

“Pairing that with a positive-the toy-adds a happy emotional slant to make the parting less distressing.” “There’s no tricking them,” she notes, and reducing uncertainty will help reduce their anxiety. “It’s okay to say goodbye to your pet with a simple ‘I’ll be back’ as you give them the food puzzle,” she says.
#Cat puzzle feeder free#
You’ll want to keep your comings and goings as low-key as possible, adds Mikkel Becker, lead animal trainer for Fear Free Happy Homes, an expert-led educational resource. Whittenburg says, so consider putting it out for your pet as you depart. “I liken this to giving a young child a coloring book when a parent leaves them with a babysitter,” Dr. Here’s how it works: After slipping treats into the compartments, you swivel the flippers and slide the blocks closed, and then your dog will work hard to sniff out the food. Hide-a-treat puzzle toys like the Hide N’ Slide can distract them from that feeling by giving them a reward to seek out. ĭogs that have a difficult time staying alone suffer from anxiety, and boredom exacerbates that, says Jamie Whittenburg, a veterinarian and director of Kingsgate Animal Hospital in Lubbock, Texas. For more ideas, see The Wall Street Journal newsroom’s report on creative ways some individuals are helping their dogs cope. For less anxious behavior, they say, certain products can be helpful.) We asked veterinarians, dog trainers and animal-behavior experts for the ones they recommend, and I tried out many with my own pet, to bring you six standouts. (Veterinarians note that true separation anxiety is a condition that should be treated by a professional.

Leaving a pet alone for long periods of time when you’ve had months of extreme togetherness can exacerbate stress, and interactive or calming specialty pet items may make the transition smoother. households that adopted a pet since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic or have had yours since long before, returning to the office has probably sparked some challenges-unless, like those spotlighted by The Wall Street Journal newsroom last year, you’re one of the lucky employees with a pet-friendly office. Whether you’re one of the 23 million U.S.
