Is Separation Anxiety Common In Whippets? The Truth + Tips

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If you’re noticing your whippet is having a lot of trouble being alone you might wonder if they have separation anxiety. Some breeds are more prone to getting separation anxiety than others, are whippets one of those breeds?

Are Whippets Prone To Separation Anxiety:

Whippets are known for being nervous and more easily scared than other breeds. This largely contributes to them being more likely to develop separation anxiety. Things that can spark their separation anxiety are big changes to their environment, such as moving to a new home.

In this post you’ll discover:

What separation anxiety is
7 things that cause whippets to develop separation anxiety
11 signs your whippet has separation anxiety
7 tips to help your whippet overcome their separation anxiety (Tip #7 can help the quickest!)
And much more

Let’s jump right in.

What Is Separation Anxiety?

Separation anxiety is when a dog becomes restless and severely upset when they are, or are about to be, separated from their owner(s).

They’ve become emotionally dependent on their guardians and struggle being apart from them.

When a whippet has developed separation anxiety they will attempt to cope through excessive behaviors like licking, pacing, shaking, drooling, etc.

They may also become destructive to help them cope or as a way to ‘get back at you’ for leaving them.

This could be by chewing up items in your home or defecating.

What Causes Separation Anxiety In Whippets?

1) Change Of Owner

If you’ve recently adopted your whippet from someone else they may not be handling the change in guardian very well.

They aren’t sure why their environment has changed and where their old owner is which takes a toll on them emotionally.

As you can imagine, this big change to their life with no explanation can be very hard on them.

2) Being Abandoned

If your pup is a rescue they likely have a pretty sad story.

At some point they had an owner they trusted a lot and unfortunately that owner abandoned them.

Whether they simply couldn’t care for your whippet anymore or whatever their reasoning was, it has left a mark on your pup.

Now they have a fear of being abandoned again which makes being alone very difficult for them.

And everytime you leave the house now they get high levels of anxiety until you return.

3) When a Loved One Passes Away

Whippets have a difficult time dealing with the loss of a loved one as well.

If the unfortunate event of one of your family members passing away happened recently, your pup might have developed separation anxiety because of their absence.

They’re now anxious more often than not because they aren’t sure where the person they love is and when they’ll be coming back.

4) Change In Schedule/Routine

Dogs thrive with structure and routine.

And when their daily routine changes all of a sudden it can be difficult for your whippet to adjust.

For instance, if you recently got a new job or started taking on more hours at work than you had been, this indirectly affects your pups schedule too.

They got used to things being a certain way and now they’ve changed.

Which can cause your whippet to develop separation anxiety as they aren’t getting the same amount of time with you.

5) Moving To a New Area

If your family has recently moved into a new home it can be difficult for your pup to adjust.

As mentioned in the last point, dogs like structure and routine.

And when you move to a new house their environment is totally different and can take some time before they’re used to their new space.

They got used to and liked the way things were at your old house and being in this new environment is causing them to feel overly anxious.

6) Never Learned How To Be Alone

When a whippet doesn’t learn how to be alone it makes times when they do have to be alone very difficult.

For example, if when your whippet was a young pup you were able to work from home they would have gotten used to you being around most of the time.

But if that has changed and you now have to go back to the office, they didn’t learn how to be alone when they were a puppy.

They learned that you’re always around.

Which means the new separation for several hours each day is giving your whippet anxiety because it’s something they never learned how to deal with.

7) They Feel Uneasy More Easily

Whippets are known for being generally more nervous as a breed.

Which means their anxiety flares up more easily than other dogs.

So when they’re alone it can make them feel sad or afraid which then contributes to them developing separation anxiety.

They rely on their owner to help them cope with their nervous feelings and without their guardian present it gives them high levels of anxiety.

11 Signs That Your Whippet Has Separation Anxiety

Below are 11 signs that your whippet has developed separation anxiety.

Excessive barking
Excessive howling
Excessive licking
Excessive pacing
Excessive drooling
Excessive panting
Excessive whining/crying
Severe attempts to escape
Destructive behavior when alone (chewing, digging, etc.)
Defecating inside even though house trained
Coprophagia

For the most part, if your whippet is demonstrating excessive behavior they’re going through some negative emotions.

Some of their excessive behavior was initially something to help them self-soothe that became a bad habit.

Others are to show that they’re upset with you leaving them.

