What is separation anxiety and how to treat it?

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Vets and trainers are often consulted about dogs, who when left alone, cry, howl, bark, urinate, defecate, or simply destroy everything in their paths. Whatever destructive or inappropriate behavior your dog engages in when you leave him alone, he is not doing it to “punish” you for leaving him alone. Rather, his behavior is generally the result of stress, fear and/or boredom.

Depending on your dog’s behavior when you are gone you can sometimes differentiate between stress-related behavior and boredom. For example, assuming you are giving your dog appropriate opportunities to relieve himself during the day, urinating and defecating in your absence is more likely to be a sign of stress than of housetraining problems. If upon returning home, your dog is panting and sticks to your side like glue, it is likely he is suffering from separation anxiety.

Many dog behavior experts sub-divide separation anxiety into “true” separation anxiety and “isolation distress.” With “true” separation anxiety your dog’s fears are focused on a particular person (“Oh no! Jane’s gone!”). With isolation distress, simply being alone is the problem for your dog. Thus, isolation distress can sometimes be alleviated by the company of other dogs or people – letting your dog stay with a friend when you are out or taking your dog to doggy daycare. Separation anxiety can be more challenging to address because your dog’s stress is triggered by being away from a particular person. To learn several things you can do lessen your dog’s separation anxiety, click here.