A dog is a very social animal that likes to be in company, so it may not be so easy for you to leave it alone at home. Depending on the breed and how the animal has been raised, separation can be very easy or, on the contrary, be a total failure so that our dog experiences separation anxiety or some other illness or feeling.
On the other hand, you have to take safety into account when leaving your dog alone, because it is not so worrying that it can break a piece of furniture or bite a cushion, instead it could take some toxic product or some medicine and you find it seriously ill when you get home or even dead.
These tips for leaving only one dog at home can help you with your worries and also help you with the separation process.
Safety tips
Always check that you leave all the doors and windows closed, so that you prevent your dog from escaping, getting lost or even not appearing again.
Leave covered or closed the areas where there is water. For example, the toilet should always be covered, or with the bathroom door closed to prevent our dog from trying to drink water from there or from playing with it. If you have a pool or some type of fountain, make sure that the fence is well closed and that the access door is also blocked.
Never leave any type of cable in sight. For example, it is usual to disconnect our mobile from the charger but leave it out there still connected to the current. Well, this simple fact can be deadly for our dog, since they can bite the cable and be electrocuted.
Medications and toxic products must always be well stored and that our dear friend cannot have access to them to prevent them from ingesting them and ending up sick or dead.
If your dog is one of those who pick up things at home, never leave small things that they can reach, play with and choke on.
Finally, the garbage can is a huge temptation for dogs, it is not known why, but it is so, so you must leave it out of their reach to prevent it from ingesting any type of food that is harmful or toxic to it.
Tips for leaving only one dog at home
It is important that, even if it comes naturally to you, you do not greet your dog when you arrive or say goodbye to him when you leave, because the dog will associate the farewell with separation anxiety, and with your arrival he will be very excited, so he will only you should greet him if he is happy but calm. In this way he will realize that the moment of leaving and separation is something normal and that his owner will always return to him.
Before leaving home, take him out for a walk let him relieve himself and expend energy, so that he stays calm afterwards and is less likely to be nervous and destroy objects in the house.
Never leave your dear friend locked up in a cage or kennel if he is not used to it since he was a child or you have not trained him for it, because you could cause him a lot of anxiety, and even fear or aggressiveness.
Dogs are animals of habit, so keeping a schedule is necessary so that they know what their routine is. For example, dogs know when it is time for walks, for outings that their master usually does, or when it is time to play or eat. Getting out of the routine can cause anxiety, but getting used to changes is also possible.
Keep in mind that if you have more than one animal at home, or you are thinking of having another dog to keep them company, this may be useless, since the anxiety that your dog suffers is due to being separated from you, not due to being completely alone. However, after a while and your pets bond, the separation may not be as harsh and they may support each other, but this is not always the case.
How to Practice Separation for Dogs with Separation Anxiety:
If your dog is one of those who suffers from separation anxiety (you can tell by his face, by the damage in the house, because your neighbors alert you that he does not stop howling and whining when you are not there, or that he bites himself and even pull out hair), then you have to teach him little by little that it’s okay for you to separate for a while. For example, you can leave him alone for a few minutes in a room and then go for him. And thus increasing the separation times.
