Counter conditioning and desensitization might be the key to breaking separation anxiety in dogs. Dogs suffering from separation anxiety usually engage in unwanted behaviors like excessive vocalization, property destruction etc. when they are left alone. This causes distress to the dog as well as his or her guardian. Such behaviors usually end up with the dog back in the shelter. Although there is a limited amount of research in this field, it has been observed that dogs tend to develop such behavior if they are males, found or adopted from shelters, separated from their litter-mates before 60 days or lose a beloved family member to whom he or she was attached to. One of the prime ways to reduce separation anxiety in dogs is counter conditioning and desensitization....
