When we first got our dog, Libby, from the shelter, she had all kinds of issues. She was about one year old, and we have no idea what happened to her before we got her. But, she was extremely sweet and great with us (my sister and I were kids), so we didn’t hesitate to adopt her. But, the first time we left her alone at the house, things got a little weird. We returned from dinner to find Libby asleep in a pile of all our shoes that she had collected from throughout the house. Poor baby! Talk about abandonment issues. Once she knew that we would always come back, she got over it. However, if I had seen this post by Madeline Burry at the Pet Plus blog, I would have been able to help her through it a little better. Here are some tips for easing separation anxiety for dogs:
-Tire ’em out- go for a jog with your dog, or play tug of war. It will help them relax later when you leave
-Distract when you leave- give them a treat before you head out
-Hire a dog walker- they will love the extra attention during the day
-Provide tons of toys- to keep them occupied!