{"id":1259,"date":"2017-09-03T10:58:33","date_gmt":"2017-09-03T10:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aercmn.com\/?p=1259"},"modified":"2017-09-03T10:58:33","modified_gmt":"2017-09-03T10:58:33","slug":"back-to-school-part-ii-separation-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aercmn.com\/blog\/back-to-school-part-ii-separation-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to School Part II: Separation Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"\/blog\/back-to-school-part-i-pet-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click here<\/a>\u00a0to read about back-to-school dangers for pets in Part I!<\/p>\n<p>What do Clifford, Lassie, and Skippyjon Jones have in common?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1263 alignright\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/76_4138365-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/>They all went to school for a grand adventure.\u00a0\u00a0While we\u2019d all like to bring our dogs to school with us, for some reason the teachers frown upon it. Whether you got a new puppy over the summer that hasn\u2019t had to be alone at all, or are heading back to school after a summer filled with extra fun with your dog, they may be a little lonely when their routine changes. This could lead to barking or whining, digging, chewing, or even potty accidents in the house.<\/p>\n<p>The following are some ways to help ease your dog into the transition:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Provide extra stimulation<\/strong>\u00a0while everyone is at work or school. There are many chew toys on the market that are safe for your dog to play with unattended. My favorite is a Kong filled with frozen peanut butter or easy cheese. Avoid any toys or bones that could be destroyed and ingested, or have pieces broken off and swallowed. Some dogs like to watch TV or even listen to music (my dog would only listen to smooth jazz!)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practice!<\/strong>\u00a0Start by leaving your dog for short periods of time, and gradually increase the time you are gone. Don\u2019t make a big deal of saying goodbye or hello as you depart and return. If it\u2019s no big deal to you, they\u2019ll think less of it, too.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Develop an exercise routine now.<\/strong>\u00a0If your pet is getting enough exercise and stimulation while you are home, they are more likely to rest while you are gone. Consider adding walks or training sessions in (even for your senior dogs &#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"\/blog\/the-senior-class-enriching-the-lives-of-our-silver-muzzled-dogs-pt-i\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">they CAN learn new tricks<\/a>!).<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1264 alignright\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/385_2994674-300x233.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"233\" \/>Consider\u00a0<strong>confining your dog to a kennel or single room<\/strong>\u00a0in the house. That makes it easier to dog-proof the house, and less likely for your dog to get into an unsafe situation while you are gone. Even when confined, plenty of fresh water should be available at all times.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Symptoms<\/strong>\u00a0of separation anxiety include excessive vocalization, soiling, digging, chewing, pacing, or escaping. Don\u2019t hesitate to talk to your veterinarian for training tips. Sometimes, after a good physical exam, medications are used to help your pet stay calm, and assist in training.<\/p>\n<p>We hope the school year goes well for your human kiddos and that your fur babies enjoy plenty of evening and weekend fun with the family!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Click here\u00a0to read about back-to-school dangers for pets in Part I! What do Clifford, Lassie, and Skippyjon Jones have in common? They all went to school for a grand adventure.\u00a0\u00a0While we\u2019d all like to bring our dogs to school with us, for some reason the teachers frown upon it. Whether you got a new puppy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Back to School Part II: Separation Anxiety | Animal Emergency &amp; Referal Center of Minnesota<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aercmn.com\/blog\/back-to-school-part-ii-separation-anxiety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Back to School Part II: Separation Anxiety | Animal Emergency &amp; Referal Center of Minnesota\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Click here\u00a0to read about back-to-school dangers for pets in Part I! 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