Dealing with Separation Anxiety in Your Pets

Separation anxiety with pets is a very real thing. Sometimes it affects the pets worse than the owners, but sometimes the owners struggle with it as well. There are several reasons for this, some of them not at all what you would expect. Because of the social nature of different animals, each one experiences this anxiety differently. Thankfully, tools like pet doors can go a long way toward reducing the anxiety that you or your pet feel about the separation.

Pack Animal Anxiety

For animals that are pack animals, separation anxiety can be especially bad. This is because pack animals tend to have leaders or alphas. The alpha is essentially the boss who controls everything the pack does. He or she also sets the tone for the pack. When it comes to having them as pets, they tend to see their owners as the alpha leader of the pack because the owner provides the food, makes corrections, and basically sets the tone for the group. If you aren’t the alpha in your home, you should be!

These animals struggle the most with separation anxiety because, without the alpha, there is no direction. They see the alpha as the strongest one and are content to heed the alpha’s wishes. When the alpha leaves, they may feel at a complete loss.

Signs of Anxiety

In order to try to decrease the anxiety, you have to know it exists. Pets, and especially dogs, don’t really exact vengeance for owners leaving them, but they do display some behavioral issues. For example, they might chew socks or furniture. If you don’t have a pet door, they might use the bathroom in areas that they shouldn’t. As much as this may look like revenge, it isn’t.

Like humans, anxiety can alter the physiological process of the body. That means pups might use the bathroom more frequently. Without access to the outside, that’s going to be done in your house. When it comes to chewing items, the pet is simply looking for a way to deal with anxiety. Boredom might also be an issue.

Decrease Anxiety

You can use specific tools and methods to try to decrease the anxiety that your pets experience. Install a pet door so they can get outside as needed. Calm your pets before you leave by petting them and speaking in soothing tones. If you are feeling anxious because you know your pets are about to get anxious, you could make the situation worse. By speaking in soothing tones and spending some time with your pets before you leave, you are setting the scene for calmness.

When you keep repeating this method, your pets will come to look forward to the moments before you leave rather than getting anxious about them. You can also provide toys for the pets to play with while you are gone so that they have something to do other than getting anxious or bored.

As you can see, separation anxiety in pets is a very real thing. For more information on how to mitigate the effects, reach out to Australia Pet Doors today.