Back-to-School Tips for Families with Dogs, Part I
As kids head back to school, Bark Busters offers suggestions to help families avoid behavior problems with their dogs that often accompany this time of transition. By providing training and the right combination of food, shelter and entertainment, families can help their canine companions adapt to a new schedule.
When children return to school, the stress on every family member can be huge--including the family dog. This abrupt change in routine can seriously affect our canine companions, who are creatures of habit. But with a little understanding and preparation before the first day of class, families can avoid many of the back-to-school behavior problems their dogs might exhibit.
Part I: Separation Anxiety
With parents at work and no children to play with during the day, dogs left alone can become stressed, often resulting in destructive behaviors and endless barking. Following these guidelines can help reduce the potential stress of separation and help return dogs to normal in a few weeks.
Start early: At least a week before your children go back to school, get your dog used to being alone. Begin by separating your dog from the kids and the rest of the family. For example, if you frequently take your dog with you to the store, leave him at home.
Pay less attention to him: Dogs may be the center of attention when the children are home. You need to change this scenario before the children return to school so that your family dog can adjust more quickly to the quiet time. Pay less attention to your dog for increasing amounts of time about a week before school and extend the amount during the days that follow.
When you leave: As you and the family leave your home, don’t confuse your dog by saying in a sweet voice, “Don’t worry--we’ll be home soon. Be a good boy.” If he is feeling concerned that you are leaving, your happy, high-pitched voice can make him think it’s okay to feel this way. Dogs are pack animals and, as such, they expect their leaders to be strong when they leave the pack. Therefore, ignore your dog for about 10 minutes before you leave.
--Carol Wood, Bark Busters
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Carol Wood is a dog behavioral therapist and trainer for Bark Busters Home Dog Training and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.
mike d on August 19, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Awesome pic of the doggie with paws up on the fence. Look deep into his/her eyes...if that's not a human in a dog outfit I'll eat a bug.
Koblog on August 19, 2008 at 01:25 PM
My adopted yellow lab mix suffers separation anxiety so badly that we have to sedate him regularly.
He's also deathly afraid of thunder, fireworks and subwoofers.
And it's getting worse: he's now taken to waking from a deep sleep and going into a full panic mode over nothing at all at any hour of the night or day.
Even when calm, he has dug some twenty holes in the yard to lay in and won't even look at the dog house I got him.
Without sedation, he destroys the yard (he's dug under or chewed through wooden gates and fencing to escape) and the house (he's torn through the under-house wire vents and escaped) or jumps over 6-foot walls and roams the neighborhood until taken in by helpful neighbors. I've added many courses of cinder block to the walls to raise their height...to no avail. And forget about leaving him inside the house: he's eaten molding around the doors and the mullions of our French doors and destroyed almost every screen on every window trying to get out.
He's simply a hobo and wants to roam. He really belongs on a ranch. Before the wife got a job and left him alone, he was the perfect dog.
Once they attach, I don't know if it's possible to have them go back to being alone.
A vet friend suggested to put him on Xanax.
JohnBoy on August 19, 2008 at 01:53 PM
Koblog,
Dogs are pack animals. Get him a companion dog. He will most likely calm down if he has a friend to romp around with in the back yard.
JRB on August 19, 2008 at 03:11 PM
Koblog:
The only problem with getting a troublesome dog a companion is that he may teach his bad habits to the new dog. Now you've got twice the trouble.
You'd be better off getting the dog some serious exercise... long runs, swimming, etc.,... before leaving him alone.n I ride my bike, and my shepherd runs beside me (on leash, of course.) Start with small distances, build it up slowly.
The other thing you should give serious consideration to is a crate. Once trained to accept being in the crate, dogs often come to enjoy being in one. It's a safe place, where they know they can't get hurt.
Xanax would be my last resort.
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Dogs are pack animals. Get him a companion dog. He will most likely calm down if he has a friend to romp around with in the back yard.
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