Separation Anxiety in Dogs

One of the most challenging issues in dog training is separation anxiety in dogs, also known as owner absent misbehavior. This anxiety in dogs is often manifested in a variety of behavioral problems such as chewing, destroying the owner's property, excessive barking, self destructive behavior, and inappropriate urination and defecation.


Dogs suffering from separation anxiety often whine, bark, chew, dig, scratch, and howl the entire time the owner is gone. The issue is often made worse by the owner's reactive behavior of rushing back to the dog to ease his emotional pain. This only rewards the dog for undesirable behavior. The only effective way to deal with separation anxiety in dogs is to force the dog to get accustomed to periods of time when you and your family will be away from him.

I can remember when it was time for me and my family to leave for vacation. My dog Raleigh, a beautiful but dubious Yellow Lab, would watch me intently as I loaded every beach chair and suit case into the car. It never failed within10 minutes of the happy family pulling out of the driveway, Raleigh would disappear into the woods behind our house. The mistake I made, as do many dog owners, is that I made the situation worse by dragging out the departure and even letting my dog watch me preparing to depart. His dog anxiety was manifested in running away and by the time I found him my frustration level had risen to a point to where I scolded him. This only added to his separation anxiety. The best thing you can do before leaving your dog is take him for a brisk walk or some other exercise that will burn off some of his excess energy. Then put the dog in his crate or an area separate from where you are preparing for departure.

The separation anxiety in your dog’s mind is a form of fear so the key to dealing with your dog’s fear is to make him feel safe, secure, and comfortable before you leave. Make sure he has plenty of food and water, his environment is comfortable, and he has plenty of dog chews and toys to keep occupied while you are away. One of the best ways to keep him occupied is to get him a playmate such as another dog or even a cat. The key is to get him to forget about his anxiety of being separated from you and to refocus his thoughts to other things.

As I said before exercise is extremely important in dealing with anxiety in dogs. Set aside scheduled play time preferably right before you leave. As in humans, exercise is a great reliever of stress and anxiety. Most dogs will sleep the day away happily if exercised adequately. Let your settle down a bit before you leave him.

Finally, during this challenging time of dealing with your dog’s separation anxiety, it is very important that you set up some sort of routine on when you leave home and when you arrive back again. This shows your dog that you are not leaving him forever. This is especially true in dogs that have been abandoned or surrendered to a dog shelter by their owner. I know this sort of routine is not always easy but it is critical in coping with separation anxiety in dogs.