separation anxiety

I get asked this question a lot....how do I stop my dog from digging holes?

Well it depends how bad they are as to whether you need to take action or not, but mostly your dog digging holes will come down to boredom and perhaps anxiety...separation anxiety to be exact. But this is not the case for all dogs digging holes! So don't stress just yet if your dog is digging away.

Trainer Nic deals a lot with separation anxiety in dogs. It is a very common issue and most dogs are actually experiencing anxiety without the owners realising it. Some of the symptoms are -

Your dog follows your everywhere, stuck to you like a piece of tape!

Your dog steals precious items that are personal to you or the household.

Your neighbours complain about your dog constantly whining and barking when you are not home.

Your dog bites or licks at itself constantly and causes problems with its skin and coat.

Mini Daschound – Hugo

There are so many dogs out there who suffer from separation anxiety.  Separation anxiety is a mental illness in our dogs.  Any dog, any age can get it and it can be in different levels as well.  Mild, medium, severe.  With many of the cases I work with in the charity I provide free behaviour work for, the dogs suffer from some level of separation anxiety.  The following can occur and are good signs as to what level the dog is suffering from.