Helpful Tips For Easing Your Pet's Separation Anxiety!
Separation anxiety can be such a tough thing for our precious pets! They miss their very favorite person in the world (AKA, you) and who can blame them? To make sure our furry companions have the best experience that they can while us humans are out and about, we put together 5 tips to help ease your pet's separation anxiety.
1) Give your pet something to keep busy while everyone's out
Leave them a fun trail of treats to sniff and find, like a scavenger hunt! You could leave them a food puzzle, catnip, or go with the tried-and-true method, peanut butter inside a toy. Chances are they'll love the fun treat, and it will occupy their boredom while also keeping them distracted. Our SmartyKat Skitter Critter toys are the perfect enriching toy for your kitty. Occupying your pet is a great way of alleviating the anxiety they might feel when you are gone.
2) Leave behind an item with your scent
Sometimes the whiff of a familiar smell can soothe your sweet pet. Simply leave them with an unwashed t-shirt, frequently used blanket, or any other clothing item that carries your scent while you're out and about. This should help keep them calm and happy.
3) Exercise your dog before you go out
A proper amount of exercise can reduce stress drastically. A chill, worn-out doggo is more likely to remain calmer than a riled up pup when left alone. Take your dog for a nice run or jog before taking off, and their anxiety should be much lower while you're out.
4) Desensitize leaving signals for your pet
If your pet gets anxious when you begin to display you're leaving by putting on shoes or grabbing keys, normalize those things for them. Go about your regular departing activities but instead of actually leaving, stay. Practicing this strategy routinely can reduce stress around these events.
5) Keep your greetings to your pet relaxed
As painful as it might be, don't reward your pup with an over-excited greeting when you first get home if they're struggling with separation anxiety. Instead, wait until they are calm and relaxed to give them attention and greetings.
A Bed for Anxious Pups
Another potentially nice way to keep your dog's anxiety at bay while you're out is giving them a comfortable spot to be in, like a bed, blanket, or otherwise. One in particular known to alleviate anxiety in dogs is our Calming Cuddler Bed- dogs love to burrow, snuggle, and otherwise make themselves at home where they are sleeping, and the Calming Cuddler does a great job with that. Check it out!
We hope that you've learned some good tips for how to alleviate your dog's separation anxiety. Having their human out can be tough for a dog, so doing your best to help them deal with that stress is a great thing to do. Happy trails!
