Separation anxiety in dogs: signs, causes and a training plan

Merck describes separation distress as fear or anxiety that arises during, or in anticipation of, the absence of the people a dog is attached to. Some dogs are upset only when one particular person leaves; others only when they are left with no company at all. Either way, the signs cluster around your leaving. (Merck)

The common signs

• Barking, howling or whining that seems triggered by nothing except being alone. (ASPCA, RSPCA)
• Chewing, digging or scratching at doors, door frames and window sills, or at your belongings, sometimes hard enough to hurt itself. (ASPCA, Merck)
• Toilet accidents indoors, but only when alone. Soiling in front of you is probably something else. (ASPCA)
• Pacing in a fixed pattern, restlessness, drooling, and not eating while you are out. (ASPCA, Merck)
• Escape attempts from a crate or room, which can lead to broken teeth and torn nails. Confined dogs commonly damage kennels, walls or doors trying to reach their owners. (ASPCA, Merck)

Signs before you leave and when you return

Many dogs start to worry as you get ready: they pace, pant, whine or follow you as you pick up keys or put on shoes. VCA describes dogs that shake, shiver, salivate or become quiet and withdrawn as you go. On your return the greeting is often exaggerated and hard to calm. (Merck, VCA)

When the signs start

Signs typically begin within the first 15 to 30 minutes after you leave, and barking tends to peak early in the absence. The RSPCA puts it as within a few to 30 minutes. That timing is one of the most useful clues, so record the first half hour after you leave. (Merck, Merck, RSPCA)

Not every anxious dog shows it. The RSPCA reports that half of dogs who struggle alone show no obvious signs, which is why it suggests a camera even if your dog seems fine. (RSPCA)

No one cause explains every case, but the ASPCA lists the situations that most often set it off. Many involve a sudden change in who is around or how much time the dog spends alone. (ASPCA)

• A change of guardian or family, including surrender to a shelter or rehoming. (ASPCA)
• A sudden change in schedule, such as going from working at home to leaving the dog alone for six or more hours at a time. (ASPCA)
• A move to a new home. (ASPCA)
• The loss of a household member, through death or someone moving out. (ASPCA)
• Something frightening that happened while alone, such as a storm or fireworks. Noise phobia and separation distress often occur together, and both need treatment. (VCA, Merck)

Temperament and genes play a part. In a survey of 13,700 Finnish pet dogs, dogs with separation-related behaviour were 2.8 times more likely to be fearful, it was slightly more common in males, and breeds differed widely in every anxiety trait, which suggests a genetic contribution. (Sci Rep)

Whatever the trigger, the behaviour is distress, not spite or disobedience. A dog that chews the door frame is trying to reach you, not punishing you for leaving. (ASPCA, Merck)

Mild cases often respond to counterconditioning alone: pair your leaving with something your dog loves. Give a food-stuffed puzzle toy that takes at least 20 to 30 minutes to finish every time you go, and pick it up when you return. If your dog will not touch it while you are out, that is a sign the anxiety is more than mild. (ASPCA)

Moderate and severe cases need desensitisation and counterconditioning: many short separations that do not cause anxiety, lengthened gradually. Desensitisation means exposing a dog to a situation in small steps, increased only as long as it stays calm. The ASPCA plan, step by step: (ASPCA, Merck)

1. Leaving cues without leaving. Pick up your keys, put on your coat or shoes, then sit down again, several times a day, until the cues stop predicting that you will go. VCA suggests three or four repetitions a day, only when your dog is calm. (ASPCA, VCA)
2. Out-of-sight stays. Ask for a sit or down-stay and step behind an inside door, such as the bathroom, then a bedroom door. Start with absences of one to two seconds. (ASPCA)
3. Lengthen slowly. Build to five to ten seconds, then give a stuffed food toy before you step out. Wait a few minutes between absences, and start the next one only when your dog is completely relaxed. (ASPCA)
4. Move to an exit door. Start with a door you do not usually leave by. Add only a few seconds per session, or every couple of sessions, and vary the length rather than always going up. (ASPCA, VCA)
5. Build to 40 minutes. This is the stage that takes the longest. Make the practice departures real: coat on, out of the door, car started if you drive. (ASPCA, VCA)
6. Then larger steps. From 40 minutes, lengthen absences in 5-minute steps at first, then later in 15-minute steps. (ASPCA)
7. From 90 minutes, try four hours. A dog relaxed alone for 90 minutes can probably handle four to eight hours. Try four first, then work up to eight over a few days. (ASPCA)

The rule on every step: if your dog shows stress, such as dilated pupils, panting, yawning, drooling, trembling, pacing or an exuberant greeting, back up to an absence short enough that it relaxes again, start from there, and progress more slowly. Merck recommends filming the practice departures to make sure your dog stays under its anxiety threshold. (ASPCA, Merck)

Run several sessions a day at weekends and two on weekdays, before work and in the evening. Alongside the sessions, teach your dog to settle on a mat and reward calm, independent behaviour, and give at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day, ideally before you leave. Our planned dog exercise guide will cover how much each dog needs. (ASPCA, VCA)

