How To Help Your Dog With Social Anxiety + Who To Call To Patch The Walls

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Aon Innovations.

When it comes to pets we only want the best for them because they are like our family. Dogs are such sociable animals that vets advise they should never be left alone for more than four hours. They just cannot cope with being on their own for any longer — but, increasingly, they are. I’m sure a few of you have had the misfortune of walking into your home to find scratches in your walls, overturned furniture or a tooth marked window sill. Your dog may be barking or howling in the corner aka your dog has what’s called separation anxiety which can be a mild labor for a truly destructive behavior. 

Just like children, our pets can also feel this awful feeling of missing their loved ones they are at work, on vacation or just gone for a few hours at a time. It’s truly rare nowadays if a dog owners who hasn’t heard of this or experienced a friend with their own dog or had a friend who had their own dog suffers from this difficult disorder. Separation related behaviors seem more common these days which can also result in us becoming upset and frustrated as well. 

If your dog has destructive behavior this may be a result of being separated from you ( depending on their age too, it may also be just normal puppy behavior or their reaction to and outlet to release some excess energy ). This distress can also be the cause of them howling or stimulated to bark by any traffic or people talking, people coming to the house such as mail carriers or a neighbor selling an item from school. It’s extremely important that having a problem behavior such as this corrected needs to be identified prior to the behavior program. For example, if a dog pees in your house or ruins your walls when they are alone vs if they do it while you are in the house, it may be more than just a separation issue. 

Image: AON Innovations

The other part of the problem is not only helping your poor pooch but also keeping your home looking it’s best. If your dog has ruined and chewed through walls, rest easy that you can get it fixed thanks to one local company in Allen,Texas area. The company is called AON Innovations. They provide expert drywall contractor services for not only the city but surrounding areas as well. They realize that fixing drywall is not as simple as you may think and there are several steps that are involved ( plus attention to detail is critical because you don’t want a mess to happen again). The products they use are some of the best to ensure that you have the best results possible and have a positive customer and outcome experience. They will also work with your budget for plaster and drywall as well as monitor your timeline depending on your needs. AON Innovations is one of the best companies to give you quality results and services at your fingertips. The staff and workers are excellent communicators, work safely and clean up their worksite. When you work with them, you are partnering with a small family owned company that treats your projects as if they were working on their own house. They truly take pride in their finished work and appreciate and love helping homeowners improve their homes ( and clean up the messes that their dogs have left ). 

Now that you have someone on your side to help patch your walls, how can you help your dog with social anxiety? Here are a few tips that can help!

1. Take your dog for a walk or run before you leave for work. If your dog is tired, it has less energy which can help them be less anxious or destructive. End your walk with 20-30 minutes before you leave so your pup has time to settle down and relax.
2. Stay close at first. Read a book and try to ignore your pup. When they are quiet, greet them and take one step away and then return before they have a chance to get upset. You are teaching them that if you leave, you’ll always return back. If other family members are near, have them try to be out of the room so you can do this alone. Each time you return, greet your dog calmly and every once in a while, give them a treat to teach them that you’ll come back.
3. When you get home, you should take your dog out to relieve themselves outdoors and spend a few minutes with him in the house under close supervision. Put them in their pen or stay in the room with them as well if needed. 
4. When it’s the big day to go, make sure your dog has gone to the bathroom, exercised and feeling good about spending quality time with you before you leave. Put something comforting to them in their crate to keep them comfortable and when you arrive back, and give them the attention they’ve been wanting. 

There are several other ways to help your dog with their social anxiety but also please know that at the root of all of this, your dogs difficult behavior is not deliberate or to make you upset so punishment is inappropriate and will only make it worse. If questions continue, please talk to your vet to seek the next best steps to help you and your fur baby understand one another.