Dealing With Doberman Separation Anxiety

People purchase Dobermans without fully being familiar with the breed and assume that they are fine left home alone like other breeds. Unfortunately, they soon find that separation anxiety is a huge problem that causes them to whine, bark, destroy doors, furniture and everything else and even go potty in the house, despite the fact that they are housebroken.

Dobermans that suffer from separation anxiety will typically follow you from room to room, become stressed when they know that you are leaving and act overly excited when you come home as if you might never walk through the door again. Chances are, if your Doberman displays any of these traits, you need to properly address separation anxiety.

You may feel like your dog is acting out when you leave out of spite because he has been left home alone. This is actually not true. A dog suffering from separation anxiety is stressed because he is without his leader, not because of your actual absence. Causes of separation anxiety include any type of change in your family's normal everyday routine, separation or divorce, death of a family member or another pet and a new addition being brought into the home such as a spouse, baby or additional pet.

If you are giving your dog an enormous amount of attention when you come home because you feel bad for leaving him, you are dealing with separation anxiety issues completely wrong. What you really should be doing is ignoring your dog's excited behavior for the first few minutes until he calms down. After he is completely calm, offer him a generous amount of affection. This way, he is not associating the attention that he getting with your absence but rather with his good behavior.

Of course, this is easier said than done because many people have a difficult time ignoring their dog and end up giving in. However, once you do it a few times and stand your ground, you will see that it really does work.

Also, if you are dealing with Doberman separation anxiety, it is helpful to spend a day or weekend leaving and coming back all day. Begin by staying gone for five minutes and increase your time more every time you leave. Each time you come home, be sure to ignore the behavior until your dog is calm. Many people have had success using this method in as little as one day. The goal is to teach your dog that just because you leave, does not mean that you will be gone for a long time. This is important because most destructive behavior actually takes place in the first few minutes of you being gone.

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Top 10 Doberman Tips

If you are thinking about bringing a Doberman home or if you already have one but are having a few issues, below are some tips that you should find quite helpful.

1. Always ignore your Doberman when he jumps on you by standing perfectly still or by continuing on with what you are doing. Never block the dog with your feet, knees or arms because not only can he misinterpret this as a playful gesture, the dog can be injured. Giving him any attention, good or bad will only encourage his behavior.

2. Approach housebreaking with a schedule, a command word and a designated area in the yard. These three things combined will make it much easier for your Doberman to understand what is expected of him.

3. Become the alpha leader and hold your position through constant training and using basic commands such as "wait" to remind your dog that you are always in charge.

4. Socialize your Doberman immediately and continue to do so regularly. Your dog will be a better protector and pet if he is comfortable with new people, animals and surroundings because he will be confident.

5. Always make sure that your dog is relaxed before allowing anyone to approach you. Learning your Doberman's body gestures will enable you to clearly recognize when he is unsure of a situation.

6. Never allow your Doberman to bite or chew on you. Always replace your skin with a toy and praise him for chewing on it. Doberman puppies that are not taught that this behavior is unacceptable grow up to be dangerous adults that still think that biting is allowed.

7. If you plan on using a crate, make sure that it is the appropriate size and used for the right reason. Crates are never an acceptable means of punishment.

8. Don't leave your Doberman home alone for long periods of time. These dogs are prone to separation anxiety and really prefer to be by your side as much as possible.

9. Provide your dog with daily mental stimulation and physical exercise. They need both to be happy and calmer and you will decrease your chance for destructive behavior.

10. Out of all of the Doberman tips, the most important one to remember is to treat your dog with respect. Dobermans are very sensitive and will treat you the way that they are treated.

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