Does my dog have Separation Anxiety?

What is dog separation anxiety?

Separation anxiety is a debilitating psychological disorder, which produces significant anxiety and/or panic attacks in animals when they are separated from “their person.” Animals afflicted with this disorder suffer considerably when they are left alone and if they have a panic attack, the resulting behaviors can cause significant physical damage to the dog and extensive damage to your property. These dogs are not destroying your property because they are mad at you for leaving them, or because they haven’t been obedience trained, and this is not something that the dog will get use to or outgrow. The nature of the affliction leaves the dog so distressed that he will do anything to break out of the barriers that confine him, in an attempt to reunite with you.

It is virtually impossible for a dog owner to solve this problem on his or her own. If you think that your dog has separation anxiety, seek the council of a veterinarian or animal behaviorist immediately to confirm your suspicions. A key differentiating feature between dogs who are mildly anxious when their person leaves and those with separation anxiety in the true, clinical context, is that separation anxiety dogs begin to display anxiety behaviors BEFORE you leave the home.

Symptoms of separation anxiety

Many dogs will become anxious when you leave the home and may follow you to the door, bark, whine or scratch at the door. While these are symptoms of being anxious and may eventually lead to separation anxiety, these behaviors alone do not mean that your dog has separation anxiety. Additionally, if you come home to destruction or house soiling, this does not mean that your dog is suffering from separation anxiety. Destruction in the home and house soiling are signs of separation anxiety, but they can also be signs of boredom, inappropriate house training or inappropriate chewing. If the root cause of the problem is not properly diagnosed and treated, neither the anxiety nor resultant behaviors will change.

The symptoms of true separation anxiety begin to present BEFORE you leave the home. The dog becomes anxious and demonstrates anxiety behaviors while you are preparing to leave. Your dog naturally knows the routine you follow to leave the home and he will begin to react as you begin your routine. For example, you begin to get dressed and your dog watches with eyes as wide as saucers, he’s stuck to you like velcro while you put on your shoes and will not leave your side. He may be pacing, panting, salivating, trembling, circling or jumping up on you repeatedly by the time you reach for your keys or pocketbook. And, when you get to the door to leave, the dog will likely be blocking your path, barking or crying, or attempting to race out the door with you. As you get into your car, you are virtually certain to hear your dog vocalizing. Specific symptoms of separation anxiety include:

While you’re preparing to leave:

Vocalizing (barking, whining, howling, crying.)
Refusal of water and food, even high value food such as steak or chicken.
Watching you (staring really) with eyes as big as saucers and following you.
Shaking or trembling.

Drooling/excessive salivation.
Panic behaviors that may include manic racing toward owners, body blocking of doors, vomiting, repetitive jumping on owners or using their mouths to grab and hold the clothing of their owners.

When you come home you find:

Destruction of property, which is primarily focused around exit doors and windows. Dogs may dig through floors, chew through doors, trim, walls, and window trim. Sadly, some dogs will use their bodies to break the glass out of windows. These are all attempts to escape and reunite with their owner.
Bloody or broken teeth, abrasions on the nose, head or body, broken nails or legs and other bodily damage.
The dog has not eaten (even the delicious treats you left for him) and the water bowl clearly has not been touched.

Urination and/or defecation inside the house. The dog may have also vomited.
If the dog is crated, the crate bars may be bent, the crate may be moved to a different location or flipped on its side.
Excessive salivation resulting in a wet dog, wet crate or puddles on the floors.
Violent shaking or trembling.
A note from the neighbors telling you that your dog howled/cried or barked…the entire time you were gone. Or worse, a final notice for eviction from your landlord is pasted to your door.

Causes of separation anxiety

Separation anxiety is typically rooted in the relationship that the dog has with its owner. In the simplest terms, the dog becomes hyper-attached and simply cannot cope in his environment when he is away from his owner. This behavior is not about love or loyalty to the owner; it is an abnormal and debilitating attachment. For other dogs, their distress is not related to a specific person- these dogs don’t care who they are with, only that they are not alone. There are several factors that can trigger separation anxiety.

Genetic disposition to stress or fear.
Not being properly socialized and/or rarely being left home alone. Dogs that live with retired individuals or people who work from home are very susceptible.
The dog has been rehomed multiple times.
Changes in the household such as divorce, illness or death of an owner, the addition of new people in the household.

A physical move to a new house, even if the family moves with the dog.
Changes in the household routine resulting in a dramatic difference in the amount of time you are absent. For example, transitioning from working from home to leaving the home for work.
The dog experienced a stressful or frightening event (from the dog’s perspective) while he was home alone.

Panic attacks

Some dogs experience panic attacks as a result of their anxiety. Panic attacks typically present themselves in physical damage to the dog’s body, their crate or extreme destruction of your property. Behaviors resulting from panic are similar to panic attacks in humans; they are real, painful and emotionally crippling.

Treating separation anxiety

Dogs suffering from separation anxiety almost always require anti-anxiety medication while they are being rehabilitated. If your dog is also having panic attacks, the panic must be treated medicinally as well. Anti-anxiety medications do not manage panic attacks so be sure to tell your veterinarian if your dog is also experiencing panic attacks so that supplemental medication can be ordered. Medication alone will not heal your dog; there are no magic pills. Treating separation anxiety requires behavioral training (not obedience training) in addition to medication. Medication can help the dog relax enough to participate in behavior modification so that effective change can take place.

What Won’t Help

Misdiagnosis. Many destructive or anxious behaviors are improperly attributed to “separation anxiety.” Just as you wouldn’t start chemo treatments for a suspected but non-diagnosed case of cancer, you can’t successfully treat your dog if you don’t know what’s creating the problem in the first place. Don’t guess-seek professional assistance.
Punishment. Punishment will increase the dog’s anxiety level and make the behaviors worse. Destruction and house soiling are not things that your dog purposely chooses to do, nor are they performed because the dog is made at you. These behavioral expressions are the result of anxiety and panic and the dog cannot help himself.
Crating. Your dog will still engage in anxiety responses while inside a crate, and he may injure himself in an attempt to escape. If your dog is panicking inside his crate, place him in a safe room that has been dog proofed.
Taking an obedience class. Separation anxiety is a psychological disorder, the dog’s resulting negative behaviors do not stem from a lack of obedience training.

Recovering from separation anxiety takes time, hard work and professional guidance. Remember that the dog is not trying to punish you. He is panicked about his own survival without you. If you make the commitment to modify his behavior and help him become confident on his own, the quality of his life, and yours will be significantly improved.