5 Ways To Treat Your Pet’s Separation Anxiety

Many pets experience horrible moments of anxiety when their owners leave them alone, and many owners do not know how to treat this psychological disorder. Pets can show symptoms of anxiety in a variety of different types of ways including cowering in fear, clawing, biting, aggression, and loud barking in response to be separated from their owners.

Does your pet suffer from separation anxiety? If so, here are 5 ways to treat your pet’s separation anxiety.

1. Calming supplements

There are a variety of supplements that naturally treat anxieties in your pets. These supplements do not sedate your pet, but instead relax your pet’s mind when they begin to show signs of stress. These supplements work to make your pet relaxed and happy when you leave the house because of their two main ingredients: goji berries and chamomile. According to  HeadToTailDaily, these ingredients are herbal remedies proven to improve stress in your pet through calming their nerves.

2. Training

If your pet has extreme anxiety when you leave the house, training can be a possible solution for you and your pet to overcome their anxious actions. Crate training is one of the more common ways to train your dog if they have separation anxiety. American Kennel Club says that giving them a space to themselves where they cannot cause harm to others or themselves during their anxious periods will give them a way to calm down. It can also benefit your pet if you train your dog or cat that when you leave the house, you will come back. It will take time to train your pet to know this, but if they learn and adapt to you leaving and returning on a regular basis then their levels of anxiety when separated will drop.

3. Comfort

Making sure your pet is comfortable can help their separation anxiety. If your pet has a favorite stuffed animal, blanket, or a certain treat/food they like, your pet can become calmer if they are left with these things when you leave the house. If your pet is left with their favorite thing it can help distract them from your absence as well as comfort them and thereby lessen the likelihood of their anxiety spiking when left alone. SchoolForDogTrainers says that having your pet paired with something they enjoy, whether it be a toy or some food, will decrease levels of stress in your pet and your pet’s separation anxiety may be contained. Through finding something your pet enjoys, you can avoid distress in your pet when you leave the home.

4. Make sure your pet gets enough exercise

Exercising your pet before you go to leave the house will tire out your animal and lessen the likelihood of your dog or cat being severely affected by their separation anxiety. This can work best with dogs known to become violent and chew or destroy things within the house when their separation anxiety strikes.

5. Pheromone solutions

During increasingly anxious situations, using pheromones in your household can help your pet’s mind relax and they will be less likely to have extreme cases of separation anxiety. Pheromones mimic the type given off by a mother animal, so when your pet senses such a pheromone, it relaxes and relieves their anxiety naturally. According to DogAppeasingPheromone, pheromones can be used daily, even when the pet is not exhibiting anxious symptoms because it can overall calm your pet and decrease aggression or hyperactivity. Having a subtle pheromone in your home or a room where your pet frequents, you will find that your pet will be much calmer and relaxed if they are normally excitable or aggressive.

Do you have a pet that suffers from separation anxiety? How do you help calm his or her anxiety? Leave a comment and let us know!