Separation Anxiety in Dogs: Signs and What Helps

A dog with separation anxiety gets distressed when it’s alone, or away from the person it’s most bonded to. Vets often say “separation-related problem”, because some of these dogs are frustrated or bored rather than anxious (PDSA). What helps is slow: a vet check first, no more time alone than your dog can cope with, and practice absences so short your dog never panics. This guide follows three UK animal charities (the RSPCA, Dogs Trust and PDSA), the ASPCA in the US, the Merck Veterinary Manual, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and studies from the Royal Veterinary College, all checked on 22 October 2026.

Signs of separation anxiety

Signs usually start within 15 to 30 minutes of you leaving, and many dogs start as you get ready to go (Merck Veterinary Manual). From the lists of the RSPCA, Dogs Trust and Merck:

• Barking, howling or whining
• Chewing or scratching, often at doors and windows
• Peeing or pooing indoors
• Pacing, or not settling
• Drooling, panting or trembling
• Leaving food or chews untouched
• Trying to escape, which can mean broken teeth and cut paws (ASPCA)
• Getting between you and the door as you get ready (Dogs Trust)
• A wildly excited greeting when you come back

Many dogs hide it. The RSPCA says research suggests 8 in 10 dogs find it hard to cope when left alone, and half of them show no obvious signs (RSPCA). So film your dog now and then, as the RSPCA advises: a phone set up where your dog spends most of its time will do (Dogs Trust).

Rule out look-alikes first

Vets call it separation anxiety only after ruling out other causes (Merck), so see your vet first:

• A medical problem. A urinary tract infection can make a dog restless and pee indoors, and thyroid or adrenal problems can raise anxiety (Dogs Trust). Pain can make a dog worried about being alone (PDSA).
• Needing the toilet, or a long day. A dog that’s settled at first on the video, then gets restless, may simply be left too long: bored, disturbed by something, or needing the toilet (Dogs Trust). Accidents while you’re home too point away from separation anxiety (ASPCA).
• Boredom. Bored dogs usually don’t look anxious (ASPCA). Dogs Trust’s test: a dog that eats and plays when you’re there, but not when alone, is likely anxious.
• Noise fears. Some dogs bark at outside sounds whether you’re home or not (ASPCA). A dog afraid of a noise may also get anxious when left, especially if it hears that noise while you’re out (PDSA). In India, for example, see dogs and Deepavali crackers.

What helps

Don’t leave your dog alone past its limit

This comes first. Merck says these dogs should be left alone as rarely as possible, because each upsetting absence makes them more sensitive and treatment harder; Dogs Trust says separation anxiety gets worse if you keep leaving your dog alone. Most of these dogs are fine as long as someone is with them, and it doesn’t have to be you (ASPCA).

So line up help while you train: family, a friend or neighbour, another dog lover, a sitter or a daycare (Dogs Trust, ASPCA). For what to ask, see how to choose a dog sitter.

Practise absences too short to upset your dog

Vets call this desensitisation: very gradual exposure that keeps the dog feeling safe at all times (AVSAB). The ASPCA’s rule: every absence is shorter than the time it takes your dog to get upset.

1. Teach your dog to settle on its bed while you’re there, and reward calm (RSPCA).
2. Step away and come back. Then step out of sight behind an inside door, slowly building up the time (ASPCA). A baby gate lets your dog still see, hear and smell you (Dogs Trust).
3. Move to the front door, starting with absences of a second or two (ASPCA). Build up, varying how long you’re out (RSPCA).
4. Wait until your dog is completely relaxed before the next absence (ASPCA).
5. Watch the camera. Panting, yawning, lip-licking, drooling, trembling or pacing mean you went too far: go back to a shorter time and go slower (ASPCA, Dogs Trust).

Expect weeks to months (Dogs Trust, Merck). It works: in a small study of eight dogs, the six followed up three months after gradual practice had almost no separation problems left (Butler et al.).

A safe space

Leave your dog where it normally chooses to rest, with water, and with anything harmful moved away; a dog shut in one room or a crate may be upset by the lack of choice (Dogs Trust). A crate suits some dogs, but if yours pants heavily, drools, tries frantically to get out or keeps howling in one even while you’re home, use a room behind a baby gate instead (ASPCA).

Exercise, food and things to do

Walk your dog before you go, getting home half an hour before you leave, then give a small meal and a toilet break (RSPCA). Keep a food puzzle toy or long-lasting chew just for when you’re out, and take treats out of the day’s food. Daily walks and sniffing games help too (ASPCA).

