Dog Separation Anxiety: Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Dog

Yes, it’s common for dogs to whine or fuss a little bit when you’re leaving the house without them—they don’t want to be left out! But a true anxious episode will persist the entire time you’re gone, and may have harmful physical and mental effects on your dog.

What Causes Dog Separation Anxiety?

Dogs can develop separation anxiety for a number of reasons, and many of them are related to changes in the dog’s life. These include:

• Family changes: For example, when a member of the dog’s family moves out of the home

• Home changes: For example, when a dog is rehomed, or moves with their family to a new house

• Routine changes: For example, when a pet parent starts a new job with longer hours

Some dogs respond to changes like these with relatively little anxiety; for others, separation anxiety rears its stressed-out head. No one knows for sure why some dogs are more susceptible to separation anxiety than others. Even dogs who’ve been raised in supportive homes with plenty of attention and positive reinforcement can be affected—so don’t blame yourself!

Some experts believe that a dog’s genetics could play a role. Certain dog breeds appear to be more prone to separation anxiety than others, including:

But your dog’s breed isn’t the only factor; it's also not unusual for an individual dog from a "low risk" breed to develop separation anxiety.

Separation Anxiety and COVID: Why Dogs Are Susceptible Right Now

If there’s one silver lining to the “new normal” we’ve been living through in the past year, it’s that many of us have gotten to spend a lot more time with our favorite furry friends. They’ve warmed our laps while we typed, stolen the show in our Zoom calls and gotten us out of the house (even if it’s just for your puppy’s potty break).

Now, as more workplaces and schools across the country are reopening, our lives are starting to look a little bit more like they did back before the pandemic—and for many dogs, that means adjusting to you being out of the house more often. Many dogs are creatures of habit; they like the consistency of a daily routine. When that routine is upended—like, for example, when the pet parent they’ve spent every day with on the couch for the past year suddenly goes to work in an office for 8 hours each day—it can create feelings of anxiety for your dog.

Don’t worry—you’re not a bad dog parent just because you have to return to the office. There are plenty of ways to help your dog adjust. Click the links below to find out more.

When it comes to separation anxiety, most dogs respond best to a combination of treatments—and that combination often includes training techniques to help your pup overcome their anxiety. But before you start training, schedule a check-in with your vet. They can confirm that the symptoms you’ve noticed are really caused by separation anxiety, not a different health issue that needs medical attention. Plus, they’ll be able to make specific treatment recommendations for your unique dog, and help guide you when it comes to fitting training into your lifestyle.

Ready to get started? Follow these dog separation anxiety training steps to help your pup overcome their stress:

1 Set up a Safe Zone

Dogs with anxiety need a safe zone—a happy place that is both relaxing and distracting. This could be a bathroom or, if your dog is already crate trained, their crate. (Do not start crate training if your dog isn’t happy spending time there. This could actually worsen your dog’s anxiety; plus, they could injure themselves if they attempt to escape it.)

Make sure their safe zone has:

• a comfortable bed

• a water bowl

• a selection of distracting, food-dispensing toys, like the KONG Classic

Rather than closing the door to the room, which can increase your dog’s feelings of confinement, use pet gates, one stacked above another if necessary, to keep them inside.

2 Identify Your Dog’s Triggers

Sure, your dog’s anxiety is triggered by your absence—but at what point of your departure does their anxiety start? Many dogs with separation anxiety start becoming anxious when they pick up clues that their human is preparing to leave. Common triggers include departure cues like the sounds of keys, picking up your bag and putting on a jacket.

Start by going through the motions you’d normally take when you’re headed out, keeping an eye on your dog at each step. If your dog’s starts to show their symptoms of anxiety when you pick up your keys, for instance, you’ll know that’s a trigger for them.

3 Separate Your Dog’s Triggers From Your Absence

When you know what triggers your dog’s anxiety, start exposing your dog to that trigger regularly—without ever leaving home. If your dog starts to pace and whine when you pick up your keys, for instance, walk around the house holding and jingling your keys for about a minute. Repeat this session a couple times per day.

