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separation anxiety

What Causes Separation Anxiety In Dogs?

Dogs are social animals that form strong emotional bonds with their families. While some pups handle alone time well, others struggle with separation anxiety, leading to behaviors like excessive barking, destructive chewing, or frantic attempts to escape. But what exactly causes this distress? Separation anxiety can develop due to past trauma, lack of early socialization, sudden routine changes, or even genetics. Some dogs are naturally more prone to anxiety, while others may develop it after experiencing a major life shift, … Read more

5 Ways To Raise A Confident Dog

As unforgettably portrayed to American audiences in the classic movie, Home Alone, waking up to find that you are on your own can be entirely thrilling at times and utterly terrifying at others. Just like little Kevin in the movie, our fur babies tend to fall in one of two camps. They either grab the independent life by the horns, digging in the trash cans, chewing up the couch, and sleeping on our pillows or they take cover, burying themselves … Read more

How To Help Your Dog Overcome His Separation Anxiety

Does the sound of you picking up your car keys make your dog quake in fear? Have you gotten complaints from your neighbors that your dog barks nonstop every time you leave your house? Do you often come home to destruction, especially around doors and windows? Your dog may be suffering from separation anxiety. This problem can be debilitating for your dog and frustrating for you. Helping your dog overcome separation anxiety isn’t easy, but it is possible. Symptoms of … Read more

How To Help Your Dog Cope With Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety in dogs is one of the worst behavioral issues. Dogs suffering from it can be extremely destructive – not only ruining your home, but harming themselves. I’ve heard of dogs eating through walls and jumping out second story windows that were closed. Why Dogs Suffer From Separation Anxiety So far, canine behaviorists have not been able to identify why some dogs develop separation anxiety. It could be genetic, but anecdotal evidence suggests it’s caused by environmental factors. Dogs … Read more

A Cat Person (And Cats) Gave An Abandoned Pittie Confidence Again

The founder of Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary in Wisconsin, Elizabeth Feldhausen always considered herself a “cat person.” At home she had four cats and a cockatiel, but never a dog. She also grew up with no human siblings but plenty of cats. Even her very first word was “kitty.” After having personal experience with a disabled cat, Feldhausen saw a need for a specialty rescue in her area. Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary is a cage-free rescue and rehabilitation facility for cats with … Read more

9 Ways To Get Your Dog Ready For Your Return To Work

Humans have been having a tough time staying home, keeping their distance from others, and managing work and homeschooling responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay-at-home orders have been perfect for some family members, though. Dogs around the world have enjoyed spending tons of time with their humans. Now that we are transitioning back to work and school, we need to prepare our dogs for this new normal. Your Dog is Used to Having You Around For the last few months, … Read more

How Hemp Oil Can Help Your Dog’s Separation Stress

When you come home to find your perfectly house trained dog left you a stinky surprise (or two) on the carpet along with the remains of a couch cushion, expensive shoe, or maybe the TV remote, there’s a good chance they have separation stress. If the neighbors complain of your dog’s constant barking and whining when you’re not home, that’s another sign your dog has separation stress. And if you worry about your dog jumping through a screened window, chewing … Read more

5 Reasons Hemp Oil For Dogs Is Exploding In Popularity

It’s a dog owner’s priority to safeguard the well-being of their pets, and a new player in the world of veterinary science is opening all-natural doors of opportunity. Hemp oil from hemp is the medicinal herb dog owners are talking about. The benefits of Hemp oil are reaching more dogs every day. Here are a few reasons why dog owners are choosing it for their pets. Related: 10 Best Dog Doors 1. It’s Nontoxic and Not Psychoactive The first concern … Read more

How Long Is It OK To Leave My Dog Home Alone?

Even though more and more stores, restaurants, and workplaces are becoming dog-friendly, sometimes leaving your dog home alone is unavoidable. How long is it OK to leave your dog home alone for? There is actually no easy answer. It depends on a lot of factors such as your dog’s age, breed, health, and whether or not he has separation anxiety. Puppies In general, puppies need to pee one hour for every month of their age. That means your two-month-old puppy … Read more

Is Your Dog’s Anxiety Causing His Health Problems?

You’ve probably felt some negative physical effects from stress or anxiety in your life. You start to have stomach problems or headaches; maybe you start chewing on your nails. Could your dog’s anxiety be causing some of his chronic health problems the same way stress and anxiety cause you to suffer from health problems? Dogs aren’t all that different from humans in the way that they process stress. And just like us, many of their health problems can be tied … Read more

5 Tips For Calming Your Anxious Senior Dog While You’re Away

Separation anxiety is common in dogs, and can develop or worsen as they age. Pup parents may be especially surprised if their once-calm companion starts stressing out in their senior years, even if they never seemed to have a problem before. Related: The 10 Best Calming Supplements for Dogs Older dogs may become more dependent on their owners as their joints stiffen and their senses start to dull, leading to nervousness while they’re all alone. They may also become more … Read more

Rescue Dog With Separation Anxiety Gets Her Very Own “Therapy Kitten”

