Separation Anxiety is defined as a state of intense panic brought on by the dog’s separation from it’s owner. It is one of the most common problems among dogs that new owners are faced with. Many dogs develop this problem to some degree but some have a lot harder time with it than others.

Possible Causes

Your dogs separation anxiety can be caused by several things. Dogs from a pet store or a shelter are more prone to this because they have experienced significant trauma by being separated from their mothers at too young an age or being separated from their previous owner for whatever reason. Other reasons that could be contributing factors are that they have not been properly socialized with other people or animals. Dogs are social animals that need interaction, attention and affection to keep them happy and if you are apart from them and they are left alone for long periods that are likely to have problems.

Signs and Symptoms

You can tell if your dog has separation anxiety by the signs he shows when you are out of his eyesight or if you are getting ready to leave. Our dog knows by which shoes I put on that I am leaving and she’s not going with. Molly actually just goes into her crate when we start putting on shoes. But some dogs start to become anxious, following you from room to room, maybe whining and becoming nervous or starting to tremble. Some dogs will even try to stop you from leaving, barking incessantly or jumping on you. When you get home they are overly excited about greeting you and will almost turn themselves inside out in a frenzy of trying to show you how happy they are that you are home. Do not encourage them, it only shows them that you approve of what they’re doing when in reality they have a problem that needs to be fixed.

Things You Can Do

First thing to remember is that a tired dog is a good dog. Give her plenty of exercise before you leave. The longer you exercise, the more tired they get, the better. Create a distraction by giving them a bone or a Kong filled with peanut butter about 15 minutes before you leave. For puppies when you first bring them home and have acclimated them to their new home, I hope you say crate, you can put a ticking clock near their bed. It will simulate their mother’s heartbeat. You should also be training them to be alone by leaving their eyesight for short periods of time. So they get used to not seeing you but knowing that you will come back. You can leave a radio or tv on when you leave. You can also do things that signal you are leaving but then don’t leave. You can act as if you’re getting ready to leave like jingling your keys, putting on your shoes and jacket, then sit back down. Or leave the room and come back in. This will help them to get over the feeling of being abandoned if they know you will be back. If you train them early on when they first come home with you, you can effectively avoid this very common problem of separation anxiety before it gets out of hand.