She’s Sharing 3 Things She’s Doing To Prevent Separation Anxiety With Her Puppy
Separation anxiety is one of the most challenging things to curb when you first get a new puppy. Of course, you want to ensure your puppy is adjusting to their new home, so you’ll want to spend all your time making them as comfortable as possible.
No one wants their sweet little pup feeling scared. However, you don’t want to reinforce that behavior and end up in a position where every time your puppy cries, you go and comfort them.
It just makes the problem even worse in the long run. Luckily, there’s plenty you can do to avoid separation anxiety.
TikToker Julia Zygmunt (@vigothetoller) is a dog mom to her eleven-week-old puppy named Vigo. And here are three things she’s doing to prevent separation anxiety with Vigo.
First, you must obtain the right tools, such as a crate for a pup to sleep in and a large playpen. The pen was not only an effective way to keep Vigo from getting into things around the house, but it also forced him to practice having his own space every day.
Puppies tend to follow you around the house wherever you go. Whether you’re heading to the bathroom or the kitchen, your furry friend will probably be right at your feet.
Keeping your puppy in a designated area prohibits them from trailing you throughout the house and becoming stuck to you all day, every day.
Next, Julia discusses what she refers to as “micro-training moments.” For example, if Vigo cries when Julia is doing her makeup in the living room, Julia will go into the bathroom until he stops.
Then, she returns to the living room and continues her makeup routine. This basically tells Vigo that when he cries, Julia will disappear, and when he’s calm and relaxed, she will come back.
azurita – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual puppy
Here’s another method Julia practices during a situation that most puppy owners are no doubt familiar with. Sometimes, Vigo gets into a mood where he barks and cries continuously.
So whenever Vigo would get into one of these moods, Julia would stand up and take a step away from him. If he were quiet, she would step toward him.
And lastly, this is what Julia calls “milestone moments.” These were moments when Julia and her husband picked a time to leave Vigo home alone. Again, it reinforces the idea that when they leave, they will come back.
At first, they left the house for twenty minutes. When they returned, Vigo was still fast asleep in his crate. The next time they left the house, they went out to dinner for a few hours.
Getting to a space where your dog does not have separation anxiety requires diligence and performing the difficult act of leaving, even when you’d rather be cuddling up with your pup.
But just remember, doing the hard thing now will benefit both you and your pet later on!
@vigothetoller Three things we’re doing to prevent separation anxiety in our 11-week old puppy #puppytips #separationanxiety #puppytrainingtips #newpuppytips #separationanxietytips #puppytips101
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More About:Animals