Separation anxiety in dogs is a consequence of the way some dogs react to being left alone. While many dogs are not bothered to get left home alone, and will do little more than sleep the time away, a fairly large number of dogs will experience anxiety resulting in a large amount of dog behaviour issues.

Recent research has demonstrated that separation anxiety in dogs affects at least 15% of our pooches and that number looks to be going up with a UK study indicating that up to 50% of dogs display some signals of separation anxiety behavior.

What Causes Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Opinion is divided about what causes separation anxiety in dogs, though fortunately , most dog pros appear to agree on the approach to curing it.

It is not always clear what triggers anxiety in dogs, as while some dogs are anxious from birth, others will all of a sudden become anxious after a major change in their lives such as moving home, or develop anxiousness as a consequence of a bad experience, like being deserted. It's certaily clear that many rescue dogs suffer with separation anxiety.

One of the most generally held sentiments is that due to the tight bond we experience and encourage with our dogs, our dogs becomes too reliant or dependant on us, and are thus troubled and anxious when they do not have access to us all of the time.

However in a study published by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, which compared attachment behavior of dogs who experienced anxiousness when left alone and dogs that did not, the study concluded the attachment behaviour before leaving was no different in either set of dogs, which suggest that over attachment is not be the cause of dog anxiety after all.

The other belief about dog separation anxiety is that it comes about as a result of your dog assuming that he is pack leader and thus responsible for you.

This indicates that when you go out and your dog neither knows where you are going or when you are going to be back, nor can come and find you, they experience extreme anxiousness because they are concerned about your safety. This theory is based on studies of the wolf pack which point to the fact that packs need a leader of the pack in place to function properly.

Curing Dog Separation Anxiety

There's an increasingly evident belief among well known dog experts the method to get a relaxed dog is to be certain that they understand that you are the leader of the pack. This relates to curing dog anxiety also , so if you suspect your dog is suffering from that issue, find yourself some good dog separation anxiety training, and check it includes showing you ways to demonstrate to your dog you're leader of the pack (note: no dominance or force needed)

Whatever way you choose to tackle the difficulty, please remember that punishing your dog for behaviour driven by anxiety, however bad it may be, will not help cure it. In truth is is probably going to worsen it.