Help Your Dog Deal With Separation Anxiety.

Most average dogs will chew toys, sleep or bark occasionally when they are left alone. They mostly do what they
would normally do if you were home with them. Separation anxiety can cause leaving the house or room to be a
difficult or emotional chore. Dogs with separation anxiety will whine, howl, bark, pace, chew furniture, rip
carpeting up, eat through dry wall, destroy the blinds, dig up plants, and scratch at doors and windows.This separation anxiety can cause a lot of havoc in one's life. Not only can it destroy thousands of dollars in
furnishings but they can hurt themselves, or make your neighbors upset to listening to our anxious pet. Dogs are
pack animals by nature, so they wish to be with people all the time. Most adult dogs can be left alone for 8 hrs or
longer if they can go out side to eliminate. They won't be happy by themselves and they will get bored by they
manage just fine or cause problems.
Signs of distress happen only when your dog doesn't have access to you is defined as separation anxiety. Normally
when he thinks you are getting ready to leave. Or showing signs of distress when you put your dog in a room and
close the door behind you. If your dog is anxious all the time then taking a look at another cause may be
suggested.
Separation anxiety in dogs could be caused by brain chemistry. A dog may have the condition triggered by stress.
Some breeds are more likely to suffer from separation anxiety that others. Doing some research about your breed
will help to pinpoint the problem. Depending on the case the treatment can be anything from behavioral modification
to prescription antidepressants from the vet.
Setting up a video camera before you leave the house will tell you exactly how your pet behaves when you leave the
house. Is he happy chewing the couch just having fun like a teenager parties when the parents are away or does he
look distressed and panicked?
Storm phobia is another anxiety disorder that affects a lot of dogs. Dogs that are storm phobic whine, tremble,
seek the comfort of their owners, try to escape if confined, hide under furniture, and engage in frenzied chewing,
scratching or digging. Golden Retrievers are commonly known to be affected by this most but they are not the only
breed.
It's not known what part of a thunderstorm scares dogs most. It could be something to do with the drop in barometer
pressure, electrical charges, getting shocked by the ground or as simple as loud crashes and bright flashes or
lightening. A diagnosis for storm phobia is pretty much an obvious one but for any dog and any treatment you plan
to give your dog should be consulted with your veterinarian with a routine check up for you pet.
Healthy Calm is a product that Alternative Health Supplements offers that can help to calm many dogs who suffer
from Separation anxiety, anxiety at veterinary visits, training, travel, and storm phobia. It has GABA, lemon balm,
chamomile, hops, and Valerian to help your dog manage everyday stress.

There are various methods you can use to train your dog as well.

By Steven A Johnson

Teaching your dog obedience

Why are so many dog owners unsuccessful with training their pets? The most common problem is they wait to long to teach their dog obedience.
If you don't start training your dog as a young pup, it's much tougher to train them later on. Most pups are hyperactive and rowdy while
young, but grow out of it with in the first year. If not trained in this stage of their life they will learn bad behavior.
When training your dog, it is important to use positive reinforcement for good behavior. This will let the dog behave the way you want.
It's also important not to confuse your dog. For example, if the dogs barking because it wants to come inside and you wait fifteen minutes
till you let him in, what have you accomplished. The dog just learned he has to bark excessively for fifteen minutes to be let in.
Is your dog to hyper when you get home? A common mistake people make, would be to show the dog attention right after he jumps all over you. If
you would like your dog to behave more relaxed, you can show him attention when he's acting in a relaxed manner. It is common for owners to
give their dogs mixed signals that they don't understand. Like showing them attention when they jump all over you. So try and be conscious
of the message you are sending to your dog.
There is a lot more to training a pet than most most people think.
For the many inquiries I receive in regards to dog obedience, I highly suggest checking out: The Ultimate Dog Training Review site.

Doug Jackson is considered an expert an in the fields of dog training and obedience.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Doug_A._Jackson

Introducing : Your Pooch ---The Therapist

It is not just for no reason that dogs are considered man's best friend. Observe dogs around people in a park and you will notice that most want to
come over and pet the dog even if they don't know the dog. Dogs are cute. Period. Therefore, if you want to you can put your dog's cuteness to some
community benefit - by making him a therapy dog.
The presence of dogs can lighten up a room and a person's mood. Often people are better are fostering relationships with dogs than they are with
other people. Therefore, often, dogs are used in hospitals, at rehab centers, schools for special children and at homes for the elderly to help them
recover or overcome trauma of any kind. If your dog is generally of a friendly nature and has been trained decently then you can opt for such a
service.
To begin work as a therapy dog, your dog will firstly need to be certified as a good canine citizen. This certification will be made available if
you check with your local pet shelter or vet and certifies that your do is healthy and can follow basic instructions.
The second thing you need to do is familiarize the dog with surroundings where he will be working - like hospitals, schools, etc. It is essential
that your dog be trained to remain in control, focused and follow commands even in distracting situations and surroundings. This training can be
formally received at therapy dog training classes. Checking out the internet or local classifieds will tell you about what classes are held where.
You can even try training the dog yourself but you will need to go very slow and steady. Start taking him to places where you might be volunteering
yourself and watch him develop his own comfort zone. Soon enough he and the others will warm up to each other.
Article done by: Cary Benjamin