The "Lucky Dog" Series: How to Recognize Separation Anxiety

Welcome to another informative Lucky Dog article! In this article, I will discuss what separation anxiety is in a dog, and how to distinguish it from similar behavioral issues.

Dogs can exhibit one or more symptoms associated with separation anxiety. Some symptoms are not exclusively related to separation anxiety. For instance, a dog may bark for many reasons; they may be bored, they may be alerting you that they need to go out, they may be letting you know that there is a stranger within view, and so forth.

Dogs with separation anxiety often begin exhibiting nervous behaviors as you prepare to leave the house or as you prepare to put them in their crate. They may whine, behave panicky, engage in destructive behavior, attempt to escape their crate or even the house, and show signs of abdominal distress (vomiting, diarrhea, urination, etc.) Dogs with separation anxiety often tend to follow their chosen human from room to room, even within the house. Dogs with separation anxiety sometimes stay so close to the primary human in their lives to the point that the human feels like the dog is Velcroed to them - hence, the phrase, "Velcro dog", is sometimes used to describe a dog with separation anxiety.

Other symptoms of a dog suffering from separation anxiety relate to when the owner returns. The dog tends to have an overly exuberant greeting. This may include jumping up on the owner, bouncing on furniture (such as a couch) to allow the dog to get up closer to the person's face, or the dog may become so happy and relieved that the owner has returned, that they may urinate.