With many countries slowly opening up, we are going back to our “normal” life little by little. But wait, this might not be that “normal” anymore to your pets. For many weeks even months, we’ve been staying at home most of the time, spending lots of time with our pets, that is the new “normal” for them. That’s the way life _should_ be. Now all of sudden you are taking this “normal” away. That might throw them into an instability psychology.
Some experts have already waned about the possibility of certain dogs developing separation anxiety when you go back out to work again. Well, I’m not a dog expert. There are tons of resources available about how to deal with and stop the depuration anxiety in dogs.
What I do know, is how your own energy plays in this. Ask yourself, do YOU have separation anxiety? What is your energy before you leave the house? What are you saying to yourself? Worried? You might say, Oh I’m just worried about my dog being anxious. – Well, no matter what exactly you are worried about, that worrisome is the same energy. Your dog will not know what exactly you are worrying about. He just knows, you are feeling this “worry”. And guess what, he’ll be worried too. And why is that every time before you leave the house, he can sense this worry in you? Wow, it must be a very bad thing that you are now leaving the house!
Then, when you come back home, how do you feel? What are you saying to yourself, and to your dog? Exited? – Oh my God! I’m back! Good boy! Wow! … What does that create in your dog? Excitement or course! Now, for your dog, it’s such a big deal that you are back from outside. It must be a life and death situation out there. That’s why you are so excited that you are back home alive!
When this repeats every day, that trains the brain of your dog – Your leaving the house is a terrible thing, you might not even come back any more. Who knows! You will have to fight against all odds to be able to survive out there and make it back home!
Stop the separation anxiety in your dog, Start from yourself. Give out the peaceful calm energy before you leave house as well as when you come back.
Try to practice from today!