Separation Anxiety In German Shepherds- How to Deal With it

As they are working dogs, German Shepherds are known for their loyalty, bravery, and intelligence. Their activity level makes them ideal for families with active lifestyles or active dogs. They tend to demonstrate anxiety and other behavioral problems.

There are many reasons why dogs react this way. But I’ll tell you how to deal with the best. Also, the surest way to prevent them from biting.

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Reasons for Anxiety in a German Shepherd

There is a different set of reasons that can arouse anxiety in this breed of dog. That is why we have made a list of the most common reasons to implement the best solution easily and quickly.

German Shepherd Separation Anxiety

One of the most common problems suffered by this dog breed is separation anxiety, german shepherd. As with a lot of dogs, they do not want to feel lonely. In many cases, a German Shepherd can become overly anxious when left alone for a few hours.

This can be very common when people in the household work and must be away for a large part of the day. Many dogs of this breed with a personality that is too attached to their owners may feel anxious every day at a particular time. They may learn precisely what time of day their owners will leave the house.

There may be a fundamental solution to separation anxiety in german shepherds. It is simply to avoid leaving them alone for many hours each day. The owner may even consider returning earlier than usual. This way, they will be able to surprise themselves, and the anxiety may subside. 

A New Home

When a family moves to a new home, everything can also be a significant cause of anxiety in these dogs. Even when it is only the dog that moves to a new family, stress can also appear. It is widespread when one of these dogs is adopted by a new family.

To avoid this, it is necessary that this dog can get to know each of the places in the new home. Here the most important thing is to allow these dogs to get used to each of the spaces of the new house. When they can get used to every corner, the factors that can frighten them are much less.

A family member is gone.

When a family member is no longer in the home, this can be enough to arouse anxiety in these dogs. This can happen either if one of the dogs in the household has passed away. It is also widespread when one of the family members has moved to another house.

This is much more evident when these dogs often begin to feel anxious after one of these situations. As it usually happens with other problems, anxiety for this reason usually passes after a while. For this, the dogs must get used to the new situation. 

Anxiety can also be reduced if the dogs enjoy spending more time with the rest of the family members. In this regard, family members can provide them with toys to play with and many different exercises. This will bring more well-being to the dogs and exhaust their energies, so anxiety will no longer be a problem.

Amount on their Owners

When the owners are the ones who are suffering from anxiety, these dogs can also start to feel anxiety. Dogs, in general, tend to feel and reproduce almost the same emotions that their owners think.

So it may be essential to implementing efficient training for these dogs so that they no longer feel anxiety. However, the most effective is that the owners of these dogs do not feel anxiety or some similar negative emotions. In this way, the dogs will feel that their owners are well, which allows them to feel well too.

Fear and Mistreatment

Fear can be a sufficient cause to be able to feel anxiety in dogs. There are many fears common to all dogs, such as thunder, car sirens, or fireworks.

They can also generate fear towards a person who has mistreated them. That is why dogs may feel too anxious when the person who mistreats them is near. Here, it is simply necessary to avoid mistreatment of this type of dog or any pet. 

Change of Schedule or Lack of Exercise

Most dogs like to have a daily routine for their activities. They prefer performance, and that is why a change of schedule can cause anxiety. Anxiety can be higher when they sleep, eat or wake up at different times.

Lack of exercise also allows German Shepherds to suffer from anxiety. Anxiety is only one of the behavioral problems that these dogs can exhibit in the absence of activity. That is why at least one hour of exercise per day is recommended. 

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German Shepherd Anxiety Symptoms

It is possible to detect anxiety in German Shepherds or any dog when you are specifically aware of the german shepherd anxiety symptoms. Among the most common symptoms may include the following:

  • Barking and howling when alone at home without any company, such as people or dogs.
  • Panting and constantly pacing without too high a temperature. 
  • Shivering disproportionately without a temperature that is too low
  • Show fearful body language by cowering and fleeing to the corners of the home
  • Exaggerated digging when they are not exactly playing
  • Attempting to escape from the room they are in or the yard of the house itself
  • Begin to destroy furniture in the room they are in
  • Excessive licking or chewing leading to self-injury
  • Not eating according to the established daily routine
  • Urinating more times per day than usual
  • Feeling unable to settle down

Conclusion

Knowing each of these reasons and symptoms will allow people to more easily detect dog anxiety. Avoiding and decreasing german shepherd anxiety allows these dogs to enjoy a healthier behavior. It is only necessary to check the daily conduct of each dog to be able to detect anxiety levels.