You can bond with your cat or dog better when you spend more time at home. They love the extra attention, and the tickles, treats, and hugs make your bond with them even stronger.
If your plan changes or you have a lot of events that keep you away from home a lot, your pet may get confused, sad, or nervous, which can make the whole family stressed. If your pet has already been used to a certain schedule, a sudden change may make them even more confused.
There are about 90 million dogs in the United States right now. Of those, 20 to 40 percent are taken to veterinary behaviour experts by their owners to treat dog separation anxiety. Also, keep in mind that cats can get anxious when they are left alone.
Dogs that show signs of separation anxiety
If your pet has separation anxiety, you might see changes in how it acts.
Using the toilet or urinating in the wrong place in the house that isn’t related to training a puppy or kitten
Barking or screaming for no reason
Chewing too much or doing other bad things in the house
“It can be hard to tell the difference between separation anxiety and boredom or wanting attention,” says Purina pet behaviour scientist Dr. Ragen McGowan, PhD. “So, you might want to set up pet cams in your home, ask your neighbours if they hear your pets after the family leaves for the day, or keep track of when you come home to messes.”
Training for Dogs with Separation Anxiety
Set up a routine
Routines are good for both people and pets. Your dog or cat will be less anxious when you leave and come back at the same time every day. This will help them get used to the changes they’re going through.
“Setting your pet up with a routine around when you leave is also important,” says Dr. McGowan. “There’s no need for long goodbyes. “Once everyone is ready to leave and walking out the door, give your pet something to do, like a chew toy filled with treats, and then just walk out the door,”.
Another way to calm down is to walk your dog or play an involved game with your cat before you leave for the day. Pets are usually ready for a nap after being active, which makes it easy for you to leave.
Encourage your family to be separate.
Depending on how your pet acts, you may need to separate them from you in order to keep them from getting separation anxiety in the future.
“Teach your pet that it’s okay to be alone sometimes.” “So, it’s good to practise these by making a fake wall around your home even when you’re there,” says Dr McGowan.
For some cats, this message can be sent by closing the door. For others, they may need to be put back in their crates or told to spend some time during the day in a calm, quiet area of the house.
Make plans to play and work out.
Set aside time every day for your cat or dog to play. “This is where the right way to treat comes in.” You need to reward people who behave well. “A little treat here and there during play time and some praise can go a long way.
By giving your pet regular cues and a pattern, you can teach them to know when to expect certain things to happen. This helps to ease the stress that comes with life not being reliable.
“It’s also important to plan some quiet time with your pet alone. This is when family members sit with their dogs or cats and pet them. Plus, this can help them bond even more and reward calm behaviour.
Make noise in the background
People who leave the TV on for their dogs or cats when they leave the house are sometimes called “crazy pet parents,” but it’s a good way to help them deal with separation anxiety.
You can keep them busy and interested by playing music, leaving the TV on, or even starting a story or podcast. Also, pets may feel less alone when they hear other people talking.
“Now there are even pet-specific channels like DOGTV with sounds or pictures that are meant to keep our dogs happy.
Pet Puzzles and Games That Will Keep Them Busy
Puzzle feeders are a great way to keep your pet mentally active and calm down. Every morning, put half of the amount of food they should eat each day into the puzzle feeder, and then every night, fill it back up. Your pet will be busy and entertained all day, which may help them feel less anxious.
You could also hide small amounts of dry dog food and leave them in bowls around the house.
Research scientist Dr. Annie, says, “Figure out how much you want to feed every day and then hide smaller amounts of it around the house.” Cats enjoy this hide-and-seek game a lot because it suits their natural hunting habits and keeps them busy all day.
“A lot of pet owners know how important it is for their pets to get physical exercise, but mental exercise is just as important.”The more we can do to keep our pets’ minds busy, the better.”
Stay calm and sure of yourself.
“Remember that our pets can read our hearts and feed off of our energy and body language,” says Dr. McGowan. “That’s why it’s important to stay calm and sure of yourself when saying goodbye to your pet.”
One way to help you do this is to say goodbye with lots of kisses and praise up to 20 to 30 minutes before you leave. At that point, you won’t feel bad about leaving because you’ll already have said goodbye.
If you have to leave quickly and don’t have time to take them for a walk or make a game for them to play while you’re gone, give them a treat as you leave. This will help them associate leaving with a good thing.
With these tips, you can help your cat or dog feel better when they are home alone and lessen their separation anxiety.