Some types of love destroy everything: the anxiety of dogs

When a pet steps into its new home for the first time, it becomes the centre of attention of the whole family. It receives cuddles, hugs, food, and company,… all that one could hope for in a dog’s world. In this situation, it is not strange for the owner to become the pet's most valuable object. “¡“John is great!”” –thinks Brutus. “He scratches the back of my ears, he plays with me, he takes me out for a walk when I need to pee, we run in the park, he feeds me, he brushes me every day.… ¿What more could I wish for?” It doesn't even cross Brutus' mind that his beloved John has his own business to attend to and that there are some specific hours where he must leave the house during the day.

When John crosses the door and disappears, drama starts: wailing, howling, scratching the doors, ripping up slippers...… So when John comes back home and finds that it has turned into a battlefield, he is so angry that the only thing he can think of is to reprimand his loyal friend.

This situation we have just described is called separation anxiety and it is due to the excessive attachment of the animal towards its owner. Although it requires a little patience, this behaviour can be controlled. It consists in getting the animal used to staying alone progressively. First, you must approach the door, put your coat on, take the keys, etc. Then you have to repeat these steps and open the door without leaving. Then you must go out, but do not close the door. The following step consists of repeating the previous steps and closing the door for a few seconds. When the dog tolerates this absence for seconds, you must increase the length of time, but very slowly.

Affection is great and absolutely necessary, but if we do not wish this type of passionate love to destroy our house, and ruin our cohabitation in the long term, it is best to have it well channelled.