In the Spring of 2014, a college student living in Miami walked into a shelter to see a scared, skinny dog with a serious skin condition. For Samantha Kreisler, their connection was immediate. Despite being discouraged by shelter staff, she knew she couldn’t go home without the lonely pup who needed her.   “Lady was actually named Lucy by the shelter. When I got her, her skin on her back legs was so bad and infected, we called her ‘Lady … Read more

How To Help Your Anxious Pup Banish The Holiday Blues

Dogs depend on a reliable routine in order to feel secure. Unfortunately, chaos tends to rule when the holidays roll around, leaving many pups feeling anxious and confused. We spend our spare seasonal hours cooking, cleaning, entertaining guests, wrapping gifts and decorating the home with strange objects (including a baffling indoor tree). All that holiday hullabaloo is enough to put any pooch into an emotional tailspin! Unfortunately, with the extra demands on our time, it can be easy to overlook … Read more

5 Signs Your Dog Has Separation Anxiety

You’ve probably heard the term “separation anxiety” before, but what does that really mean? Could your dog be suffering from separation anxiety? What are some of the factors that may lead dogs to develop it? Separation anxiety is the result of dogs becoming upset over their humans leaving them home alone. Severe separation anxiety can cause dogs to try to escape, leading to potentially serious injuries to your dog, not to mention destruction of your home. Some of the life … Read more

Your Dog And Separation Anxiety: What You Can Do To Help

Most dogs don’t like being left home alone, but sometimes they make leaving the house unbearable for their humans – but what’s even worse is knowing that they’re suffering. Luckily, there are things we can do to help. We at iHeartDogs asked Dr. Michel Selmer, DVM, CTCVMP, about some ways to help out pups with separation anxiety. Also known as “The Caring Vet,” Dr. Selmer is a Certified Veterinary Food Therapist (CVFT) who uses principles from Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) … Read more

This Unique & Powerful Scent Can Calm Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety

Somewhere between 10 and 40 percent of dogs suffer from some degree of separation anxiety. If you’re the owner of one of these dogs, you understand how heartbreaking  and frustrating it can be to try to keep your dog calm when you leave the house. Even if you’re at home most of the time, you have to leave the house occasionally to run errands and socialize, and you don’t want your fur child panicking and possibly hurting themselves or destroying your house in … Read more

Does Your Dog Have Separation Anxiety–Or Is She Just Clingy?

When your dog is your best friend, you can’t help but smile when they follow you from room to room. They sit as close to you as possible when you’re watching TV, they lay at your feet when you’re making dinner, and they sleep in your bed at night. You’re basically attached at the hip, but when does that need to be near you take an unwanted turn? Separation anxiety is a serious problem for many dogs, but it’s not … Read more

4 Ways To Reduce Anxiety In Your Dog While You’re Away

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This article is brought to you by the wonderful folks at Wag! The Dog Walking App  One of the most stressful aspects of dog ownership is ensuring that they stay happy and healthy during the times you cannot be together. Whether you are saddled with a demanding work schedule, planning a vacation, or dealing with an unexpected emergency, you want to know that your dog is safe and content in your absence. Many dogs experience some level of separation anxiety … Read more

My dog has high anxiety when I leave…what causes it and what should I do?

  Anxiety is one of the single most common behavior problem pup parents enquire about. Why does my dog cry/bark/dig/pace/house soil/destroy property when I leave her home alone? Separation anxiety in dogs can manifest itself in many different ways, from mildly inconvenient behaviors to activities that threaten their very health and safety. Luckily, there are answers to your questions and resources to help your pup through this frightening and frustrating issue! We sat down with one of our favorite pet … Read more

Your Great Dane’s Chronic Skin Condition Could Indicate A Mental Health Issue

  As big and menacing as they may look, Great Danes tend to be Nervous Nellies on the inside. These gentle giants are prone to separation anxiety and obsessive behaviors like licking and chewing at their skin. For this reason, Danes are one of the most common breeds that can have acral lick granulomas – chronic, self-inflicted areas of hair loss and reddened skin. Lick granulomas are different from hot spots in that they persist even after treatment for the original … Read more

7 Natural Ingredients Known To Help Calm Anxious Dogs

We all deal with stress from time to time, and our pets are no different. While some dogs are more anxious than others, most dogs will have at least one thing that causes them stress, whether it’s a trip to the vet, fireworks, or moving to a new house. There are medications that can help, but you might want to start with something a little milder first. Here are 6 natural ingredients known to help calm anxious dogs. (As always, consult … Read more

This Dog Takes Making A Mess To A New Extreme

At some point in almost every dog owner’s life, we feel betrayed when our beloved pups decide to destroy something of monetary or emotional value. But when we look into those big, love-filled eyes, we find it in our hearts to forgive them–eventually. Your pooch may have chewed your favorite pair of designer shoes or a lovely leather couch, and that must’ve been terrible. However, no matter what your dog may have done, chances are, it paled in comparison compared to this. When one … Read more