What Separation Anxiety and Dog Aggression Have In Common
Dogs are man's best friend for a reason. They deserve that title. Dogs are indeed man and woman best friend because of their loyalty and their dedication to their owners. Dogs can also be very helpful when it comes to release stress. It has been proved that dogs can help release stress and lower blood pressure. Some people who are fortunate enough to be able to take their dogs to work swear by this. Dogs can also be a lot of fun. There is nothing more enjoyable than playing with a young puppy, or playing hide and seek with your older dog. Unfortunately, not everything is color pink, dogs can also be destructive beings.
Many dog owners think that dogs misbehave because they go to work and the dogs have all the liberty to do everything they want at home. The truth of the matter is that dogs, misbehave because they are energetic beings, especially at a young age, and they need to burn all that energy that they carry with them. That is were exercise comes into place for your dog.
Due to the fact that dogs can or will misbehave when left alone at home, it is imperative that the owner realize that the dog needs activity. If the owner ignores these behavioral issues, they can eventually turn into more serious problems, which could include aggression and even anxiety. Aggression can be defined as dog to dog aggression or dog to human aggression.
Dogs that are aggressive do not necessary want to harm, sometimes they act aggressive because they are fearful. Other times dogs can show signs of aggression because they might have hormonal imbalances or other medical problems or are in pain. Dog behavior experts consider aggression as intent to harm. You can tell when a dog is acting aggressive just by looking at it. The dog barks excessively, howl and growl. He might even show you his teeth. In a dog that aggression is not controlled this behavior could lead the dog to harm somebody.
On the other side, another issue with dogs that can be very detrimental to the dog-owner relationship is anxiety. Anxiety in dogs can be a very difficult condition to treat. Many dogs these days suffer from separation anxiety. An owner knows when a dog suffer from separation anxiety when the dog, cause destruction to the house, including damage to the furniture, the rugs and even the walls.
Remember that dogs want care, love and affection and that their destructive manners should not be considered a way of the dog paying back the owner for being left alone at home for many hours. In addition, dogs who suffer from anxiety might have other reasons why they suffer from this condition, and do not always have to be associated with the owner leaving the dog alone. Other reasons for separation anxiety in dogs include abuse by prior owners, been scared of loud noises or even been removed from their mother to early as a puppy.
If dog aggression and anxiety do not get corrected early on, these two problems have the tendency to worsen and over time they will become a major headache for the dog owner.
A way to help a dog with separation anxiety is by training him. Dog training can, if applied early on, help dogs with these two problems and might be useful in preventing these two conditions from worsening down the road. Dog training might not be a magic solution but it might be beneficial. Remember that if training your dog does not help with these issues you might then consider going to the veterinarian and asking for some medications that could help controlling your dog.
Have a great "dog training" day,
Dr. Alfonso
