Can I not even get 5 minutes to go to the toilet !!!

Doreen Potter Author

When you dog or puppy follows you everywhere

You know that feeling,

You just pop to the loo and your dog or puppy is crying outside the door.

You just want 5 minutes to yourself.

It is frustrating, and upsetting not just for you but for your dog or puppy too.

No one wants to hear the anxious cries of their pet, maybe they are in a real panic because you have left them.

I know it was only for 5 minutes, but for your dog a minute can seem like a lifetime.

You talk to your friends and get lots of well meaning advice.

But

Some of that advice may do more harm than good.

•  "just let them cry"
• "you must be spoiling them, they need to know who is the boss"
• "Put them in their crate, they will be fine"

If your dog has separation anxiety, this advice could make it 100x worse.

Separation anxiety is a fear of being alone, so imagine if you had a fear of spiders, and someone made you face your fear several times a day, how would you feel ?

Would you be less fearful of spiders? even if they look as cute as this one :) 

So how can you help your dog or puppy?

By teaching them that it is safe to be alone.

A really simple way to do this is by a step by step training plan.

Gradually desensitising your puppy.

This process is used for humans too. but humans can give their consent. 

What do I mean by that ? 

Therapist- I am going to show you a spider, is that OK ?

Human - Yes that's ok, as long as I don't have to touch it, and it is 6 feet away, and it is in a box.

Therapist - Yes we will only go at the pace that you feel safe in. Just tell me and we will stop.

See, we can have a conversation, and understand each other. Explain exactly what is going to happen, and the human gives their consent to go ahead.

We cannot do this with our dogs or puppies.

So we have to always think that we don't push our dogs to feel scared.

They will communicate how stressed they feel,

• Nose lick
• yawn when not tired
• panting
• shake off
• drooling
• whimpering
• paw lift

These can be subtle signs that your dog or puppy is feeling stress.

Free for you.

Does your dog or puppy follow you everywhere ?

You don't even get a minute to pop to the loo !!! 

There is a step by step simple to follow training programme that you can download for free by clicking this link. 

Categories: Separation Anxiety