4 Reward Calm Behavior

Eventually, your dog will stop responding to their trigger with anxious behavior. The sound of your keys will no longer cause the dog in our example to pace and whine, for instance. This means that they’ve stopped associating their trigger with something bad (aka you leaving). But that doesn’t mean you should stop your training! Keep the sessions going, making sure to reward your dog with treats and praise when they remain calm. Now you’re teaching your dog to associate the sound of your keys with something good (aka treats and praise).

5 Practice Short Absences

Continue your dog separation anxiety training by gradually exposing your dog to short absences—and we mean super short. Put your dog in their safe zone with one of their distracting toys and leave the room… but just for a few seconds.

6Don’t Rush It

Continue working up to the amount of time you’ll spend away from your dog on a typical day. The key at this stage (and, really, at every stage of dog separation anxiety training) is to take it slow. Rushing your dog to get over their anxiety will almost certainly result in your dog becoming more anxious, which means you’ll have to go back a few steps in the process and start all over again.

If you follow the steps above and your dog’s anxiety isn’t improving, reach out to your vet or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. Experts like these can help identify where your training might need tweaking, and can suggest other methods to add to your dog’s behavior plan. (More on those in Other Ways to Help Dogs With Separation Anxiety.) You can also check out the links below to learn more about training that can help your dog's anxiety symptoms.

Dogs with separation anxiety tend to respond best to multimodal treatment—essentially, trying a combination of different tactics to treat their anxiety. So, if you want to give your dog the best shot at overcoming their stress, talk to your vet about these methods of treatment:

Dog Separation Anxiety Medications

Your vet can prescribe anxiety medications to help your pup calm down. Among the most common are:

• Reconcile (fluoxetine) is a serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that raises levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, a hormone that promotes your dog’s feelings of well-being, in the brain.

• Clomicalm (clomipramine) is a tricyclic antidepressant medication that works, in part, by increasing brain levels of serotonin and a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine that affects your dog’s stress levels.

Pheromones

Sprays containing dog appeasing pheromone, such as Adaptil Calming Spray, send the same messages that mother dogs use to comfort their puppies. (Imagine it comforting your dog just like your favorite homemade dish from childhood comforts you.)

Calming Supplements

Calming nutritional supplements, like Composure or Dr. Bill's Pet Nutrition Canine Behavior Support Dog Supplement use nutrients with soothing properties to help your pet relax. Other treats use homeopathic solutions for anti-anxiety, like Isle of Dogs Everyday Essentials 100% Natural Chillout Dog Treats which includes soothing lavender.

Anxiety Vests

Dog anxiety vests, like the ThunderShirt, work by wrapping dogs in reassuring, deep pressure.

Exercise

Before you leave home, make sure your dog gets a vigorous workout. A tired pup is a happy pup—or, at least, is a pup with less energy to devote to worrying about your absence. Between 40 and 60 minutes of exercise before you leave will help most young, healthy dogs chill out. For puppies, senior dogs, and dogs with medical concerns, ask your vet how much exercise is right for them.

Pet parents across the country are reporting feelings of separation anxiety as they prepare to return to in-person work commitments. Try these tips to ease your own transition back to the office:

Use a Pet Camera

Pet cameras let you check in on your furry friend when you feel anxious about leaving them alone. Some models—like the Pawbo+ Wi-Fi Interactive Pet Camera—even come with a treat dispenser, so you can show them some love even when you’re not at home.

Swipe Through Photos and Videos of Your Fur Baby

Like any good pet parent, your phone is probably full of cute pictures and videos of your fur kid. Whenever you’re feeling anxious, try swiping through your camera roll and remembering how excited you’ll both be when you get home. Think of it as bringing them with you, in a virtual sense.

Try One of These Toys for Stressed-out Humans

Some stress toys help focus your attention on something other than your anxiety, whether it’s solving a puzzle or combing a zen garden. Others release tension by squeezing a rubber ball. Either way, they’re fun! See some of our favorite stress toys for people (and their pets, too!) here.