Avoid Back-To-School Dog Behavior Blues

Summer is nearly over in northern hemisphere countries, and that means that school time is back again. People and kids are going to get busy again, leaving our beloved buddies alone in the house more often due to the sudden busy atmosphere. Imagine: students getting ready for high school, elementary or college, and some fresh graduates are going to start their first jobs. This leaves the dog in the house without playmates or people who will tend to their needs, because of everybody’s own busy lives. During the summer days, we used to spend carefree hours with our dog, such as going on vacation, camping, going to the beach, playing in parks, and all that stuff. But today, as summer begins to fade away, good old buddy will have to deal with and adjust to the changes in the schedules of everyone in the house.

Most pets, and especially dogs, have a hard time when it comes to changing routines, especially if the change includes less activity outside and more boring waiting inside the house or in the dog house. For instance, if they have nothing to do around the house, they might start getting into trouble, like chewing on furniture, playing with and destroying various household things, or even worse. They may also do things like eat or chew house plants, dig around the front or back yard, bark or growl in an abnormal and excessive way, or urinate and eliminate inside the house. They may also try to escape the house or yard, and they may also pace without pause, as if he or she is very anxious about something. This is because they are longing for stimulation and exercise, which was done regularly during the summer.

But do not worry about this; in this article, we will give you some advice on how to help your dog get over these ‘goodbye summer’ blues and how to keep them calm and keep them from going into separation anxiety.

• If you have to be apart from your dog, start it with a minimal time at first and then gradually increase the time period that you will be away, so that your dog will not get shocked from anxiety and be constantly looking for his owner. Eventually, as you train your dog to deal with the separation, he or she will get used to it.
• Since everybody is busy around the house and you will have to leave your good buddy behind, why not leave him something behind to keep him busy? You can give him chew toys, doggy treats, foods to munch while you are away, or anything else that he might be interested in. A dog food dispenser would be a good buy, in case your dog gets hungry and you are not home yet.
• Go for some homeopathic remedies. There are many herbal solutions out there, including homeopathic medicine that can help treat your dog’s anxiety and make him calmer.
• Do not scold or get angry with your dog if he does not adjust to the schedule quickly – allow him some time to digest what is happening around him and be patient in getting him used to being alone.

Dogs can suffer from the “back-to-school” blues, but if you follow the above tips, your pup should adapt fairly quickly.