Dogs who at first seem exceptionally excited to see their humans are often in the early stages of developing a full-blown case of separation anxiety. Behaviours to watch for in a dog include:

• needs to be within a few feet of guardian at all times
• gives a frenzied greeting every time they come home, whether they have been gone 5 days or 5 minutes
• mood changes noticeably as guardian prepares to leave the house
• engages in behaviours while alone that he/she does not normally do

The dog is likely to be exhibiting one or more of the following inappropriate coping behaviours in the guardian’s absence: vocalizing, drooling, and accidents in the house, destructive behaviour, and/or pacing.

Diagnosis

There are 2 types of anxiety in dogs, behavioural and situational.

• Behavioural anxiety is when a dog has ongoing anxiety about something.
• Separation anxiety is an example of behavioural anxiety. It is the most common anxiety in dogs. It will most likely be diagnosed as a result of the guardian observing their dog’s behaviour.

It is worth consulting a veterinarian as occasionally what may appear to be a behaviour problem is actually a medical issue such as incontinence or taking medications that can cause frequent urination and defecating.

Treatment may be medical, may be through behavioral training, may use herbs and oils and more often than not. A combination of several elements.

The first step as with when walking a dog that gets too excited is to make sure picking up keys, a jacket, a lead etc, does not always mean you are going out.

Pick things up and move them. Pick them up and put them down, carry them around. The will condition the animal into not associating one action with another and help to reduce the excitement or anxiety.

The second step, is gradual separation.

• Start with going to the door and then sitting down
• Going to the door, opening it, closing it and then sitting down.
• Opening the door, going out, coming straight back in and sitting down.
• Going out for 1 minute, then 2, then 3, then 4, then 5 and so on.

Each step may take days or weeks. But it will help the dog to realise, your leaving means you are coming back, and they have nothing to worry about.

One helpful action might be seeking the advice of an expert. My massage services can help calm and reassure your animals, and my healing skills could help locate areas of physical and emotional concern – and make suggestions that could help.