Boxer Dogs & Separation Anxiety

Identification

• Separation anxiety can be identified by a wide range of behaviors, which will vary from dog to dog. Some of the most common are barking, whining or eliminating in the house. In addition, it can manifest itself in destructive behavior as well, such as chewing, scratching and self-mutilation. In order to be identified as separation anxiety, these actions have to be performed frequently and while the owners are away from home, otherwise it can just be classified as poor behavior.

Effects

• Separation anxiety can have effects both on the dog and on the people who live with the dog. If a boxer becomes destructive due to separation anxiety, this can result in the loss of furniture, flooring, drywall, and various personal belongings. Owners of a boxer with separation anxiety may feel increased stress about leaving the house, and the dog may become extremely clingy while family members are at home. Because boxers are so large in size, separation anxiety can be particularly problematic.

Prevention/Solution

• Ideally, a boxer should not be left alone for extended periods of time to decrease anxiety. However, for most people, this is not an option, so other steps must be taken. If your boxer responds well to toys and treats, you might buy a special toy for the boxer that it is only allowed to play with while you are away. This gives the boxer something to look forward to while you are gone. Pay attention to what triggers the dog's anxiety and work to make those actions more familiar to the dog. Another method effective in decreasing the boxer's separation anxiety involves the owner being gone for slowly increasing amounts of time. The owner would begin by leaving the boxer alone for a very short amount of time. This could even simply be leaving and walking back in a moment later. As the dog begins to adjust to this and show less signs of anxiety when the owner leaves, the owner will then slightly increase the time that they are gone. This should be repeated until the dog seems comfortable and relaxed, knowing that the owner will return quickly. This procedure should be repeated with these increasing increments of time until the dog is able to be left alone all day without incident.

Considerations

• If your boxer has severe separation anxiety, and you are not home enough to address the issue, it might be best to consider finding a new home for the dog. Boxers are extremely devoted to their owners, and it is usually not in the best interest of the dog to leave it home alone all day. You might try getting another dog as a companion, however, separation anxiety is typical caused by separation from the owner, and so having another dog around will not usually solve the problem.

Warning

• Separation anxiety will not simply go away on its own. If the problem is ignored, it will likely only become worse. Keep in mind that the dog's bad behavior is a response to their anxiety, so punishment will not help the situation as the dog will not understand why they are being punished. It is important to try and address separation anxiety as soon as possible to prevent it from getting worse.