Why Your Dog's Separation Anxiety Isn't Improving (And What Most People Miss)

Snobby Doggy Training
Jul 14
3 min read

Updated: Jul 14

Adopted black coloured romanian free roaming dog. She is looking up at her owner waiting for a treat.

The Biggest Mistake I See in Dog Separation Anxiety Cases

One of the biggest mistakes I see in separation anxiety cases is owners either being told to jump straight into training or trying to help their dog themselves by following generic advice they find online:

Desensitise the baby gate
Work on pre-departure cues.
Use food/chews to build duration.

Of course, these techniques all have their place, and for some dogs they can be valuable parts of a behaviour plan. BUT! before we ask how to train a dog to be alone, we need to ask something far more important:

"Why can't this dog cope with being alone in the first place?"

Because if we don't understand that, we risk treating the symptoms rather than addressing the cause.

What Is Separation Anxiety?

If you have ever come home to find chewed up furniture, complaints from your neighbours about barking, or puddles on the floor... it is easy to think your dog is naughty, stubborn... or even trying to get back at you out of spite for leaving them behind!

The reality is, the opposite is often true.

Separation anxiety is an emotional disorder where a dog experiences intense distress when separated from a particular person or people.

These behaviours we see:

Barking	Howling	Pacing
Destructive behaviours	Panting	Drooling
Attempts to escape	Defecation

Are often outward signs of our dogs internal emotional state.

Every dog is different. Some may vocalise constantly, while others become destructive or refuse to eat. Some dogs remain frozen by the door waiting for their owner to return, while others may appear calm at first glance. Others may cope for a short period before becoming distressed.

And although the behaviours vary.. they all communicate the same thing:

I'm not coping.

Looking Beyond the Behaviour

One of the phrases I use most often is: "Behaviour is communication"

Our dog's can't tell us how they're feeling using words, so they comminucate through behaviour instead. As owners, it is completely understandable that our attention is drawn to the behaviours that are causing the most disruption such as the barking that's upsetting your neighbours, the damage to the house, or the fact that we can't leave them without worrying.

Imagine an iceberg... These behaviours we see are sitting above the surface of the water, but beneath them lies everything that influences how a dog feels and behaves.

Stress
Frustration
Poor sleep
Pain or discomfort
Changes in routine
Unmet needs
Past experiences
Emotional and physical wellbeing

All of these factors can influence how well our dogs are able to cope when left alone.

When we only focus on changing the behaviour we see, we may be missing the underlying factors that are contributing to it.

We need to take time in understanding the dog as a whole, not JUST separation anxiety itself.

By understanding a dog as a whole, we are far more likely to create a behaviour modification plan that leads to a meaningful, long-term change instead of only managing the symptoms.

In my next blog, I'll be talking about why generic separation anxiety advice isn't always enough, why two dogs with the same behaviours may need completely different approaches, and why understanding the individual dog is so important.

References:

The Biggest Mistake I See in Dog Separation Anxiety Cases

What Is Separation Anxiety?

Looking Beyond the Behaviour

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