Tips for Helping Your Dog with Separation Anxiety

Let's be honest - we all miss our dogs when we're not with them, and they miss us! However, some puppies and dogs have more trouble with being away from their owners than other dogs do. Here are some tips if your pup struggles with separation anxiety. 

Avoid Dramatic Goodbyes (and Returns)

While you may feel that it's better to give your dog a long goodbye, this actually exacerbates the issue. This is because your dog can get overexcited or nervous when you make a big deal of leaving the house. Instead, if you act casually, like you're just going into another room, this will give them less of a signal to "freak out." Upon returning, give them just a quick hello. Obviously, it's hard not to love on them immediately - but you can do it later, once they're calmed down! This will help normalize leaving and coming back. 

Leave Music On

Humans aren't the only ones who benefit from listening to music! A playlist at a low volume can help fill the background noise inside and outside the house and limit your pup's reaction to external factors. You can even create a playlist specific to your pup using apps like Spotify.  

Give Them Comfort Items 

Does your pup have a favorite toy? Be sure to leave it with them before they leave. You can also give them some of your laundry (preferably clothes you've recently worn) so that they can smell you even if you're not there. Since dogs rely so much on their sense of smell, even snuggling up to your sweater can be soothing for them.

Practice Alone Time

While we understand wanting to spend a lot of time with your pup at home, practicing some alone time while you're both home can help them better handle when you're away from the house. You can practice this by putting them in another room with their toys and comfort items, or by closing yourself off in a room for a couple hours. 

Provide Them Potty Options

Providing them a Fresh Patch that they can use while you're gone can greatly decrease your dog's anxiety. A lot of times, pups can get anxious when left alone because they can't ask to use the potty. Providing them a Fresh Patch gives them the option of using real grass indoors, which can help curb the panic if they have a potty emergency.