Every time you leave the house it's a complete drama. Your dog howls with excessive intensity and that breaks your heart, in addition to not knowing what to do to improve the situation. Why do dogs howl when they are alone? That's a very common question that is answered with two words: separation anxiety.
Separation anxiety takes many forms, one of which is yelping or crying when left home alone. Your dog feels abandoned and his way of verbalizing it is by howling. However, if in your presence you give him the necessary attention, education, routine and exercise, losing his best human friend for a few hours will not be so unbearable.
The good news is that there are several techniques you can try to try to reduce and eliminate crying when left alone and make your dog a less attached and more independent animal. Continue reading this article on our site if your dog is a professional howler and you want to find the causes and solutions to this problem.
Dogs and routine
For dogs, routines are very important because they provide stability and security Establish reliable and firm routines for your dog's life. The hours of walking, the diet, your departure and arrival times, the night walks and the time to go to bed. If one day they don't do the morning or afternoon walk, more or less at the same time, nothing happens, however, try not to make this a constant.
Even your dog can suddenly start howling if there are any changes in his routine such as changes in diet, a new roommate, changes in your work schedule that change his walking times, etc. others. When this happens, give your dog time to adapt to the new dynamics, this could take a few weeks. Some newly arrived adult dogs may howl at first, when left alone, as they are getting used to their new home. It is important to highlight that changes are difficult for dogs and these generate anxiety and imbalance
False starts
On the one hand it will be essential to maintain clear and marked routines, especially for walking, eating and sleeping, however, we are going to make some small changes in your personal outings While you're in the process of rehab you'll have to make a lot of "false starts" before you leave for good. Follow this process in stages:
- Pretend to go out, open the door, but don't go out.
- Exit through the door and come back immediately.
- Go back out, wait 5 minutes and come back.
- Go back out, wait 10 minutes and come back.
- Go back out, wait 20 minutes and come back.
You must carry out this routine on a daily basis, spacing out your departure from home more and more. At first it may not work, but if we are persistent, in the long run he will believe that you will never leave home or that you will always come back and this will make him suffer less.
Exercise, the key to silence
On our site we always repeat it, exercise is the basis of a dog's daily life. A daily exercise intake of twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, will make your dog feel less bored, more cared for and less stressed.
If your dog howls too much, try giving him a long brisk walk every day before leaving the house to calm his anxiety and so that he is tired by the time you leave. He would rather sleep than howl desperately at the door Remember that exercising releases serotonin in your dog's brain, this will produce a relaxing feeling in him/her.
Electronic resources
Your dog is going to have to be left alone, that's a fact. However, so that he feels accompanied and doesn't burst into tears when you walk out the door, leave the radio or television onon before you leave home. This will give you a certain feeling that you are not completely alone. Preferably choose a channel where people are talking, do not leave heavy music like metal rock, because this can rather upset their nerves and achieve the opposite effect. You can also try relaxing music for dogs, one more way to help them calm down.
Toys of all kinds
A good way to stop your dog from barking and howling is to provide him with all kinds of toys including teethers or balls with Jingle Bell. However, the most recommended is the kong, which helps treat separation anxiety.
Ideally, you should leave a good number of toys within their reach, especially those that, like the kong, are relaxing and food dispensers. This will distract him every time he moves around the house, making him forget to howl.
Let's not make a drama
Don't make a drama every day. If you say goodbye to your dog as if it were the last time you will see him in his life, he will understand it that way. Dogs are sensitive and intelligent animals and they pick up all these messages. When it's time to leave, pick up your things and leave without long hugs or eternal kisses It's okay, just like you do with your family, say goodbye normally and walk out the door.
The same when you get home. Don't have a welcome party. Keep it low key and your dog will take it as a normal thing that there is no big fuss to make. He creates these dynamics and his anxiety will go down because he will see that the fact that you leave and come back is an everyday thing
Even if it's really hard for you, try to ignore any desperate attention seeking, like jumping around and running around like crazy. Wait for him to calm down (5 minutes) and reward him with love and affection but from a calm and assertive energy Take the opportunity to divert the state of anxiety with a short walk to do all the necessities that are needed.