7 Tips To Help Your Whippet With Their Separation Anxiety

1) Crate Train

Crate training a whippet with separation anxiety needs to be done carefully.

This doesn’t mean one day deciding to put them in a crate and hoping the issue is solved.

They will have to learn that a crate is their safe place that they feel comfortable and secure in when alone.

If they don’t learn this they will likely only associate the crate with more fear, stress and anxiety.

Below is how to slowly introduce them to their crate.

First get them inside the crate by placing treats inside and let them eat the treats with the door open.

Once they’re used to being inside their crate with the door open with you next to them, follow these steps:

Step 1: Close the door while they’re inside but stay in the room with them. Continue to give them treats when they’re being well behaved in the crate.

Step 2: Once they’re comfortable being in the crate with the door closed and you beside them, go into another room where they can’t see you for a couple minutes.

Step 3: Continue going away for only a couple minutes at a time until they become okay with you being away for a couple minutes. Give treats and praise when they’ve remained calm.

Step 4: Gradually increase your time away from them while they’re in their crate. Only go up in time away when they’ve become okay with the previous amount of time you’ve been away.

Slowly but surely this teaches them how their crate is a safe space and that you always come back.

2) Increase How Much Exercise They Get

The more pent up energy your whippet has the more likely they’re to experience high levels of anxiety.

If they’re tired from a long walk they just had, they’ll be more interested in resting rather than worrying about where you are and when you’re coming back.

3) Leave Them a Used Sweater

The scent of a loved one can make your pup feel calm.

When they cuddle with a piece of clothing you recently wore it gives them the feeling that you’re not far away.

Which can help calm their anxious feelings when they’re alone.

4) Additional Training On How To Be Alone

If your whippet has always had you home to keep them company they never learned how to be alone.

Which means when you do leave them for extended periods of time it’s very difficult for them.

And the only way to help them become okay with being alone is to train them.

Start by only leaving them for 10-15 minutes, or even less if your pups anxiety is very severe.

Then as your whippet becomes okay with you being away for a short period of time, gradually increase your time away from them.

Over time this will teach them how to handle being alone.

5) Counter Condition

Help them associate being alone with something they look forward to.

Right before you leave, give them one of their favorite, special treats that they only get on birthdays or holidays.

When you do this enough you will change their conditioning to looking forward to you leaving because they know they’ll get their favorite treat.

Then when you leave it becomes something they enjoy instead of something they can’t bear.

6) Doggy Daycare/Dogsitting

A dog sitter or doggy daycare is a wonderful solution if you have the money to do it.

This way they’ll never have to be alone and will have plenty of distractions that will help them not miss you as much.

They’ll have other people paying attention to them as well as other dogs to play with.

Not to mention it’ll give them additional physical activity during the day to help them not get too much pent up energy.

7) Coping Tools

These shouldn’t be used as permanent solutions but can help as you train them to be okay with being separated from you.

Calming dog treats – Hemp Calming Chews are one of the best on amazon.
Thundershirt – This thundershirt is one of the best you can find on amazon.
Calming aid supplements – Purina Pro Veterinary Calming Care is one of the better supplements on amazon.

Each of these can help lessen how anxious your whippet is feeling but won’t help them overcome these feelings.

Only proper training can help them curb their separation anxiety and become okay with being alone.

2 Things You Shouldn’t Do If Your Whippet Has Separation Anxiety

2 things you absolutely shouldn’t do if your whippet has separation anxiety is,

Get another dog
Punish them

Getting another dog is not a solution that will help cure your whippet’s separation anxiety.

It can actually put both dogs at risk of harming one another if your whippet lashes out because they’re feeling anxious.

It’s up to you to help your pup overcome their anxiety.

Getting another dog isn’t going to help them deal with their strong negative emotions.

Secondly, you don’t want to punish your pup for behaving the way they are.

This will only make them feel more anxious.

More often than not they aren’t behaving this way to be defiant, they’re simply attempting to cope with their negative feelings.

And punishing them won’t help their situation.

Other posts you might find interesting:

Are Whippets Easy To Train? The Truth + Mistakes & Tips

Can Whippets Swim? 7 Facts, 5 Dangers, & 4 Helpful Tips

Can Whippets Be Service Dogs? 5 Ways They Can & Can’t

Sources:

Whippet

Separation Anxiety