Desensitisation only works if your dog is not being pushed past its limit the rest of the time. The ASPCA says that during training the dog must never be left alone except in sessions, and Merck says to minimise time alone to avoid making the anxiety worse. That is the hard part for most owners, so plan it before you start. (ASPCA, Merck)

• Doggy day care or a sitter’s home for working days. (ASPCA, Merck)
• A dog walker or sitter who comes in, for company and exercise. (RSPCA)
• A friend or family member who stays with your dog, or taking your dog to work if you can. (ASPCA, VCA)
• A camera, so you can see what really happens and check for hidden distress. (RSPCA, VCA)
• A gated room instead of a crate if your dog is distressed when crated. (ASPCA)

How long a dog can reasonably be left at all is a separate question from separation anxiety. The RSPCA advises not leaving a dog alone for more than four hours, and a puppy for much less. Our guide on how long a dog can be left alone sets out the sourced ranges by age. (RSPCA)

• Do not punish. Anxious behaviour is distress, not disobedience or spite. The RSPCA warns that even raising your voice or showing disappointment can scare your dog and make it worse, and punishing on your return teaches your dog to dread it. (ASPCA, RSPCA)
• Do not use aversive tools. AVSAB recommends only reward-based methods for all dog training, including the treatment of behaviour problems, and does not support aversives in any context. It lists fear, anxiety, stress and aggression among the risks of aversive training. (AVSAB, AVSAB)
• Do not crate a panicking dog. Heavy panting, drooling, frantic escape attempts or constant barking in a crate mean it is the wrong place. VCA warns that crates can cause escape attempts and serious injury. (ASPCA, VCA)
• Do not make departures and arrivals a big event. Keep goodbyes and hellos calm, and ignore your dog on return until it settles. (ASPCA, VCA)
• Do not rush. Big jumps in time away undo progress. Merck notes that training based on punishment or confrontation is more likely to lead to fear, avoidance and aggression. (VCA, Merck)

Some guides still suggest booby traps or startle devices to keep a dog away from a door. AVSAB’s position rules out aversives, so this plan leaves them out. (AVSAB)

Medication is a conversation for your vet, not a shop purchase, and it never replaces training. The ASPCA says anti-anxiety medication can help dogs with severe separation anxiety tolerate being alone and make progress faster, but that medication alone rarely works and most dogs need it combined with behaviour modification. (ASPCA)

For separation distress, the classes Merck lists that your vet may discuss are: (Merck)

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). (Merck)
• Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). (Merck)
• Rapid-onset “situational” medications given before an absence, one of which Merck lists is a benzodiazepine. (Merck)

VCA notes that tranquillisers on their own may only sedate a dog without reducing its anxiety, and that retraining is still needed. Do not give any medication or supplement for anxiety without speaking to your vet, and ask about any calming product you are considering. Our guide to the wider topic of dog anxiety covers other kinds of fear and stress. (VCA, ASPCA)

No source gives a single figure, and the honest answer is that each dog moves at its own pace. What the sources say: (ASPCA, Merck)

• The ASPCA says there are no standard timelines; the process takes many weeks, and with several sessions a day it can sometimes be done within a few weeks. (ASPCA)
• Getting to 40 minutes alone takes a significant amount of time, much longer than the later stages. (ASPCA)
• Merck says treatment can take months, and owners should know that from the start. (Merck)
• Some behaviour problems need treatment for a year or longer. (Merck)
• VCA calls it a long process, and says the medications it describes are typically used over several months. (VCA)

The fastest route is usually the slowest-looking one: steps short enough that your dog never panics. A dog pushed too far has to go back down the ladder, which costs more time than going slowly in the first place. (ASPCA)

Start with your own vet. Several medical problems cause the same accidents and restlessness, and only a vet can rule them out. Your vet can also discuss medication and refer you on. The RSPCA advises seeing your vet if the advice is not helping, and asking for a referral to a clinical animal behaviourist. (ASPCA, RSPCA)

A veterinary behaviourist is a vet first. The title is specific to vets board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB), after a clinical internship, a residency of three to five years and a board exam; they use the letters DACVB. Because they are vets, they can treat both the physical and the behavioural side, including prescribing anti-anxiety medication. (VCA)

Other professionals. A Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) can design a behaviour plan but, unless also a vet, cannot diagnose or treat physical problems. Dog training is not legally regulated, so if you use a trainer, check that they have specific experience treating fear with desensitisation and counterconditioning. (VCA, ASPCA)

When to go straight to a specialist. When the behaviour is intense, a safety concern, may involve illness or has changed suddenly, VCA advises starting with a veterinary behaviourist or a CAAB. The ASPCA recommends one of the two to design a desensitisation plan for moderate or severe separation anxiety. Your vet can refer you; the ACVB website lists its board-certified members. (VCA, ASPCA)

Every figure and threshold on this page comes from the veterinary sources below, and each one is linked where it is used. Where no source gives a cut-off, we say call your vet rather than invent one.