Anxiety in Dogs

Anxiety in Dogs: Frustration and boredom,
especially among puppies left at home all day,
on their own, is becoming more commonplace and
can cause your dog to literally chew everything
it can get hold of. To prevent a dog from
chewing, and in order to alleviate its boredom,
is very difficult and needs a lot of thought. To
stop this kind of behavior you have to channel
the dogs thoughts, actions and mind in a
different direction. But what kind of direction
and how?

You cannot expect the puppy to sit all day,
either in a cage or house and not become bored
when left alone. Much of the time you should be
spending with your puppy is about socialization,
house training and obedience training. So what is
the answer? If you have a high-spirited,
high-energy puppy it will need some kind of
release for both its mental and physical
activities. If your new puppy is naturally quiet
and happy to just accept things as they are, it
is less likely to develop problems linked with
frustration and boredom.

In order to prevent boredom and frustration in
all puppies you have to become and think as a
puppy. Let us look at this from a totally
different direction and not only from the point
of view of the puppy, but yours. If, instead of
your puppy, you were to spend all day in a cage,
how would you behave? You would get bored and
possibly suffer from some mild form of cabin
fever.

So let us get down to the dogs eye level. You
will be amazed at how different it is down
there. Look around you, what do you see? Ah
good! Something to chew, but is it the right
thing to chew? I am a dog, I do not know the
difference, I chew everything, I am not
particular. Okay you have got the idea, so where
do you begin?

Your first day back at work after getting your
new puppy, you are leaving him in the dog cage
you bought for him, you left a bowl of water and
what else? Is there anything in there that will
encourage your dog to tear to pieces, like
cardboard, paper, wood, thin plastic, old
slippers etc.

One major stumbling block to boredom is the
length of time you are leaving your puppy alone
1 hour 2 hours 3 hours, how long? It is never a
good idea to leave your puppy with just a bowl
of water and somewhere to sleep. Again ask
yourself how you would feel if you were left
alone for 2,3,4,5 hours or even more.

The dog is a pack animal and in the wild it is
used to having the members of the pack around.
It is unnatural to leave them alone for long
periods at such a tender age. You are his pack
leader and he or she is going to miss you. Pack
leaders do not leave the rest of the pack on
their own unless they are out hunting. You may
have to learn to compromise with the amount of
time your intended leaving your puppy alone. Try
getting someone else to visit your pup during the
time you are away.

If you are leaving your puppy alone for long
periods please get someone to attend to his
needs. Whether it is let out for toilet
training, exercise or just a change of scenery
this is an important part of its socialization
process.

Think like a dog, and give your puppy something
to eat before you leave him. A dog tends to sleep
more when he or she has a full stomach. Get him
used to playing with toys that require plenty of
investigation to achieve a goal whether it be
food or a tip-bit. Make sure the chew toys your
puppy is playing with are robust enough to stand
his constant chewing and will not come to pieces
while you are away.

Chewing is a natural habit to a dog and you have
to use ways of maximizing this trait to its
fullest advantage. Instead of your puppy
attacking the carpet, curtains or even shoes,
use chew toys to give him an alternative way to
vent his preference for chewing. Many puppies
will simply chew because they are teething. Try
a chew toy from the freezer, it may help to ease
the irritating teething pain.

It all comes down to you in the end. Leaving any
puppy of grown dog alone for long periods is a
recipe for disaster. Dogs are social animals and
need plenty of socialization (getting out and
about) to make them a balanced individual,
leaving them alone for long periods of time is
not the way to do it. Like we humans Dogs can
suffer from anxiety and stress and it can start
at the puppy stage.

----------------------------------------------------
http://www.choosebestdogbreed.com/about-me Ian
Nicholson lives in the UK and has kept and bred
dogs over a period of fifty years and is
passionate about their welfare. Visit him at his
website http://www.choosebestdogbreed.com Choose
Best Dog Breed and learn more about mans best
friend and you are invited to claim your free
e-book "7 Proven Steps to Better Older Dog
Health" helping to keep your dog healthier
longer.

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=259120

>