Friendly dogs love being around their families. In fact, they may love being with their owners so much, that when the family goes away on vacation or the children head back to school, the dog may develop separation anxiety. This psychological disorder has been diagnosed in dogs all over America. Often pups who are struggling with separation anxiety will engage in destructive behaviors. They may choose to chew on your furniture or scratch and damage a door. Whatever the outlet that your pet chooses to ventilate separation anxiety, it is always best to treat this issue as soon as possible. The best way to deal with separation anxiety in your pet is to prevent it from the outset. In order to do this, you will want to ignore your dog from time to time. While this may sound insensitive, it is a helpful tactic.

A pet that gets constant attention will be disoriented when there is no one home to play with it or take it outside. By ignoring your dog for a certain amount of time, the animal will learn that sometimes he or she simply needs to fend for his or herself and be alone. Also, if your dog develops a bad habit such as begging for dinner table scraps or barking for attention, it is best to ignore these antics. This is because by giving your dog what he or she wants when the animal acts in a disobedient way is almost regarding the dog for poor behavior. A smart pooch will eventually determine that that barking is rewarded with attention, and then the habit will become harder to break.

Another important way to discourage your dog from separation anxiety is to play it cool when you leave the home. If you do not have obvious signs which denote that you are going to leave your house, your pet may learn that it is not necessary to panic. Dogs pick up on cues such as when a person puts on his or her shoes or jingles his or her keys. The animal will start to associate these signs with leaving and this can create problems. Be as conspicuous as possible when leaving your home so that your pooch doesn't pick up on these signs and see them as a trigger to have bad behavior.

Keep your dog occupied when you leave the home. If you are taking off for the next few hours, you may want to consider putting your pet in his or her crate with a yummy chew toy. This will keep Fido distracted and keeping him or her from having a meltdown when you leave the house. Pet owners who allow their dogs to follow them to the door often discover that the animal will have a meltdown or an emotional response and will become destructive within the home as a result. Pets will dig, bite, or pace when they are stressed and feel abandoned.

Don't be afraid to use the dog crate in order to help your pet learn how to behave and to make sure that the pet doesn't suffer from separation anxiety. Veterinarians suggest locking your animal in his crate for 10 to 15 minutes once a day even if you are home. Eventually, the pet will get used to being in the crate, and this will allow you to leave him or her there for longer amounts of time when you are gone without worrying that the animal will bark, chew, or develop other bad habits. It is also important to make it fun when you leave. Give your pet a treat before you walk out the door, so that he will associate your departure with something happy rather than something sad. If you need more information contact a local veterinarian today.