Dog Separation Anxiety Guide: Everything Your Dog Needs To Get Through The Disorder

Anyone who has treated dog's separation anxiety knows the seriousness of this behaviour problem.

This separation-related disorder (SRD) rears its ugly head when dogs are left alone by the figure to whom they are attached. 

The attachment figure can be the dog’s owner or a person in the household with whom the dog displays a strong affiliation.

So, what is separation anxiety and how can you tell if your dog is suffering from the disorder?

Separation Anxiety Defined

Separation anxiety is a feeling of extreme worry, sadness, or pain in the absence of an attachment figure.

If you've ever come across any dog that drools or feels uncomfortable when the owner prepares to leave the house, chances are, you've seen a dog with separation anxiety.  

Dogs with separation anxiety also urinate, defecate, bark, howl, chew, dig or try to escape whenever the owners aren't around, but display unwelcome exuberance (including vocalisation and jumping-up) when they return.

Although this behaviour may be motivated by frustration, rather than simply fear or anxiety, lack of proper training, exercise, discipline and socialization may also turn these innocent creatures into dogs who eat their poop and destroy things.

When it gets to this point, the stress of caring for these dogs can be a source of horrible nightmare, pushing the frustrated dog owners to sale, abandon, rehome or euthanize their dogs.

Some dog owners neither treat dog separation anxiety nor strive to improve their relationships with their dogs. Instead, they buy or adopt another dog that they will not love and cherish until their time naturally comes.

It's like a cycle: They adopt or buy a dog, pay little attention to their training and upbringing, feel frustrated when the dog develops separation anxiety, and then, sale, abandon, or euthanize.

I know that some breeds are just so difficult for people with no prior experience in dog training to handle. And in my personal experience, it is possible to own a dog without adequate knowledge of the breed.

After pondering on the reasons good dogs go bad, I've since realized that this isn't just a problem common to novice dog owners, experienced dog parents sometimes encounter dogs with separation anxiety.

So, there are many reasons why dog owners abandon or put down dogs suffering from separation anxiety.

Sometimes dog owners have an unrealistic expectation of how their dogs should behave, so that when they behave badly the owners become upset, other times it's because they didn't know that owning a dog comes with lots of responsibilities.

Most times, it could be that the dog owner is going through lots of financial and emotional distress caused by the dog.

Effects Of Separation Anxiety On Dogs

The effects of separation anxiety on dogs are terrifying. They include:

1. Self-mutilation

Dogs that are suffering from separation anxiety can inflict injuries to themselves while trying to destroy things at home when the owner is away.

The injuries can range from torn tongue to broken teeth, face and feet.

2. Severe skin problems

Separation anxiety is associated with a higher incidence of, and more severe, skin problems for dogs.

3. Fearfulness

Dogs with separation anxiety are likely to show anxious behavior in response to loud noises such as fireworks and thunderstorms.

4. Aggression

Generally, dogs with separation anxiety are more likely to be aggressive toward their owners or strangers and to engage in phobic or compulsive behaviours.

Effects Of Separation Anxiety On Dog Owners

Dog separation anxiety can have huge negative impact on the owner. They include:

1. Financial distress

Fixing damages that a separation anxious dog inflict on drywall, tile, and electrical insulation may involve huge amount of money that can impact on your finances negatively.

Losing properties when a dog sets fire to your house while chewing electricity supply in your absence can be a huge financial setback.

2. Emotional distress

When your dog barks excessively while you're away, there's tendency for neighbours to feel disturbed or offended by the excessive vocalisation. This can put a strain on the relationship with your neighbours leading to emotional distress.

What Triggers Separation Anxiety in Dogs?

Owning a dog with separation anxiety is really difficult. Often, we try to treat the dogs because it's hard to let them go, especially if you've invested time and energy into improving your relationship with them. While it may be difficult to know a dog that will develop separation anxiety in future, there are some potential causes or triggers of separation anxiety in dogs.

Study has shown that obedience training, timing of meal times, and sleeping arrangements, as well as owners' prior experience of dog ownership and their reasons for acquiring dogs, are all significantly related to the prevalence of certain behaviour problems.

1. Owners attitude

Although linking owners to their pets' behaviour problems may be considered counterproductive to successful treatment, experts are of the opinion that the attitude of dog owners may contribute to some behaviour problems. Scientific study has also supported this hypothesis.

For instance, the time you spend in carrying out some shared activities with your dog will increase or decrease the chances of your dog developing behaviour problems.

If you spend more time in carrying out some activities with your dog, chances are, your dog will be less likely to have separation anxiety. But, if you spend little time in playing, socialising or carrying out shared activities with your dog, your dog will more likely develop the disorder.

