Collies love attention and being around people.  Therefore, if left alone, they may develop Collie separation anxiety.  Keep reading to learn some tips on how to reduce this Collie separation anxiety.

Collie Separation AnxietyCollies are amazing dogs and they become very attached to their owners.  This is a wonderful thing as it means they make great companions.  However, there is also a downside to this attachment – they may get anxious when you’re not around, thus causing Collie separation anxiety.  Collie separation anxiety is not a nice thing for your Collie at all therefore you need to take steps to control it.  The following information will help you do this.

Leaving and returning home

When you return home or leave home, it’s important not to make it a big deal – do not give your Collie lots of cuddles and affection.  If you do this, you are just encouraging Collie separation anxiety. The best thing you can to is to stop the association between cuddles and your comings and goings.  So remember, when you leave your home do not give your Collie attention.  And on your return do not give them attention or cuddles for the first ten minutes after your arrival.  It will be difficult to begin with, epically when your gorgeous Collie meets you at the door with their tail wagging – but remember, you are the doing the best thing for your Collie!

Mix up your daily routine

Another great tip in dealing with Collie separation anxiety is to mix up your daily routine.  For instance, your Collie may associate you having a shower at the same time every morning with you leaving the house.  This can trigger their separation anxiety.  You can mix this up by showering at different times.  You can also do this for other things that you think may be triggering your Collies separation anxiety such as changing when you eat breakfast or changing the time your alarm goes off.  If you make these small changes to your daily routine then it may lower the chance of your Collie getting anxious in the fact that you’re about to leave.

Slowly increase the time you’re away from home

You may notice that your Collie starts to get separation anxiety the moment you leave home.  You need to prove to your Collie that you will come back and that there is no need to be anxious.  This can be done by slowly increasing the amount of time you are away from home.  To start with, only leave your home for a couple of minutes and then come straight back.  Gradually, increase this time.  Your Collie will soon start to realize that you will always come home and this will reduce their Collie separation anxiety.  After a while you will be able to leave for a much longer period of time.

Keep your Collie busy

One of the things you can do to reduce Collie separation anxiety is to keep your Collie occupied while you are away.  Make sure they have some toys to play with.  The more your Collie has to do, the less they will think about you being away.  This will greatly reduce the chance of Collie separation anxiety.

Separation anxiety is not a nice thing for your Collie to have so it’s really important that if you think your Collie has this condition that you take the steps to control it straight away.  Your Collie will be a much happier dog without Collie separation anxiety, so take the steps to control it today!