People buy Dobermans without being fully familiar with the breed and assume they are just fine home alone like other breeds. Unfortunately, they soon discover that separation anxiety is a big problem that makes them whine, bark, destroy doors, furniture and everything else and even go to the bathroom in the house, even though they are housebroken.

Dobermans suffering from separation anxiety will usually follow you from room to room, become stressed when they hear you are leaving, and act overly excited when you get home, as if you are never going to walk through the door again. Chances are, if your Doberman is displaying any of these traits, you need to properly address the separation anxiety.

You may feel that your dog is misbehaving when he leaves out of spite because he has been left home alone. This is actually not true. A dog suffering from separation anxiety is stressed because he doesn’t have his leader, not because of your actual absence. Causes of separation anxiety include any type of change in your family’s normal daily routine, separation or divorce, the death of a family member or other pet, and the arrival of a new addition to the home, such as a spouse. , a baby or an additional pet.

If you give your dog an inordinate amount of attention when you get home because you feel bad about leaving him, you’re dealing with separation anxiety issues completely wrong. What you really should do is ignore your dog’s excited behavior for the first few minutes until he calms down. After he is completely calm, he offers him a generous amount of affection. In this way, he is not associating the attention he receives with your absence but with his good behavior.

Of course, this is easier said than done because many people have a hard time ignoring their dog and end up giving in. However, once you do it a few times and stick with it, you’ll see that it really works.

Also, if you are dealing with Doberman separation anxiety, it helps to spend a day or a weekend going out and coming back all day. Start by staying out for five minutes and increase your time more each time you leave. Every time you return home, be sure to ignore the behavior until your dog calms down. Many people have had success using this method in as little as one day. The goal is to teach your dog that just because you’re gone doesn’t mean you’ll be gone for a long time. This is important because most destructive behaviors actually take place in the first few minutes after you’ve left.