Treating Separation Anxiety In Older Dogs

Your dog may be suffering from dog separation anxiety.

Treating separation anxiety in older dogs.

Here s a closer look at how these fit with certain types of anxiety treating separation anxiety in. Usually it s used alongside behavior modification. Not only can it be harder for older dogs to handle changes in routine but losing hearing or sight will likely make them more anxious in general. There are various degress of anxiety ranging from mild discomfort to ripping the house apart.

Medication is rarely used as the only means to treat a dog s separation anxiety. The way you handle your dogs anxiety depends on the reason s for his fears and to some extent his own individual personality. A dog trainer or a veterinary behaviorist will be your best resource in creating a behavior modification program that suits your dog s needs. Prepare as if you re going to be gone for a while but leave for only 1 minute.

Many older dogs become worried that when you leave you ll never return. If your older dog has very severe anxiety you can also try to desensitize your dog over a period of time so that it no longer feels anxious when you leave. If your dog has severe separation anxiety start with small 5 10 second intervals and work up to 20 30 minutes over several weeks. There are also a variety of commercially available products to keep.

Before you leave the house take your dog for a walk. Instead of sleeping with your pup get them a separate dog bed where you can also pet them and give calming treats. Separation anxiety in older dogs can be heartbreaking. When treating a dog with separation anxiety the goal is to resolve the dog s underlying anxiety by teaching him to enjoy or at least tolerate being left alone.

Start your day by taking your dog for a brisk walk. Add an absent owner to the mix and you have a recipe for some serious anxiety. However there are several ways to cope with it. A few hours later leave for 3 minutes.

You could try to replace negative emotional reactions to your exit like fear and anxiety with positive emotional reactions like happiness and curiosity. The next day try 6 minutes and very slowly build the duration until they re able to stay calmer while you re out. As older dogs are often on existing meds your vet will want to find a medication that does not interact poorly with your dog s medication regimen. Separation anxiety is literally anxiety a dog feels when separated from his guardian.

Treating older dog anxiety issues. Here are five tips to help ease separation anxiety. It is our job to help make this unnatural situation less stressful. You can train them to understand this is not the case by easing into it.

Create personal space for your dog. In nature dogs are almost never away from their pack. The treatment options include behavioral and lifestyle modifications natural treatments and products and some medications.