Separation Anxiety

Dogs and people love each others company and that is the reason most of us own dogs. Dogs often become more inextricably linked into our lives and social life than we may realise. As with their cousin the Wolf, dogs are gregarious by nature and unsuited to leading solitary lives. That's the reason why we get on so well with them. From a dog's point of view we are the family pack; so whether it's one person or a large family he instinctively enjoys our company and any time we spend with him. Though dogs are pack animals they like the wolf cousins can adapt to spendingtime in their own company without severe psychological problems. Leaving dogs alone for long periods regularly of course is not satisfactory and is not commensurate with dog care and ownership.

For most well adjusted dogs, anxieties rarely develop to the point of problem behaviour. However, for some dog owners, leaving their beloved pet dog for even a short time can result in the most extraordinary behaviour and this is what I wish to explore. This anxiety can take many forms including barking, howling, self mutilation, excessively boisterous behaviour on return, destructiveness and even biting the owners prior to their leaving the house. All are related to stress and are collectively known as separation anxiety. During the consultation we establish the problem and can often relate the present anxiety to a known cause. We can then go through the process of changing the dogs routines and expectations and reduce or stop the anxiousness when left alone.