If your dog shadows your every movement around the house when you're there, and sleeps on or near your bed, and IF it has trouble doing any different, it may have separation anxiety. Any destructive behavior will occur about 20 minutes to a half hour after you leave, so another way to figure it out is to plan on returning after that time on a few occasions. A dog with separation anxiety will not likely tolerate even being left in a separate room from you with a door closed between you.

Also the things they chew or destroy are most often "escape routes," such as doors or windows (they believe may lead them directly to you). Also, they may munch items that they associate with you by smell. Although it can seem like a vindictive reaction, I assure you it's usually more a nervous one.

If you return home to find that your dog pees or poops in a number of different locations in the house, AND they do not appear guilty about it when you return home, they may be manifesting their separation anxiety. The dog in question may be beyond the house training stage, and the fact of the different accident locations is a sign that they are not continually returning to a scent "marked" location and confusing it with an appropriate place to go.

A dog that barks or whines continually when you are away is also admitting – to your neighbors if not to you – that they have a bad case of separation anxiety.

Separation anxiety is one of the most common problems dogs develop, and is an unsurprising result of our practice of domesticating them. They are social animals, and they crave a pack environment. The good news is there are simple and proven solutions.


About The Author:

Martin Olliver is a member of the Kingdom of Pets team. For more great articles on dog training, including "Separation Anxiety: some Solutions," visit: http://kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/articles/separation_anxiety_in_dogs.php.