Pandemic Puppy Tales: SA Disorder Is No Joke!
Why is he scared of everything?
Soon after I moved into a brand new dream home, the Covid Pandemic hit the U.S. and I began working from home. What’s not to love, right? I wasn’t prepared for a few side effects that working from home presented. I didn’t get out of the house much or see actual real live people on a regular basis. Sometimes I went days without communicating with anyone besides text or email.
The peace and quiet started getting to me. The solution (duh) was to get a puppy! Never mind that I haven’t raised a puppy ever. Much less a two-pound runt of the litter feisty Boston Terrier. I had one as a kid! It’ll be a snap until it wasn’t.
My puppy is super friendly! He LOVES new people and would fail any attempts at playing guard dog. The biggest problem? He suffers from severe separation anxiety (SA). He is nervous about EVERY sound. Even the soft noises of the dishwasher clinking make him nuts. And he is super clingy. (Great.)
We had to come up with a few things right away to make our new puppy feel more comfortable when we were not in his immediate line of sight and for times when we left him home alone.
“The quieter our house was, the more twitchy my puppy became.”
Play some tunes. Pick a music station and keep it playing in the background to create “white noise” to help your pup feel less alone. Turn on a relaxing music station or a television channel each day to help muffle sounds from inside and outside that stress your puppy. Familiar background noise will help them get used to scary sounds like thunderstorms and city traffic that normally make them fearful. Don’t be afraid to mix it up! You’ll find several channels created just for dogs on I Heart Radio or Spotify to choose from.
“We have a special toy that we give our puppy each time we leave home. And we give him cookies when it’s time to go.”
Reserve a special treat. Be sure to give your pet this treat when you’re gone and take it back when you get home. A dog with severe anxiety won’t be distracted by even the tastiest treat or most beloved toy. However, once you’ve slowly built up the time that you can stay away, he will enjoy getting to play with his favorite lovey or puzzle toy. Eating cookies or meaty treats that are only shared when you need to be away from home can be celebrated as a special occasion.
“My puppy constantly sniffs our feet and chews on the bottoms of our jeans until we gave him his own to play with.”
Give your pup clothes that smell like you. Cut an old pair of jeans into strips and tie them in knots. If you leave recently worn clothes that smell like you with your pet, he will feel less anxious when you are not in the room.
“Playing with our puppy in the yard makes him too tired to be anxious and fearful.”
Long Walks and Outdoor time. Exercise is key to make sure your pet is busy and too tired to be stressed. Playing fetch or creating fun training game challenges for your pet works both mind and body. If your pet is busy, he is happy!
“Our holistic vet recommended Zhen Xin San for our hyper puppy’s anxiety and it helped, without making him feel drowsy.”
Don’t be afraid of calming supplements. Check with your veterinarian! There may be a supplement out there that will ease the stress of your puppy and smooth the way during training. Other natural aids include diffusers and compression clothing like Thundershirt which also give your dog relief from separation anxiety.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Do your homework. Knowledge is the key to dealing with a new puppy who is anxious. Reach out to your animal clinic to discover local resources in your area. With patience and perseverance, you can ease your puppy’s suffering and reduce separation anxiety for both the hooman and pup.
