Greenbriar Animal Hospital

Separation anxiety causes dogs to become very agitated when left alone. Rescued adult dogs are particularly susceptible, but any dog who’s home situation has sudden or drastic changes can develop separation anxiety, even if they’ve never had problems before. And some dogs just seem to be very anxious from birth! Symptoms include extreme noisy and/or destructive behavior (but always and only while owners are away from the home). Dogs with separation anxiety typically become upset when their people are getting ready to leave the home.

Major tips about separation anxiety:

Dogs with this condition do not have the self-confidence to know they really belong and this is their home.

Most dogs with separation anxiety will benefit from increased daily exercise and being taught new skills, either at home or in classes (obedience, agility, etc.). These activities will increase your dog’s self confidence.

You’ll need to change your habits when you get ready to leave home so it is easier on your dog. It will also help if you can do frequent ‘practice’ leavings at first so he learns that you DO come back soon.

Many dogs will need temporary medication to help them get over separation anxiety, but the most important thing you can do for your dog is to work on simple behavior modification steps. See below for more details.

When you leave, have some type of chew, kong, treat ball, etc. that you save for only these times. It needs to be something your dog will work on for a while, and something he really enjoys. Give it to him calmly right after saying goodbye and just as you go out the door – “Here’s your goodie, Sam” and then leave.

Analyze what you do when you leave, and shorten/defuse your leaving ritual. Do you put on your shoes, get your coat, then grab purse, keys, etc.? The night before, place your shoes, coat, purse, and keys right next to the door. Put your shoes on and go. Keep it low-key and fast. Just say “Bye, Sam, see you later” and go.

Miscellaneous helpful things to know about separation anxiety:

At all times, give positive rewards (treats, praise, petting) for desired behavior - calmness. Ignore attention seeking or hyperactive behavior – don’t soothe, don’t speak, don’t pet or re-assure, leave the room if necessary. Also practice leaving but don’t actually leave – grab your keys and purse, then put them down as if nothing happened (or do whatever you usually do before leaving). Ignore your dog entirely while this is happening.

When you come home, be very low-key, quiet, and calm. Ignore your dog until he is calm. Act like you’ve only gone out to the mailbox! If you don’t make a big deal out of it, after a while, neither will your dog.

Separation anxiety can be cured or at least toned way down to a much more comfortable level, but it does take some work. If you think your dog may have separation anxiety, don’t continue to suffer with it, and don’t allow your dog to continue to suffer with it, either. It is a miserable way to live every day! Call for an appointment, and the doctor will assess the status of your dog’s health, help you decide if medication is appropriate, and outline some simple steps that can really help. In the meantime, investigate training classes for you and your dog, and begin increasing his/her daily exercise level – see our handout “Exercise and your dog”.