Another popular theory has linked hyper-attachment or over-attachment to separation anxiety. Proponents of this theory are of the opinion that owners who encourage their dogs to sleep  on the same bed or sofa with them risk raising dogs that are too attached to them, and may react adversely to separation.

2. Negative early experience such as too early separation from their dams

In their quest for money, unethical breeders separate puppies from their dams at a very early age and sell them to innocent buyers. When this happens, such pups are more likely to develop separation anxiety as adults. 

Study has shown that puppies are particularly sensitive to psychological and physical disturbances at the very early stage of their development. Separation from their dams, littermates, and familiar environments may result in fear, distress and impaired learning.

Puppies learn how to interact with their environments between 3 and 16 weeks of age more than during any other period in their lives because they depend on their dams and littermates to learn important behaviors that have lifelong implications. They also learn preferences for surfaces on which to eliminate and normal elimination behaviors, such as eliminating away from resting areas between three to five weeks of age.

If puppies are separated from their dams and littermates at a very early stage, some owners may find it difficult to teach their puppies those important behaviours later in life. This can lead to behaviours indicative of separation anxiety in future.

3. A traumatic experience while alone

A certain event that took place while your dog was alone can trigger separation anxiety disorder. If a dog is tied to a place and left alone for weeks, the chance of developing separation anxiety maybe increased.

4. A change in family circumstance

A sudden change in family circumstance can trigger separation anxiety in dogs. For example, if you were working from home during the pandemic and spend time with your dog but then resumes in your office and start spending more time away from your dog, the dog may develop separation anxiety because of the sudden change in your family circumstance.

5. Genetic predisposition

Although scientific data on dog's genetic predisposition to separation anxiety are lacking, a study published in Scientific Reports found that certain anxieties clustered in specific breeds. 

In the study, noise sensitivity was most pronounced in Lagotto Romagnolos (a large, fuzzy retriever native to Italy), Wheaten terriers, and mixed breed dogs while, the most fearful breeds were Spanish water dogs, Shetland dogs, and mixed breeds. Taken together, the results suggest that some types of dogs are genetically predisposed to these anxieties.

How Do You Treat Your Dog's Separation Anxiety?

Treatment can help you reduce or stop separation anxiety in your dog, but you can't succeed in the treatment if you don't even know what the symptoms of the disorder is in the first place.

If the following behaviours take place while you're away from home, it could be signs that your dog is having separation anxiety.

Not all dogs that eat their poops, urinate, defaecate, bark, howl, chew and destroy are suffering from separation anxiety. Boredom, urine marking, excitement, and some medical conditions can trigger some of the behaviours indicative of separation anxiety in dogs.

So, if in doubt, please visit your vet or a trained and certified animal behaviour expert.

• Urinating and defaecating — dogs with separation anxiety are likely going to urinate or defecate when left alone or separated from their guardians.
• Eating poop (Coprophagia) — if your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, he may eat his poop while you're away.
• Barking and howling — if your dog barks or howls when no stranger is approaching your home while you're away, chances are, he's suffering from separation anxiety.
• Chewing, Digging and Destruction — most dogs that suffer from separation anxiety chew on objects, door frames or window sills, dig at doors and doorways, or destroy household objects when left alone or separated from their guardians.
• Escaping — some dogs with separation anxiety may escape from an area where he’s confined when he’s left alone or separated from his guardian.
• Pacing — this occurs when a dog walks or trots along a specific path in a fixed pattern. If your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, he may pace back and forth in a straight line or move around in circular patterns when you're away.

How To Stop Or Treat Separation Anxiety In Dogs

You don't have to be a certified animal behaviour consultant before stopping your dog from having separation anxiety. By following the right steps, sticking to good dog training routine and medication, you can change your anxious dog in a short time.

To help you stop or treat dog separation anxiety, I've outlined the methods you should use depending on the severity of the disorder.

1. Counterconditioning

2. Systematic desensitization

3. Crate training

4. Jobs and exercises

5. Medication

1. Counterconditioning (Best for dogs with mild separation anxiety)

The term “counterconditioning” may appear big, but it simply means changing your dog's emotional response, feelings or attitude toward a stimulus.

If your dog is suffering from mild separation anxiety, changing his emotional response, feelings or attitude towards fear may stop or reduce the problem. But this method may prove difficult for dogs with severe separation anxiety because such dogs hardly eat when their owners are away.

You can begin the counterconditioning process by associating the sight or presence of a feared or disliked person, animal, place, object or situation with something really good, or something your dog loves. If done properly over some time, your dog will learn that whatever he fears actually predicts good things for him.

