Separation is one cause of anxiety in Yorkie dogs. Some dogs bark heavily when their masters leave the house.
This behaviour is called dog separation anxiety. Although not a significant concern, this behaviour can sometimes lead to problems such as aggression and severe barking.
The Sources of Yorkie Separation Anxiety
Dogs are pack-oriented animals. Masters should ideally be the leaders, and they should always be the followers. Dogs can feel a great attachment to them; thus, when they leave, some grow uneasy.
In some cases, the absence of the master triggers agitation in dogs. This behaviour should be addressed as soon as possible and may be quite easy to resolve.
Anxiety can be caused by dogs’ excessive attachment to their masters. Your Yorkshire Terrier’s routine greeting whenever you leave and arrive home triggers this behaviour.
He gets used to this, and when you leave, he becomes too emotional. Always remember that when disciplining your dog, you should never talk to him when he is excited; instead, give him attention only when he is calm.
Reducing Yorkie Separation Anxiety
To help improve the condition of your Yorkie’s separation anxiety, you may consider doing the following basic techniques:
Alter routine: Routine activities help your dog remember how you do things every day. Change them slightly instead of sticking to your daily routines before leaving for work. Most of all, leave earlier than usual. In this way, you alter the memory of “time to leave” from your dog.
Do not reinforce—Do not give too much attention to your dog. Do not greet or pet him when you arrive or leave home. If you do, you will only trigger your dog’s anxiety behaviour later on. Make it a habit to remove this behaviour association.
Please wait 15 minutes before touching him. A crate will also help a dog reduce his anxiety, in which case, have him trained.
The gradual change in daily activities – Some dogs can become agitated when their masters are away for a long time. To help your Yorkshire Terrier alleviate his separation anxiety, do not set expectations for him.
Usually, your dog would think that once you leave, you’ll return later that day. Thus, do not establish this thinking in your dog. You may do this by returning a few minutes after leaving home so that it looks unexpected to him.
When he gets used to seeing you go back every time, extend the other minutes before you return. Repeat this until he realises that you will always return to him, no matter how long you’ll be gone.
Right and Reasonable
Unlike what most people think, solutions to addressing separation anxiety in Yorkie dogs are right and reasonable. You are just teaching the dog to trust you, no matter what the situation demands.
You might be gone for a long time, but this doesn’t mean you’re not returning, so there’s nothing to fear. That is the essence of training your dog to be independent and self-reliant.
If your Yorkshire Terrier is diagnosed with severe separation anxiety, call for help and have him trained. It would help if you aimed to reduce the “feeling of abandonment” and his association of your comings and goings with the pack and survival.
