5 Distractions That Help Ease Puppy Separation Anxiety

Over the last few months at least 60% of my Google searches have included the words “puppy” and “separation anxiety.” When we first got our mini-dachshund he didn’t present anxious. He was vivacious, hilarious, and super cuddly. He still is all of those things, but in addition over the last year he’s struggled with both social anxiety and separation anxiety.

After talking to many vets, his overall experience isn’t that strange for a puppy who has been brought up in quarantine times. We are the only humans he interacts with regularly and for a long time in his puppyhood he didn’t even have the chance to really interact with other dogs.

During the beginning of his harder stints with anxiety, I admit that I struggled a lot. I would grow frustrated when nothing would work to ease him or get sad when it felt like we weren’t moving the needle at all. Now, I celebrate any and all small wins. I work with his vet to make sure we’re keeping our eye on him and his progress and like I mentioned above, I google everything.

I’ve shared some our routine before, and will probably update that post in the coming month to reflect some of the new ways we’re learning to cope, but in the meantime I wanted to share the distractions and mental games that help us ease his anxiety. We’ve learned that Chauncey gets bored easily, but that he is very capable of a lot of solo play, so long as he has the right toys or assets at his reach.

Bunny rope toy

I got him this toy for Christmas and it held up until this week even though Chauncey is a hardcore toy chewer. Even then the most damage he did to it was undo the rope on one of the legs, which I’m just going to cut off to salvage the rest of the perfectly fine toy. This is the one and only toy (besides his Kong) that Chauncey can sit with by himself for minutes on end. I’ve noticed that he actually gravitates to it when he’s either bored or anxious and something about the rope or its texture seems to calm him. I think it also helps that the toy is his largest toy, which makes it somewhat of a faux dog friend.

Easter eggs with treats

I shared a reels on Easter Sunday of the egg hunt I placed around the apartment for Chauncey. I did not expect this to be such a hit with him. At first I was doing it as a joke, but after realizing how much mental and physical energy he burnt off searching for all the treats, I realized this was an amazing and low energy way on my end to help him burn off some of his anxious energy.

Rolled up towel with treats

I saw this trick on TikTok and think it’s absolutely genius and low cost. We’ve bought Chauncey mind toys previously and while they’re awesome, they can get expensive especially if your dog is smart. Chauncey learned his puzzle so quickly that after a few more times of using it, he just lost interest. Using a different towel each time you roll up treats can help keep your dog distracted without breaking the bank.

Puppy calming music

The first time my boyfriend walked into a dog on the TV screen and the chillest music playing, he just smiled. I know it sounds silly, but playing YouTube videos like these have helped Chauncey both calm down and get used to outside noise in a safer, happier context.

Heating pad (not to be used without watching pup)

We turned into those dog parents the day we got him a puppy-safe heating pad. We’re working on him loving his crate and being alone in the room without us — all of which can be really hard if your dog has separation anxiety. We’ve been slowly improving and using the heating pad helps create a warm and cozy environment without our pup having to be on one of us for that feeling of warmth.

So many of the articles I read on puppy separation anxiety focus on the cause or how it may be clinically explained by a vet. I think sometimes it’s useful to read how someone is navigating on the day-to-day when managing the anxiety is as necessary as helping reduce it or eradicating all together. You can do both while still keeping your sanity. I promise.