Overcoming Dog Separation Anxiety

Does your dog tear apart the house when you’re not home? Do they become restless and whimper when you’re ready to leave?  

If so, your dog may suffer from separation anxiety, a common behavior problem affecting many dogs. Separation anxiety can be frustrating and distressing for you and your dog, and, fortunately, there are some ways to ease your dog's anxiety.

So, if you’d like to help ease your dog’s panic, keep reading to learn about symptoms, potential causes, and five ways to help your dog relax when you’re not at home.

What is Dog Separation Anxiety?

Separation anxiety (SA) is when your dog experiences extreme stress from the moment you leave them alone until you return.

There are a handful of symptoms (listed below!) that your dog may show, but ultimately your dog will act as if they are afraid to be alone in your home.

Animal behaviorists believe that dog separation anxiety is the equivalent of a human panic attack—and many of us know how terrible and frightening those can be.

Dogs of all ages can experience separation anxiety.

Whether you’re bringing a puppy home or adopting an adult or elder dog, there is always a chance that they may experience separation anxiety. Some dogs may be more predisposed to it than others.

Please don’t beat yourself up if you’re dealing with dog separation anxiety—separation anxiety can be challenging. Still, there are a lot of ways to help remedy this issue.

Dog Separation Anxiety Signs & Symptoms

No single defining sign will prove your dog has separation anxiety because dogs can exhibit various symptoms. 

If your dog does display a couple of these symptoms, it may not mean that they have separation anxiety. However, if they experience multiple symptoms regularly, they may have separation anxiety.

Here are some common behaviors seen in dog separation anxiety:

Barking and Howling

Your dog may bark or howl when left alone or even separated from his guardian. This type of barking is much different than what you would typically hear from your dog–it’s persistent and seemingly triggered by being left alone.

Chewing and Destruction

Those videos on social media with an owner coming home to the couch ripped up, walls chewed apart, or the garbage spread throughout the house show the type of chewing and destruction common to separation anxiety.

Chewing and other types of destruction can result in injury—broken teeth, cuts on their paws, and damaged nails.

And if your dog likes to ingest what it destroys, much of it is undigestible and can lead to intestinal blockages (which can be deadly to your dog if not promptly taken to the vet).

Escaping

Dogs can be incredible escape artists when panic sets in. The chewing and destruction mentioned earlier can be your dog’s attempt to escape and find you.

Dogs are even known for escaping cages. If you keep your dog in a cage when you leave, please take their collar off them—there are many cases of dogs strangling themselves when their collars get stuck on cage wires and other objects around the house.

Pacing

Dogs will pace to expend anxious energy when left alone. Dogs will also try to express that nervous energy through trembling or whining. You may notice these behaviors when you’re getting ready to go.

Drooling and Panting

When stressed, some dogs may drool excessively or pant.

Urinating and Defecating

Dogs might go to the bathroom in the house when left alone, even if they are typically very good at alerting you to their needs when you’re with them. Another layer to this symptom is coprophagia, where dogs eat their feces when left alone.

Causes of Dog Separation Anxiety

There is no clear-cut cause as to why dogs develop separation anxiety. Some are simply more prone to it than others.

However, some potential triggers for SA have been identified:

•   The dog’s personality.
• Never being left alone before.
• Traumatic separation (e.g., abandonment at dog shelters)
• A single traumatic event (e.g., home robbery, natural disaster)
• Life changes (e.g., change in schedule, new house, absence of a family member, change in the guardian)
• Lack of daily exercise

Knowing when and where an issue started is always nice, but prevention and treatment are more important when helping your dog.

5 Steps To Help Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety

1. Crate Training

A crate can become your dog’s safe haven if you train them correctly. Of course, it’s easier to begin crate training when your dog is younger. But, with patience, older dogs can learn that their crate is a safe, relaxing place that comes with amazing things like chew toys and food puzzles.

Pay attention to whether your dog settles down or panics when placed in their crate. The goal is not to have your dog be in their crate for long periods of time every single day. It’s to teach your dog that there’s a comforting place for them when they do experience anxiety.

2. Desensitization

Pairing your departure with something positive will ease your dog’s separation anxiety. Teach your dog that being away from you comes with rewards. But how? Leave your dog alone for short periods–2 minutes, 5 minutes, and keep building over time.

If your dog begins panicking when you’re preparing to leave, whip out a high-value treat that they only get when you’re about to leave. The high-value treat at that moment will help them associate your leaving with something positive.

Desensitizing can help when your dog tends to be too anxious to want their high-value treat. For example, if the panic begins before you leave, put on your coat and pick up your keys but stay in the house and do something else like washing dishes. This will desensitize your dog from linking your jacket and keys to you leaving the house.

3. Exercise

Exercise is an excellent way for your dog to expend excess energy and help them settle down easier when you leave. Try playing with a toy or going for a morning walk for physical exercise. If your dog still has energy after exercise, try mentally stimulating them.

Mental stimulation is often more exhausting for dogs, especially those who never tire of playing fetch. Here are some of our favorite ways:

• 10-15-minute training sessions
• Food puzzles    
• Snuffle mats

4. Build Confidence

Believe it or not, dogs can lack confidence. Desensitizing your dog to things that stimulate, excite, or stress it out can help (like wearing your coat inside without going anywhere). Other ways to boost their confidence are through training sessions, food puzzles, and even climbing up on big rocks or retaining walls while on walks.

Remember that your dog can and will pick up on how you feel. Your anxiety is their anxiety. And your excitement is their excitement. That’s why dog trainers will tell you to leave and return home without much fanfare—especially when working on alleviating your dog’s separation anxiety.

5. Medication

First things first: medicating your dog does not mean you failed. Medication is as much of a tool as everything mentioned above. You can train and train with some results—but your dog may be too anxious and panicked to absorb what it’s learning.

Please consult your vet before deciding which medication to try.

What Won’t Help Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety

Punishing your dog for destroying, chewing, and going to the bathroom inside will worsen their separation anxiety and damage your relationship with them.

Separation Anxiety Recap

There’s no doubt that overcoming separation anxiety is challenging. By understanding the signs, potential causes, and different techniques to help, your dog will learn to settle down when you’re not around.

Some key ways to overcome canine separation anxiety are gradually increasing your dog's time alone, providing mental and physical stimulation, and using positive reinforcement and associations to reward your dog.