Since your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, try to focus on developing an association between being alone and good things, like delicious food. To teach your dog this kind of association, give your dog a puzzle toy stuffed with food that will last him for at least 20 to 30 minutes before you leave home. When you return, remove the special toys immediately so that your dog only has access to them and the high-value foods inside when he’s by himself. 

You can continue to feed your dog all of his daily meals in special toys before going to work.

2. Systematic desensitization — best for dogs with moderate or severe separation anxiety

Systematic desensitization is effective in stopping or treating moderate or severe separation anxiety.

You can start using this method by gradually exposing your dog to loneliness. Begin with short separations that do not produce anxiety and then gradually increase the duration of the separations over many weeks of daily sessions.

Follow the steps below to stop or treat dog separation anxiety:

Step 1: Expose Your Dog To Predeparture Cues

Follow this step if your dog displays behaviours indicative of separation anxiety anytime you prepare to leave home.

With this step, you're going to to teach your dog that preparing to leave the house doesn’t always mean you’re leaving. Begin this method by exposing your dog to these predeparture cues in various orders several times a day—without leaving the house. 

You can just put on your boots and coat for instance, and then watch TV instead of leaving home. You can also pick up your keys, and then sit down at the kitchen table for awhile. This will reduce your dog’s anxiety because these cues won’t always lead to your departure, and so your dog won’t get so anxious when he sees them.

For this method to be effective, you must expose your dog to the predeparture cues many times for several weeks without actually leaving home. Immediately when you notice that your dog doesn’t become anxious when he sees you getting ready to leave, you can move on to the second step below.

Step 2: Graduated Departures/Absences

This step will only be effective if your dog is less anxious before you leave home.

The graduated departures/absences entails leaving home briefly and returning before your dog becomes upset about your departure.

 Begin this step by training your dog to perform out-of-sight stays by an inside door in the home, such as the bathroom. You can teach your dog to sit or down and stay while you go to the other side of the bathroom door.

When carrying out this step, ensure that you increase the length of time you wait on the other side of the door, out of your dog’s sight gradually.

You can also work on getting your dog used to predeparture cues as you practice the stay. For example, ask your dog to stay. Then put on your coat, pick up your purse and go into the bathroom while your dog continues to stay.

Continue doing out-of-sight stay exercises at a bedroom door, and then later at an exit door. But if you usually leave through the front door, do the exercises at the back door first. If you follow the step correctly, your dog will not display separation anxiety behaviours when you start working with him at exit doors since he has a history of playing the “stay game.”

When you get to this point in the systematic desensitization method, begin to introduce very short absences into your training. Start with absences that last only one to two seconds, and then slowly increase the time you’re out of your dog’s sight. When you’ve trained up to separations of five to ten seconds long, build in counterconditioning by giving your dog a stuffed food toy just before you step out the door. The food-stuffed toy also works as a safety cue that tells the dog that this is a “safe” separation.

During your sessions, be sure to wait a few minutes between absences. After each short separation, it’s important to make sure that your dog is completely relaxed before you leave again. If you leave again right away, while your dog is still excited about your return from the previous separation, he’ll already feel aroused when he experiences the next absence. This arousal might make him less able to tolerate the next separation, which could make the problem worse rather than better.

Remember to behave in a very calm and quiet manner when going out and coming in. This will lower the contrast between times when you’re there and times when you’re gone.

You must judge when your dog is able to tolerate an increase in the length of separation. Each dog reacts differently, so there are no standard timelines. Deciding when to increase the time that your dog is alone can be very difficult, and many pet parents make errors. They want treatment to progress quickly, so they expose their dogs to durations that are too long, which provokes anxiety and worsens the problem. To prevent this kind of mistake, watch for signs of stress in your dog. These signs might include dilated pupils, panting, yawning, salivating, trembling, pacing and exuberant greeting. If you detect stress, you should back up and shorten the length of your departures to a point where your dog can relax again. Then start again at that level and progress more slowly.

You will need to spend a significant amount of time building up to 40-minute absences because most of your dog’s anxious responses will occur within the first 40 minutes that he’s alone. This means that over weeks of conditioning, you’ll increase the duration of your departures by only a few seconds each session, or every couple of sessions, depending on your dog’s tolerance at each level. Once your dog can tolerate 40 minutes of separation from you, you can increase absences by larger chunks of time (5-minute increments at first, then later 15-minute increments). Once your dog can be alone for 90 minutes without getting upset or anxious, he can probably handle four to eight hours. (Just to be safe, try leaving him alone for four hours at first, and then work up to eight full hours over a few days.)

