School Year Starts and Your Dog Has The Blues? It’s a Fact, Dogs Get The Blues for Back to School

The start of the school year means going back to class, hanging out with your friends and it's a fact, your pet will be depressed, or will have the back to school doggie blues.

After months of constant companionship, lots of playing and loving, now you're going back to school and your pet will now have to fill that void without you. While most dogs will sit at the door and wait for you, there are about 20% of dogs that have real problems with the separation.  According to CBS News.com

Nearly 20 percent of the nation's 80 million dogs have separation anxiety, said Dr. Nick Dodman of Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts.

Some 70 percent of dogs with separation anxiety will bark, howl or whine; 60 percent will destroy something, leaving behind scratched doors, damaged blinds or torn curtains; and a third are so upset they have accidents, Dodman said.

How should you cope with this? According to Dr. Dobman

- Make your departure a happy time with toys and treats.

- Create a place in the house where the dog feels safe.

- Start the new routine before school begins.

- Don't indulge behavior with baby talk or sympathy.

- See a vet if it doesn't improve.

Now, make sure you have all the items you need to make it a great school year, and make sure you don't forget about how "FIDO" will react to your absents.

Cats seems to fair well!

(source-CBS-News.com)