Preventing Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is not an ordinary bid for attention. It is a full-blown canine melt-down that occurs when your boxer finds that he is alone or away from you. His bark might become high-pitched and he might pant, drool, or, at an extreme, even involuntarily urinate or defecate in his crate. He might frantically paw to get out of his crate or scratch at the door where he last saw his favorite person or persons leave. The negative consequences of all this are visited not just on your boxer but on the neighborhood, which might not be as sympathetic about nonstop, high-pitched barking.
Separation anxiety usually occurs when your boxer becomes overly bonded with a member of the family or the family in general. To avoid this, redirect your boxer's attention from just one person to toys, or to other people, such as a neighbor, a friend, or dog walker. It is also very important to keep the human departures and returns very unemotional and matter of fact.
Coming and Going
Usually, separation anxiety starts with something that the human family is doing to cue the dog to their imminent departure. It might be as simple as feeling bad that you need to leave the puppy for several hours. A good way to prevent separation anxiety from becoming an established behavior is to ignore your boxer for a half hour before the family leaves and for another half hour after returning. This is hard when the boxer is little and needs to potty more often and on a more immediate basis, so the solution is to take him out on a leash, very matter-of-factly, praise him very moderately when he potties, then whisk him back into his crate or confinement area at least a few minutes before you leave. This helps to ensure that he doesn't just associate going out to potty one last time with your leaving.
If your boxer has an especially bad case of separation anxiety, try leaving on the television or radio. Lots of dogs respond well to classical music. There are other possible solutions. You can make a tape of your voice and put it on continuous play so he hears you all day. Or make sure he has so many toys and treats that he couldn't possibly miss you. Try buying interactive toys, hire a dog walker, or take your boxer to doggy day care where he can play all day with other dogs.
When you come back, you need to be equally calm. After you take him out to potty, on leash, you can put him back into his crate or confinement area for a few minutes to give you time to change clothes, pick up your mail, and rewind a little from your day. Then you can get him out to play. By changing your pattern of coming and going to a very calm, ho-hum version, you will go far to prevent separation anxiety from occurring.
Trips to the Vet and Groomer
Some dogs exhibit separation-anxiety-like symptoms when taken to see their vet or groomer. If you do not cue your boxer to be afraid of either his vet or groomer, chances are that he will be like most boxers and adore these outings, regardless of what they do to him. So, if you have been doing your training and socializing homework, these trips will just be one more happy experience that your boxer is more than delighted to share with you.
