Leaving a chihuahua home and separation anxiety

You can’t stay at home all day and look after the pets. Even for your beloved one, you can’t carry it everywhere you go. So your chihuahua will have to be on its own often especially when some dogs are prone to separation anxiety. Therefore, training your pooch to be alone is a great deal. chihuahua separation anxiety is not something that you have to worry about anymore.

Chihuahuas with separation anxiety get stressed when they are by themselves. They experience fear and the scenario will worsen with mounting fear to an inappropriate level. Once it reaches a point they act with very slight control.

Some dogs are very sensitive and they experience separation anxiety within moments of their owners leaving them. The fear manifests in different ways.

In this section, we will discuss:

• How Long a Chihuahua Can be Home Alone
• Signs of Separation Anxiety In Chihuahuas
• What Causes Separation Anxiety In Chihuahuas?
• Choosing the right playpen or enclosing system
• How To Treat Your Chihuahua’s Separation Anxiety
• Prescribed Medication
• Tips For Treating Separation Anxiety:

How Long a Chihuahua Can be Home Alone

Separation anxiety hasn’t a fixed definition and can’t occur during a fixed amount of time. Chihuahuas can feel the stress just after a very short time of separation. Or the strain can take hours until it reaches its breaking point.

Some specific factors such as an environment that is safe, and the presence of enough food and water. A well-trained and healthy chihuahua can spend 9 to 10 hours alone without any problem.

In addition, there are other factors that can make the situation worse. For instance, if your chihuahua suffers from hypoglycemia, this will make her at a big risk. Or she is a puppy who is under the age of 4 months.

Signs of Separation Anxiety In Chihuahuas

• Barking: A  chihuahua might bark excessively until it wears itself out.
• Destructive chewing: We are all familiar with dogs’ chewing stuff. In the case of separation anxiety, your chihuahua might tear apart household items or furniture within the reach.
• Crying and whining: A dog with separation anxiety feels incredibly alone and sad. It leads to whining and crying for hours. Most of the time, it is younger Dogs but older ones can also react the same.
• Trying to escape: Your chihuahua might relentlessly claw or dig whatever the location; even if escape is practically impossible. However, keep in mind that a dog in distress may jump or escape from an enclosed and safe area.
• Agitation and behavioral stresses: Anxiety separation might become very severe. It can cause your chihuahua to develop an increased heartbeat and agitated behavior.

In this scenario, most chihuahuas experience a high level of energy, often elevating and declining. Then there are chihuahuas that may do the quite opposite and get astonishingly depressed.

Seeing your pooch struggling naturally affects you, too. You might as well feel helpless like your dog does. However, with techniques and ideas, you can hopefully address your chihuahua’s anxiety.

What Causes Separation Anxiety In Chihuahuas?

• Change in family 

There are a lot of factors that can cause the chihuahua’s separation anxiety, one of the most critical is the change in the family.  Chihuahuas regardless of their varieties or where they live tend to be social animals and very loyal to their owners. Changing their old families and environment can result in some emotional disorders, including separation anxiety. It’s just a question of time for a chihuahua to overcome this situation and be comfortable with its new family.

• Abuse

The presence of abuse physically and/or mentally in a chihuahua’s past can also be a major cause of a chihuahua‘s separation anxiety. And this can be shown clearly in their behavior when they are introduced to their new home.

Choosing the right playpen or enclosing system

Don’t leave your little chi in a big room by itself or the whole house which can exacerbate the isolation. Your pooch feels much more secure within a definite area. This being said, don’t coop your dog. Claustrophobia also increases the level of stress.

So choose the right playpen to provide a secure and safe feeling. Also, the right playpen means you can keep all the items and playing toys in one place plus a bathroom.

Right toys

Place the right toys in the playpen. It is important because your chihuahua will react to it and the negative reaction isn’t a help at all. It only worsens anxiety.

Keep in mind that your pooch might not take toys positively when you are around. When you leave it will look for these support toys.  

Right bed

 

It is important that you consider the right bed when you leave your dog home alone. A warm, cozy, and supportive bed can give the right kind of support. Since they are small you will only need a tiny, bolstered bed. Memory foam with a padded bottom is recommended.

Basic necessities

Include basic necessities in your chihuahua’s area that includes food, water as well as pee pads. The goal is to provide a safe and comfortable environment that will soothe anxiety.

Calming Collars

Calming collars have proved to be helpful among some dogs. These are accessories that exploit pheromone technology. There are different kinds of calming collars in the market with varied prices.

Supplements and treats

There are specialized treats that help chihuahuas to calm down. Treats with Colostrum Complex, L Theanine, and Thiamine (Vitamin B1) will relax your Dog without any cognitive ability interferences or altering the dog’s basic behavior. They help in relaxation and calming irritation.

How To Treat Your Chihuahua’s Separation Anxiety

Punishment of your chihuahua is not the right approach you can follow, also the confinement of your dog in her craft is not the answer to making your chihuahua overcome this emotional issue. You have to narrow down your exits and arrival. Instead of cuddling before you go out, try to go and come in a silent way to show them that this isn’t a big deal.

To train your chihuahua to accept being alone at home, you must do it slowly. As a first step leave them just for 10 minutes a day, Then increase the duration over time. These Slow steps can help your chihuahua to get familiar with the new changes.

In some severe cases, the vet may recommend you to use some medications like :

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines have some side effects such as drowsiness, increased appetite, and a possible increase in anxiety. Also, researchers have stated these medications possibly hamper memory and the learning ability of a Dog.

Monoamine Oxidase inhibitors

These inhibitors were actually used to treat dogs with cognitive dysfunction. It can terribly go wrong for the canines that recently ingested cheesy products. There can be severe side effects.

Personal Training

Only available in some of the areas, a board-certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or veterinary behaviorist might be able to assist your chihuahua by personal desensitization following conditioning training. It’s expensive but the results have been favorable.

Prescribed Medication

No matter what you do, some chihuahuas won’t handle loneliness ably – train him or do something drastic. After everything has failed, you can reach out for prescribed medication.

It’s not primarily recommended as there can be side effects. It’s not worth it unless the cases that are very severe.

At this level, you should reach out to a veterinarian and discuss the issue. Prescribed medications are only for dogs that have no effect following home training techniques and are agonized from the elevated stress level.

To deal with separation anxiety for chihuahuas, two medication types are used.

Tips For Treating Separation Anxiety:

• When you leave and enter home do it quietly.
• Exercises throughout the day can help
• Teaching them(chihuahuas) basics, like sitting command
• Leave the tv on, so they can have some company.
• Leave them toys

Last word

Just like humans, it’s hard for chihuahuas to overcome issues that are related to emotional disorders, like separation anxiety. Therefore, you need to be patient and persistent as it may take a long time for chihuahuas to overcome this situation.