How to Fix Dog Separation Anxiety

Just like us, dogs can unfortunately experience anxiety. In this post, we discuss a common form of anxiety for dogs: separation anxiety. For many dogs, being apart from their humans can feel confusing and overwhelming. 

What is separation anxiety in dogs? 

Separation anxiety is an emotional response rooted in fear, uncertainty, and/or attachment. It isn’t about disobedience or bad behaviour, it’s an simply an emotional response from misalignment in routine or a need for security.

What it can look like

Separation anxiety can show up in different ways, including:

• Restlessness, pacing, or inability to settle after you leave the home

• Vocalization (whining, barking, or howling)

• Destructive behaviour

• Accidents indoors despite being house-trained

• Excessive excitement or distress before departures and upon return

These behaviours often happen only when the dog is alone or anticipating being alone.

Why do these behaviours happen

Common causes include:

• Extreme attachment to one person

• Sudden changes in routine (returning to work, moving homes)

• Past experiences with abandonment or rehoming

• Lack of gradual exposure to being alone

• Big life transitions (new family members, travel, schedule shifts)

Here's a reality you may be facing. You reach for your keys and your dog is pacing by the door as you leave. They're barking and whining, not able to settle when the home is suddenly quiet. These are signs that your dog is saying they’re unsure how to cope with the change.

The good news is that dogs can learn independence. With patience, consistency, and gentle guidance, they can build confidence in moments of separation. 

How independence can be taught

Predictable routines, gradual departures, positive reinforcement, and calming tools provided by humans can help create a sense of safety. All of these methods teach your dog that being alone doesn’t mean being abandoned. We recommend following this strategy to teach your dog independence:

1. Identify the trigger at the exact moment your dog shows signs of separation anxiety. This could be the moment you're putting your clothes on for work, as you finish up your breakfast, or picking up your keys.
2. Perform the triggering action without leaving the house. Try to do the action in unpredictable times throughout the day to show your dog doing the action doesn't necessarily mean departure.
3. For every successful sign of no anxiety as a result of that action, continue to the next step in your routine and repeat Step 2, if needed.
4. In preparation for departures (actual absence), always exit from the same door. Start with opening and closing the door without actually departing. The goal is to make the door "boring" and nothing really happens. Again, this step can be performed randomly throughout the day.
5. At this point, you can begin to step outside the door and close the door behind you. Having an indoor camera to monitor your dog is crucial for success. Monitor how your dog behaves as you leave. If they immediately show signs of anxiety, you may need to continue doing Step 4.
6. If your dog is calm during your absence, begin timing how long you can be absent. This could be as short as 1 second. Repeat this step and increase the time of absence as your dog learns to be calm in your absence. This Step will take the longest as you may find your dog regressing back to Step 1 (don't worry, the training has not been forgotten! Remember, training is not linear.)
7. If you have reached this point, congratulations! There's nothing more you need to do and your dog can now be calm in your absence.

In conjunction with this training strategy, we recommend the following practices when you're still at home with them at anytime of the day:

• Designate a spot in the home where you would typically want to leave your dog in your absence. This could be a dog bed by the door, in their crate, or your bedroom. When you're busy or need alone time to yourself, place your dog in this spot.
• Entice this area with a kong filled with treats or a bully stick or chew, so that they associate positive calm in that area. 
• Play slow instrumental music as your dog rests. Sometimes silence could be the trigger to separation anxiety.

Progress often comes in small steps. Each calm goodbye, each successful moment apart, helps your dog learn that you will always return. 

We hope you find success in your journey to encourage calm in your dog.