Severe Separation Anxiety In Rescue Dogs

Separation anxiety is a serious problem of unhappy dogs often resulting in the dog being rehomed or if a rescue returned.

Severe separation anxiety in rescue dogs. Some dogs with separation anxiety chew on objects door frames or window sills dig at doors and doorways or destroy household objects when left alone or separated from their guardians. This may lead to the dog being surrendered again. The fact that rescue dogs have separation anxiety is a known fact among shelter workers. If the rescue dog has been neglected he may not be used to having a loving owner and thus could grow to be overly emotionally attached to the owner and become very anxious when he leaves.

Many dog owners adopt a dog from a shelter and come to notice the signs of separation anxiety but do not know how to deal with them. It s more than a little whining when you leave or a bit of mischief while you re. They sometimes resort to self mutilation when left alone. According the aspca because far more dogs who have been adopted from shelters have this behavioral problem than those kept by a single family since puppyhood it is believed that loss of an important person or group of people in a dog s life can lead to separation anxiety.

What are the signs. The key is to teach them that these signals do not mean you re leaving. Separation anxiety happens when a dog that s hyper attached to their owner gets super stressed when left alone. These behaviors can result in self injury such as broken teeth cut and scraped paws and damaged nails.

A dog with separation. Separation anxiety is a serious condition. Separation anxiety in rescue dogs can be triggered after experiencing a lifetime of being neglected abandoned or worst case scenario abused. Dogs suffering from the more severe forms may salivate pace bark howl and or urinate and defecate in panic.

Before you assume your dog has separation anxiety consider all of your dog s behaviors. As in humans many rescue dogs experience separation anxiety too. In other words your dog begins to fear you grabbing the keys just as much as you being gone. Separation anxiety ranks high as a reason for relinquishment.

You have to desensitize them to these behaviors. Separation anxiety is a psychological disorder that manifests in excessive barking whining or crying chewing digging urination defecation and other destructive behavior that is accompanied by excessive panting and drooling when the dog is left alone. For a dog with separation anxiety these signals eventually become the triggers of the anxiety itself.