Is it possible to cure separation anxiety without medicine? Many vets will put dogs on medicine without working on the underlying cause. Typically, separation anxiety is not a genetic problem. A highly anxious dog can be prone more to developing it, but it is possible to cure separation anxiety, with and without medicinal intervention.
Maci is a Blue Tick Coonhound in Fairfax, VA. She has battled separation anxiety since her owner adopted her. She has been on and off medicine her whole life and it has helped but hasn’t fixed the issue. It is especially bad when her owner is leaving for work. She will go in the crate just fine. However, as soon as her owner begins to leave, she panics and the separation anxiety begins. She has even broken teeth trying to escape. Her owner loves her very much but has started to feel like a prisoner because she is afraid to leave Maci.
Once we got her in the crate on her own we did a few exercises with her. While she was still on edge there was no biting the crate and we didn’t let her escalate to her normal levels of anxiety. We were able to mimic her owner leaving for work several times. Each time it got better and better. Eventually, she laid down and went to sleep. Best of all, no harsh, painful collars or methods are needed to achieve this.
Her owner reported that she practiced on her own several times that night. She went to work today without any issues. Maci still has anxiety in the crate in the beginning, but she no longer howls or attempts to escape her crate. That is a huge relief to me (and her owner) as a dog with that much anxiety that breaks their teeth is dangerous to themselves. She’s such a sweet dog that the thought of her in that much mental pain really made me sad.
If you have any questions about how to cure separation anxiety without medicine or need any help, please contact me!
