Leaving your boxer can be a concerning task, especially with a puppy as you don’t know how they’ll react to you being away. Some dogs don’t mind being alone, but boxers often have separation anxiety. Though you may think that this just causes some whining that is not the case. Some boxers can have severe health issues caused by separation from their owners.
When bringing home your new puppy it’s often a learning process to see if they have separation anxiety or not. Some of the signs of this include excessive barking which is often super intense, and they’ll continue to do this making themselves hoarse. Other signs include panic, destructive chewing, accidents in the house that they don’t normally do, lasting depression, excess drooling and repetitive behavior such as pacing. If your boxer has any of these signs and you feel that they may have separation anxiety there are some tricks you can try. Keeping your boxer in the right sized area can be extremely important when dealing with anxiety. Too little space can cause the issue to become worse, while too large of a space and be counterproductive. It can be helpful to keep your boxer in a doggy playpen that’s not too large or too small to combat this issue. Secondly, it’s helpful to have some sort of light source in the space that you keep your boxer to help with feeling alone. Another tip that owners found that has helped their boxer is keeping a radio or tv on so that the noise helps their boxer not feel like they’re not home alone. Some other tips you can try are having a companion toy for your boxer that they become close with, experiment with having the curtains open versus leaving them closed, have a treat dispenser that releases treats throughout the day. It can also be helpful to have some time set aside in the morning for you to spend with your boxer before leaving for the day.
Be patient it may take time to learn what works and doesn’t work to help your boxer but keep trying. These tips will help your boxer be a happier dog and give them a better time while you are away.