DEALING WITH SEPARATION ANXIETY
The number one cause of separation anxiety is a human’s lack of leadership. We humans more often than not tend to treat our fellow canine family members like humans. In a pack, the leader is allowed to lead. However, the followers never lead the leader. If your dog is instinctually seeing you as their follower and you lead them, it causes so much mental anguish that a dog often takes it out on your house or themselves. The dog sees themselves as the one who is responsible for the pack and when the pack has left the house they get in a panic because they are afraid that something might happen to their pack members for which they are responsible. When a dog accepts you as pack leader separation anxiety will not exist. If you do not understand the instincts of the dog and his pack members, the articles, Top Dog, Speaking Dog, Why did my dog do that, Small Dog Syndrome, Dogs and Human Emotions, Dominant Behaviors in Dogs, Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position and Alpha Boot Camp for Dogs will give you a better idea of how your dog instinctively thinks. However, the issue of separation anxiety is not always solely one of a leadership issue.
When you leave, it intensifies their stress and they act out because they do not know what else to do with this built up energy. Walk your dog in the morning before they eat and again at night. For the walk to be successful, your dog needs to be focused on their owner, their pack leader. Therefore, the dog should not be pulling in front of you. The dog should be walking beside or behind you, following YOU as opposed to you following THEM. If you allow the dog to pull in front, you are once again re-enforcing to your dog that they are alpha over you. Instinctually, the pack leader goes first. If you do not make your dog heel beside or behind you, the walk will not accomplish its intended goal. When a dog walks with their mind focused on the owner, they are releasing both physical and mental energy. This works their brain and also fulfills their canine instinct, but also relieves them of the responsibility of having to provide leadership in a human society, which the dog is really not equipped to do.
Separation anxiety can also be due to a lack of exercise. A build up of energy being stored within the dog can bring about multiple behavioral issues. When you leave the house you must not make a big thing out of it. When you come back, do some other things first like taking off your coat and putting the groceries away before you greet the dog. You want to avoid the dog getting the impression that leaving is a big deal. Saying good-bye to a dog is something that helps the human deal with the separation, but in reality the ritual of saying good-bye means nothing to the dog's feelings. It's all for the humans. You want the dog to think that you leaving is just part of the routine. If you feel bad about it, your dog will "feel it" and it will upset them.
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CATS AND STRESS
Although humans relate stress to emotional factors, and those are also seen in feline stress, stress and anxiety in cats can come from many sources, including environmental changes and physical stress.
Causes of Stress in Cats Cats do not deal well with change. Even subtle changes in a cat's environment can lead to stress; substantial changes, such as moving, introduction of a new baby, spouse, or other animal to the household, can have devastating effects.
Cats may react in a number of ways to new family members, including aggression, withdrawal, or sudden litter box avoidance, to name a few. By understanding this and planning ahead, the concerned caregiver can help her cat avoid the stress of a sudden introduction, while letting the cat know that he is still "number one" in the family tree.
Introducing a new spouse or human roommate calls for understanding and patience. The newcomer needs to allow the cat to come around at his own pace, and to avoid trying to rush the relationship.
While sitting on his favorite perch, gazing out the window he suddenly sees a strange cat stroll through his yard. Frustrated because he can't get outside to defend his territory, the cat will suddenly attack the closest being, whether it is another resident cat or you
Dealing with this form of aggression calls for creative thinking, which includes keeping your cat away from that window or somehow barring his view, while taking steps to discourage the strange cat from further exploration in your yard.
When you notice changes in your cats behavior, explore where the source of stress might be coming from and
address it as soon as possible. This will keep you and your feline happy.