Separation Anxiety Dogs: What To Do If Your Dog Is Acting Up When You Go Out

Something that can sometimes cause bad behaviour is known as separation anxiety. Dogs can sometimes panic when they are left at home alone. They might bark a lot, they might bite the furniture, or have accidents around the home. This can be very difficult but there are a few things you can do to help.

Make Sure It Really Is Separation Anxiety

Dogs often show some of the same symptoms as separation anxiety simply because they’re bored. They will act the same, but the cause and treatment would be completely different. Make sure it’s not just boredom by giving them a lot of attention, taking them for more walks etc. and seeing if things improve.

Help Get Them Used to You Leaving

Next you need to help things by the way that you leave the home. If you have a routine before you leave the home, like putting on your shoes, coat etc then they may start to notice and panic even by the time you leave. So try to change the way you act before you walk out of the door, so he doesn’t quite know that you’re about to leave.

When you do leave, don’t make too much of a fuss – and the same when you get back. Things like this will only add to the anxiety. Instead, ignore the dog before you leave and for a while after you come back. It might not seem nice, but often this will cure the anxiety.

Start Working Your Way Up Slowly

Lastly, you can start to gradually increase the time you are away to get your dog used to things. This will take time, usually several weeks, but eventually you should be able to leave your dog alone. In the meantime, you’re going to need to get help from friends, dog sitters and so on.

Separation anxiety/ dogs can be time consuming to treat, but it is well worth it if you can try doing it for an hour every day. If you need more help then I recommend the Kingdom of Pets training guide.