As I discussed in The West’s Habitat section on Friday, 7 November, the second most common problem in dogs is Separation anxiety or Separation-related behaviour. I have termed it the ‘Velcro dog‘.
Dogs seek safety in numbers and to keep their people close, but they also have to learn to tolerate being left alone, preferably in early life. If this opportunity has been missed and you have a ‘Velcro’ dog on your hands, building independence is the key.
This involves toying with your dog’s motivation through combining a favourite treat with a problem-solving exercise eg. place a treat inside a squished up toilet roll and tie it to furniture for your dog to discover. Build this exercise into a treasure hunt throughout your home and/or backyard until your dog spends increasingly longer periods of time searching for tasty morsels and less time watching your every move.
For some dogs separation anxiety is the cause of regular trauma and addressing this promptly is key to maintaining your dogs’ welfare. Veterinary behaviourists can help.