Analyzing Canine Separation Anxiety

The Pet Spa at Soap.Club, a leading supplier of premium quality natural pet shampoo, based out of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, is offering pet owners a detailed analysis on Separation Anxiety (SA) in dogs in an effort to promote awareness and stop the second most common reason dogs are euthanized or given up by their owners.

Jack Widmer, manager of The Pet Spa at Soap.Club, says, "Dogs are pack animals by nature and it is not natural for a dog to be alone for periods of time. Understanding dog behaviour will give a pet parent a better idea of how a dog instinctively thinks." SA is most frequently recognized by noticeable anxiety and stress upon departure of the owner, disruption and destruction when a dog is left alone, and by a wild jumping barking whirlwind of energy upon return of the owner. By identifying the situations that have been associated with development of separation anxiety pet owners can ease this very common dog mannerism.

Reasons / Causes

The number one cause of separation anxiety is a human’s lack of leadership. A dog must instinctually see his owner as the pack leader. In a pack, the leader is allowed to leave, but followers never do so. If a dog sees his owner as a follower and this follower leaves, it causes concern that something will happen to one of the pack members for which he is responsible. It can cause so much mental anguish that a dog often takes it out on his surroundings. To a lesser degree, separation anxiety can be the result of lack of exercise.

Symptoms

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) list some of the common symptoms of separation anxiety as; barking or howling, urination & defecation, escaping, chewing, digging & destruction, pacing, and over-excitement upon return of the owner. Medical problems such as incontinence should be ruled out first with a ‘check-up’ trip to the family veterinarian.

Treatment

It is the job of the pet owner to make this unnatural situation less stressful to the animal. According to Widmer, “Many pet owners make the mistake of treating a dog as if it’s human, all it takes is a change in approach on the part of the human to ease separation anxiety.” He continues, “Behaviour modification such as changing a dog’s association with the human’s departure and gradual acclimation to being alone for longer periods of absence have proven to be the best remedies.” Many dog lovers have found that regular bathing with a natural pet shampoo eliminates skin irritations resulting in one less agitation to the dog while alone. “A regular pet bathing regime is a good preventative measure to ensure an animal’s continual good health by removing foreign toxins that they can pick-up on their coat and fur.” The Pet Spa Hypoallergenic Pet Shampoo and Conditioner is scentless and contains no artificial chemicals, this tends to have a calming, relaxing affect when used on your loyal companion,” says Widmer. “Making it a logical addition to any Pet Health Management System,” he says.

There are a number of helpful training tools pertaining to separation anxiety available online, and pet owners should consider investing in a dog behaviour guide to teach them how to better understand their best friend.

Those interested in learning more of the health benefits of natural hypoallergenic pet products can visit Soap.Club online. The Pet Spa natural dog shampoo is currently available on Amazon, where it has attracted a significant level of positive reviews from customers hailing its effectiveness.