and in a safe area). Let your dog be free to be a DOG and explore the ground it walks upon!
2. Change your routine a little AND do not make a big deal of exiting or entering house when dog must remain behind in the house.
3. Put some distance between you and your dog - for example: close a door or place a gate between the two of you for short periods of time when you go into another room and do not allow dog to follow you into certain rooms. This is not mean, this is just helping wean your dog from co-dependency!
4. Do not allow dog to sleep with you, perhaps place dogs bed, (yes – Gasp! Dog should have their own doggie bed) in the hallway or another area of the house they enjoy being in that is quiet and relaxing.
   
5. Do not allow your pet onto the human furniture, have rules and stick to them. Place one or several dog beds throughout the house but your furniture is for humans and the dog bed is for dogs. Make this clear and rewarding by having different dog toys/dog blankets in different bed areas, dogs love surprises and knowing they have a place that is theirs is even better and gives them a sense of security! A safe zone if you will.
6. Exercise your dog DAILY!  A dog that is mentally and physically challenged will be less likely to have anxiety issues. The dog will just want a doggie power nap!
7. Socialize your dog to other humans and animals, do not be the only source of interaction for your dog! Let others give treats or walk the dog of course with your approval. Dogs are pack animals, they love being social and need doggie playdates with their own species. Socializing a dog helps them learn their manners around humans and their own dog language with other dogs.
8. Feed your dog a healthy diet daily. Tip: A carrot treat is better then a store bought artificial-ingredient-things-you-can’t-pronounce-biscuit.
9. NEVER punish your dog for seperation anxiety issues instead just do not encourage the unwanted behaviors by utilizing positive play training by simply rewarding your dog for all the good behaviors.
   
10. If you do not have the time nor training skills for working with your anxious dog then perhaps it is best to hire a professional positive reinforcement dog coach to help both you and your dog as well hiring a mid-day dogwalker and/or perhaps even an animal communicator