This treatment process can be accomplished within a few weeks if you can conduct several daily sessions on the weekends and twice-daily sessions during the work week, usually before leaving for work and in the evenings.

A Necessary Component of Separation Anxiety Treatment

During desensitization to any type of fear, it is essential to ensure that your dog never experiences the full-blown version of whatever provokes his anxiety or fear. He must experience only a low-intensity version that doesn’t frighten him. Otherwise, he won’t learn to feel calm and comfortable in situations that upset him. This means that during treatment for separation anxiety, your dog cannot be left alone except during your desensitization sessions. Fortunately there are plenty of alternative arrangements:

If possible, take your dog to work with you.

Arrange for a family member, friend or dog sitter to come to your home and stay with your dog when you’re not there. (Most dogs suffering from separation anxiety are fine as long as someone is with them. That someone doesn’t necessarily need to be you.)

Take your dog to a sitter’s house or to a doggy daycare.

In addition to your graduated absences exercises, all greetings (hellos and goodbyes) should be conducted in a very calm manner. When saying goodbye, just give your dog a pat on the head, say goodbye and leave. Similarly, when arriving home, say hello to your dog and then don’t pay any more attention to him until he’s calm and relaxed. The amount of time it takes for your dog to relax once you’ve returned home will depend on his level of anxiety and individual temperament. To decrease your dog’s excitement level when you come home, it might help to distract him by asking him to perform some simple behaviors that he’s already learned, such as sit, down or shake.

3. Crate train your dog

Crate training can be helpful for some dogs if they learn that the crate is their safe place to go when left alone. However, for other dogs, the crate can cause added stress and anxiety. In order to determine whether or not you should try using a crate, monitor your dog’s behavior during crate training and when he’s left in the crate while you’re home. If he shows signs of distress (heavy panting, excessive salivation, frantic escape attempts, persistent howling or barking), crate confinement isn’t the best option for him. Instead of using a crate, you can try confining your dog to one room behind a baby gate.

4. Engage your dog with Jobs and exercises

Providing lots of physical and mental stimulation is a vital part of treating many behavior problems, especially those involving anxiety. Exercising your dog’s mind and body can greatly enrich his life, decrease stress and provide appropriate outlets for normal dog behaviors. Additionally, a physically and mentally tired dog doesn’t have much excess energy to expend when he’s left alone. To keep your dog busy and happy, try the following suggestions:

Give your dog at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity (for example, running and swimming) every day. Try to exercise your dog right before you have to leave him by himself. This might help him relax and rest while you’re gone.

Play fun, interactive games with your dog, such as fetch and tug-of-war.  

Take your dog on daily walks and outings. Take different routes and visit new places as often as possible so that he can experience novel smells and sights.

If your dog likes other dogs, let him play off-leash with his canine buddies.

Frequently provide food puzzle toys. You can feed your dog his meals in these toys or stuff them with a little peanut butter, cheese or yogurt. Also give your dog a variety of attractive edible and inedible chew things. Puzzle toys and chew items encourage chewing and licking, which have been shown to have a calming effect on dogs. Be sure to provide them whenever you leave your dog alone.

Make your dog “hunt” his meals by hiding small piles of his kibble around your house or yard when you leave.

Enroll in a reward-based training class to increase your dog’s mental activity and enhance the bond between you and your dog. After you and your dog have learned a few new skills, you can mentally tire your dog out by practicing them right before you leave your dog home alone.

5. Use Medication

Always consult with your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist before giving your dog any type of medication for a behavior problem.

The use of medications can be very helpful, especially for severe cases of separation anxiety. Some dogs are so distraught by any separation from their pet parents that treatment can’t be implemented without the help of medication. Anti-anxiety medication can help a dog tolerate some level of isolation without experiencing anxiety. It can also make treatment progress more quickly.

On rare occasions, a dog with mild separation anxiety might benefit from drug therapy alone, without accompanying behavior modification. The dog becomes accustomed to being left alone with the help of the drug and retains this new conditioning after he’s gradually weaned off the medication. However, most dogs need a combination of medication and behavior modification.

Conclusion

Getting a dog through separation anxiety is never easy for a beginner or experienced dog parent.

You don't know whether the method you're using will work, there's no one to put you through, and you don't even have knowledge of dog behaviour and training.

That means you must endeavour to correct your dog in order to enjoy a fruitful and more fulfilling relationship.

You don’t correct your dog by yelling, selling or rehoming. You do it by learning more about the disorder and following the simple steps that can improve your dog's condition.

Then, when you repeat the steps using the various methods for a long time, your dog will begin to adjust. Although it is hard, it's not impossible to correct a dog with separation anxiety. Begin today so as to enjoy a happy relationship with your dog in future.