Separation anxiety in dogs is a complex issue that presents in many ways. With COVID-19 resulting in lockdowns and remote work, dogs have become used to their owners being home nearly all the time. This often causes separation anxiety to appear or worsen. In fact, a 2021 study by CertaPet surveyed 2600 U.S. dog owners and found that over 75% of household dogs struggle with mild to severe separation anxiety. Though this is clearly a huge issue, the market for products to help the parents of these dogs is virtually nonexistent. That is why we started Wubby Pets, to help both dogs and their owners live better lives and for there to be “More Happy Pets.”

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Unfortunately, there is no single, surefire way to cure your dog of separation anxiety. There are, however, a lot of ways to help out your anxious dog and mitigate their anxiety. These methods make it easier on both you and your dog when you leave them home alone. Some of the best ways for helping dogs with separation anxiety include downplaying your exit, increasing exercise, crating your dog when you leave the house, and giving your dog a “special toy” when you leave. Below is a chart with results of a study done by Cornell University researchers measuring the effectiveness of separation anxiety treatment methods:

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All the methods other than one involve behavior modification to help with separation anxiety in dogs. We recommend trying these and figuring out what works best for your dog. The ASPCA goes through the pros and cons of some these methods. 

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Here at Wubby, we focus on the one method that is not behavior-based: giving your dog a “special toy.” This is a toy to give your dog specifically when you leave the house, allowing them to associate the reward with you leaving and returning. This method is shown to effectively ease separation anxiety in dogs.

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Wubby is more than just a “special toy” though.  We are taking advantage of another scientific finding regarding how dogs’ brains work: their reward centers are activated by the scent of a familiar person. This is why Wubby was specifically designed to have a breathable pocket large enough to hold an article of clothing. Putting in clothing with your scent on it gives your dog a a strong source of your scent within their "special toy." We recommend a well worn shirt or socks to give off as much of your scent as possible. By combining these phenomena, we hope to provide the “ultimate special toy” to help with your dog’s anxiety. 

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For dogs with moderate to severe separation anxiety, we recommend giving your dog a Wubby pillow in combination with a desensitization program. This means leaving and returning repeatedly for a short period of time, giving them the Wubby Pet Pillow when you leave. You can also add crating to this program if you normally keep your dog in a crate when you leave the house. By doing this, you are training your dog’s brain to understand that you will always come back. If none of these methods work, you may need to have a conversation with your vet to explore other solutions. 

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Separation anxiety makes life hard for both dogs and their owners. Wubby is here to help relieve some of that burden so you and your furry friend can get back to a happy, healthy life.