Separation anxiety is the kind of dread a dog experiences when you or someone close to him leaves. This is an emotional experience that humans feel too, so it is easy to relate to your dog's anxiety, however it is largely irrational because you will return and the separation is only temporary. Your dog doesn't understand this and must be taught not to get anxious. A dog that is feeling anxious may bark uncontrollably or urinate or chew things up. If the dog is in your home at the time then this is unwanted behavior. It is also not good for your dog's wellbeing to feel these sensations and you are responsible for the health of your dog. This article will give you some ideas on avoiding separation anxiety in dogs.

Separation anxiety begins when a puppy is separated from it's mother too soon. A puppy should have at least 8 weeks with it's mother before being re-homed. If a puppy was re-homed before this time it may experience separation anxiety in later life.

Start teaching your puppy about separation anxiety as soon as it gets into it's new home. although it is hard not to cuddle a puppy, try not to be too affectionate. This is pertinent at night times when you are going to bed. Place you puppy in it's sleeping basket and walk away. Don't make a fuss of it. It will learn that there will be times when it is alone.

You need to communicate through actions that your puppy will be alone at time but that you will return. This will prevent separation anxiety when the dog gets older.

Training a puppy is relatively straightforward, however it may not be as easy with a grown dog that is suffering from this problem. The dog may have been given to you by a previous owner or you found him at the dog shelter.

If it has come from the pound or shelter then it may have been neglected in the past. Dog's a sensitive to abandonment and have a rational fear of being separated from the owner. It may have received little affection whilst in the pound too, which will only heighten it's anxiety.

If it has been given to you by the previous owner there is generally a good reason why they have done this. It may be that there were family problems, a divorce, money problems or that the person had to leave the country. As a dog is a social animal and needs the support that a family gives to it, it is also aware when there are problems in the family. This can trigger emotional problems that could result in displaying separation anxiety at some point.

So older dogs have a genuine reason to feel anxiety from their past experiences. You should try to reassure them that the future will be different. In terms of leaving the home, you should start slowly and build up the separation time. Initially you should go away for a few minutes. Don't fuss about leaving or returning. This will calmness will translate to the dog and it will understand that this is a normal behavior.

Continue this mock separation process but increase the time each time you separate. If you hear the dog getting anxious then return to a separation interval that he is comfortable with. Gradually the dog will be completely adjusted to separation and will not get anxious.

Other strategies include keeping the dog busy while you are away. So you could fill a toy with peanut butter or cheese spread and give it to your pet. This will keep it so busy trying to get at the tasty treats in the toy that it does not consider the issue of separation.