Nov 16 2009
Havanese Training Solutions to Separation Anxiety
When you are leaving the house on your way to work and you see and hear your puppy or dog “screaming” for you to stop, you know it is time to jump into the fray of Hav owners and seek answers. You are here to deal with the hot and highly discussed havanese training of separation anxiety.
Veteran dog owners immediately recommend crate training as a sure way to start working on the dog’s losing its head every time people leave. The routine will look something like the following (although these definitely can be improved some more): put dog in crate for a set number of minutes, then leave room; open crate door and ignore dog for set number of seconds; greet puppy and play with it; repeat and add more minutes.
Some owners apply a simple, related strategy such as this other one. The dog is left alone in the crate for short periods of time a few weeks a day so that it gets used to the idea of people leaving. The dog is sure to cry for a week or two, but then it is sure to get used to the scheme (which is like a drill of what’s going to happen sooner or later anyway). Before anybody leaves, the TV or radio is turned on, is told “Good boy”, and given a treat. Then the discreet exit is made by everyone.
But if anybody wants to implement something that seeks to “attack” the problem from several angles, perhaps the following steps are needed.
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Prior to the departure of people, the dog needs to be ignored for 20 minutes. The no eye contact and no touching is meant to help the dog feel alright by itself, with or without you at home. The dog will beg for attention at first, but later on it will stop.
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When you leave, give an extra special treat that the dog loves and only gets in only one situation, e.g. when you leave home. Eventually, there is a chance the dog will actually feel happy about somebody’s leaving!
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The dog will need something in its crate to that will make it miss its people less. How about a pillowcase, or a hankerchief?
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There needs to be a password between dog and owner which tells the dog the owner will return soon. Whatever it is (e.g. “Be good”, “Good bye”), it needs to be spoken before leaving the dog and house.
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Upon the return of people, the dog needs to be ignored until it is calm and composed in its crate. This is further meant to get the dog used to people arriving.
When everything is implemented and-or going steady, dog owners need to keep in mind that in havanese training, the crate is not applicable as a solution for stretches of time. The dog’s door can be left open as a form of transition, but in a few months’ time the dog will need to have a run of the house. But even then no chances must be taken. All rugs need to be put away when people leave, trash containers need to be hidden/ covered, table decors secured, etc.
