About Dog Separation Anxiety
Free from Fear
Fear relates to a known/understood treat, whereas anxiety follows from an unknow, expected or poorly defined threat.
(American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th edition. Washington DC;2013
Lets say, You walk home in the middle the night and have a dark path. You feel anxious " Go there or not, it is quite dark"
Then You decide "I go, nothing will happen" but your body is tense, breath quicker, eyes are everywhere.
Suddenly, a man jumps out and shouts at you. You feel frighten, fearful. Your body shakes, can't catch the air and You panic.
It is similar what dog experience when they are alone. We can't say if it is a fear or anxiety ( it can be both) but the body language and observation can tell Us " I don't feel safe, comfortable"
Dogs process those emotions as We, but showing them differently.
Separation Anxiety can be incredibly challenging for dog owners. Sometimes it can make you feel hopeless, frustrated and lost but it doesn’t have to be like that.
There are tools ready to use to make it better for everyone. The biggest challenge is the Patience.
Dogs always communicate with us by behaviour and we just need to understand that and help them to improve it.
It’s easy to misunderstand when they’re barking and we think “oh they’ll be fine, nothing to worry about he/she is safe at home” but this is often your dog’s way of saying to you “I am not OK on my own”.
