Separation anxiety is very common in dogs, and many dog owners have many questions about this. You might ask, ‘what is separation anxiety?’ or ‘how to solve separation anxiety.’ Every dog is different, and solving separation anxiety will differ depending on the breed and your dog’s personality.
What is separation anxiety?
Many people don’t know what separation anxiety is. You can get a good sense of the meaning from the name, but there is much more to it. Separation anxiety in dogs is when your dog panics or gets anxious any time you leave. It is similar to separation anxiety in children. This is normal behavior for your dog first comes home and is still getting to know their surroundings. If this behavior continues after about a week, there might be something going on that you are not aware of.
Some of the symptoms that your Whoodle might have are separation anxiety are:
- Excessive Barking
- Extreme excitement to see you
- Whining when you walk away
- Destructive behavior (chewing, digging, etc.)
- Pacing
- Consistently getting out of their pen or the yard
Common causes of separation anxiety
There are a lot of different things that might be causing your Whoodle to have separation anxiety. Some things that might cause separation anxiety in Whoodles are:
- Being left alone frequently or for long periods of time: Wolves are pack animals and are with their pack 24/7, so when they are left alone, it is strange to them, and they could get anxiety. Wolves being the original ancestors of our lovable friends, this trait has been passed down through genetics.
- Strange environments: Bringing a new dog home can cause initial anxiety from the new and unfamiliar environment. It is normal for your dog to be a little anxious at the beginning of living with you. However, if this behavior continues, there might be something wrong.
- Depression: If your dog is depressed for any specific reason, this could also cause separation anxiety to develop.
- Anxiety: Your dog might also have some anxiety for a completely different reason causing them also to develop separation anxiety.
You can do things to cure or prevent separation anxiety from developing in your dog’s brain.
Why do Whoodles get separation anxiety?
All dog breeds are prone to separation anxiety, but some have a higher chance due to their genetics and personalities. Whoodles are more likely to struggle with separation anxiety because of their high pack drive.
Some dog breeds are more likely to develop separation anxiety, and Poodles are one of them. Poodles are a parent breed to the Whoodles, so they inherit that trait. Whoodles are an intelligent dog breed and can better understand what is going on around them and assess the situation. This makes it easier for anxiety to develop. They are social dogs and do well around people, so they aren’t used to being alone for long periods.
How to prevent or cure separation anxiety
You can do many things to prevent separation anxiety, and each technique will work differently depending on the person and the dog. Some things you can do to prevent separation anxiety in Whoodles are:
- Crate train: Many people make the mistake of skipping crate training. If you want your dog to sleep or stay in a crate when you are gone, you need to crate train them. If they aren’t crate trained, they won’t understand that it is time to sleep or settle down when they are in the crate. If you skip crate training and continue putting them in their crate when you leave, it will cause them to develop separation anxiety.
- Teach them to be alone: You can teach your dog to be alone for long periods by starting small. Crate training will help with this as well. You can start by leaving for a few minutes, then returning and letting them out. It is essential to let them out when you come back because if you don’t, they will associate their crate with time-out, and they won’t like to be in there. You can start going for more extended periods, and they will learn how to stay in their crate and be alright with being alone.
- Keep arrival and departure times predictable: If you keep your departure and arrival times consistent with a schedule, your dog will catch on to the schedule and adjust. If they are trained well, they will start to get sleepy when you are scheduled to be gone. This will make it easier for them to be alone.
- Exercise your dog: When you return from being gone for a long time, you should take them for a walk or exercise them. This will show them that being there for a long time is good because they get to exercise afterward.
Your Whoodle might already have developed separation anxiety, and you don’t know how to help them get through it. Here are some techniques to get rid of separation anxiety in Whoodles:
- Exercise before leaving: If you exercise your Whoodle before leaving them, it will make them tired, and they will go to sleep while you are gone instead of being bored.
- Give them a distraction: Giving them a distraction while you are gone is a great way to keep them from getting bored and even seeing that you are gone.
- Reward the Quiet: When you notice that your Whoodle is barking, as soon as you leave, wait until they get quiet or stop to take a breath, then reward them with a treat. Don’t let them out because they will learn that barking will get them out. Do a few rounds of this, then let them out to exercise. This will teach them that the crate is a good thing, and they will learn to be alright alone.
Many dog owners second guess their decision to get a dog solely because they have separation anxiety. This shouldn’t be the reason you don’t get a lovable creature like this to share your life with. Your dog can overcome these stumbles on the road. You will grow together and learn their personalities better. Check out our Whoodle puppies for sale to get your own lovable, furry friend.