The cause is usually as follows: Dogs who were left alone too quickly and for too long as puppies have difficulty getting used to being alone in their new home. This fear is particularly common among dogs that come from animal welfare. Past life certainly also plays a role. They don’t immediately understand that their master or mistress will come back, they are simply afraid and have no trust. Some four-legged friends even panic, which can even be life-threatening for them.
Signs that a dog feels left alone:
First of all, you should be able to interpret the signs that a dog is suffering massively: The dogs pant heavily, the adrenaline level rises and the immune system no longer functions properly. This can result in diarrhea and skin diseases. Pure stress for the dog! Sometimes it gets to the point that dogs, in order to alleviate this panic, start destroying our things. They see this as a relief and try to reduce the adrenaline level.
Tips and exercises for the dog and owner
The dog owner should research how he can help his dog in order to regain his freedom. There are no blanket tips and they cannot be applied to all dogs because every dog is different. But to get started, the following exercise makes sense: To get used to it, leave the dog alone for a few seconds rather than minutes. It is important that the duration and the exercises themselves are individually tailored to the dog, but you will find that out quickly.
For example, if the dog follows his master wherever he goes out of fear that he might be left alone. Just the sight of you walking to the door makes some dogs spin in circles and whine. From a technical point of view, you should be prepared for a long process, so it’s best to practice on vacation with a lot of time, patience and, above all, without pressure.
To do this, pretend to go out several times a day, but you don’t, instead you play a game with the dog. Grab the door handle and the dog will probably freeze. Throw him a treat and play with him. Open the door and close it again without paying attention to the dog, because it should become a matter of course for the four-legged friend.
After a few days, try a new trick: smear the inside of a kitchen roll with liver sausage, place it on his blanket and walk away. If he follows, take away the role. If he licks it and you get to the door without noticing, that’s already a good success.
So you can think about further steps depending on the type of dog and how anxious he is.
It also happens that dogs stop eating as soon as you want to go away. Here, mental exercise on every walk has proven useful. For example, looking for treats, balancing over trees, looking for sticks, this puts the dog out. Afterwards you can also start with the training listed above. So leave it alone for a few seconds and increase it. Many dogs are then so tired that they can even manage half an hour without any problems.
What you shouldn’t do is try leaving the dog alone and watch out in the hallway. He whines, definitely not going in, only if he stays quiet. It’s like with children, if you give in, nothing will happen. If the dog cooperates well, don’t forget to reward him!
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