Don’t count on food alone: most distressed dogs won’t eat (PDSA), and an untouched toy can be a sign your dog is worried (RSPCA).

Radio or TV? Dogs Trust and the RSPCA suggest it, partly to muffle outside noise. But in a small Royal Veterinary College (RVC) study, puppies showed more signs of anxiety, and ate and played less, with a TV or radio on (RVC). Check your camera to see what suits your dog.

Calm goodbyes and hellos

Leave and come home calmly, without a big fuss (Dogs Trust, PDSA). In a study of 145 puppies by the RVC and Dogs Trust, those whose families fussed over them when coming home to “bad” behaviour were six times more likely to show separation problems at six months (Dale et al., 2024). That’s a link, not proof of cause.

What doesn’t help

• Punishment. Your dog links your anger with your return, not with what it did hours earlier, and gets more anxious next time (RSPCA). AVSAB says to avoid shock collars, spray bottles, shaker cans and shouting.
• Letting it “cry it out”. Dogs left to cry only learn that being alone is terrifying (RSPCA).
• A second dog as a cure. Another dog may be reassuring but won’t solve it, and if they don’t get on, things can get worse (Dogs Trust).
• Shutting a panicking dog in a crate. Dogs Trust warns it can make the dog afraid of the crate, with a serious risk of injury if it panics inside.
• Over-the-counter calmers. Dogs Trust says there’s no scientific evidence that any non-prescription product works for separation anxiety, though PDSA suggests a pheromone diffuser or collar after asking your vet.

Medication

Some dogs are too distressed to start training without medicine, and most dogs on it need the training too (ASPCA). In the US, two medicines are approved for separation anxiety in dogs, alongside a behaviour plan (Merck). They are prescription-only and shouldn’t be stopped without asking your vet (Dogs Trust). Never give your dog anything for anxiety without your vet’s advice (ASPCA).

How long can a dog be left alone?

The UK charities say four hours at most:

• RSPCA: no longer than four hours, and much less for puppies.
• Dogs Trust: four hours at most, and only once your dog is relaxed being left.
• PDSA: four hours at most as a routine, and generally too long for a young, active puppy.

The ASPCA goes further: in its training plan, a dog that stays calm for 90 minutes alone can probably handle four to eight hours. For long workdays, PDSA suggests popping home at lunchtime, a neighbour or friend dropping in, or a dog walker. For puppies, see your puppy’s first week.

Separation anxiety at night

A dog that cries when shut out of your bedroom may be anxious for the same reason: it’s away from its person (PDSA).

Where a puppy should sleep is less clear. In the 145-puppy study, those kept in a crate or closed room overnight before 16 weeks old had fewer separation problems later, but the authors call it a correlation: they didn’t record whether the family slept nearby.

If an older dog starts waking at night, having accidents or seeming anxious, see your vet: these can be signs of cognitive dysfunction, changes in memory and thinking with age (Merck).

When to get help

See your vet if you think your dog has separation anxiety, if its behaviour has recently changed, or if it seeks comfort more than before, which can be a sign of pain (Dogs Trust). Take your videos.

If there’s no medical cause, ask for a referral to a qualified behaviourist (RSPCA): this training is tricky to get right (ASPCA). A veterinary behaviourist is a vet who specialises in behaviour, certified by a specialist board (Merck). Examples:

• UK: the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) register; the RSPCA points to its Clinical Animal Behaviourists and Veterinary Behaviourists (RSPCA). Dogs Trust also runs a free Behaviour Support Line.
• US: Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.
• Europe: Diplomates of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine.
• Australia and New Zealand: the Veterinary Behaviour Chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists.
• Elsewhere: ask your vet who they refer to.

Whoever you choose should use reward-based methods only (AVSAB).

FAQs

Will my dog grow out of separation anxiety? Usually not: Dogs Trust says it doesn’t normally resolve by itself. With the right help most dogs improve, but it takes time (PDSA).

Are rescue dogs more likely to have it? Sources disagree. The ASPCA says far more dogs adopted from shelters have it than dogs raised by one family. The RSPCA says rescue dogs are no more likely to develop it, and the 145-puppy study found no link with where puppies came from.

My dog follows me everywhere. Is that separation anxiety? Not by itself: Merck says dogs that follow family members around are at no greater risk. But if your dog is suddenly “stuck to you like glue”, Dogs Trust says something may be wrong, so talk to your vet.