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Free 2-minute test · Separation anxiety

Does my dog have separation anxiety?

Ten questions about what happens when you leave, built on how vets tell separation anxiety apart from boredom, house-training and noise fear. You get a plain read, the signs that matter, and what to do next.

A dog sitting at a window, watching the street while its family is out
  • 10 questions
  • about 2 minutes
  • your answers never leave your browser
Choose with the arrow keys, then press Enter to continue. Question 1 of 10: When does the trouble happen: the barking, the chewing or the accidents?
Question 2 of 10: How soon after you leave does it start?

If you have a camera or a phone you can leave recording, the first 40 minutes tell you a lot.

Question 3 of 10: If something gets damaged, where is it?
Question 4 of 10: What does your dog do while you get ready to leave: keys, shoes, coat?
Question 5 of 10: Does your dog eat a favorite treat or a stuffed food toy while you’re gone?
Question 6 of 10: Any barking, howling or whining while you’re out? Neighbors and cameras count.
Question 7 of 10: Accidents in the house?
Question 8 of 10: While you’re out, any drooling, heavy panting, pacing, or a dog that can’t settle?

Wet patches on the floor or the window sill are a clue if you can’t film.

Question 9 of 10: When you come home, the greeting is…
Question 10 of 10: Has your dog ever hurt itself trying to get out: broken nails or teeth, sore or bleeding paws or mouth?

What this test looks at

Separation anxiety, which vets also call separation-related distress, is panic about being apart from the people a dog is attached to. The single most useful clue is timing: the behavior shows up almost only when the dog is alone, according to VCA’s veterinary behaviorists, and the ASPCA notes that escape attempts caused by it don’t happen while the owner is there. The questions above check that pattern first, then the signs that usually travel with it.

Signs of separation anxiety in dogs

  • Destruction at the way out: chewing and scratching at doors, windows and crate doors (Merck).
  • Barking or howling that goes on and has no trigger except being alone (ASPCA).
  • Accidents in the house from a dog who is otherwise house-trained (Merck, VCA).
  • Drooling, pacing and not being able to settle (Merck), and heavy panting (ASPCA).
  • Upset as you get ready to leave (ASPCA, Merck), and frantic greetings when you come back (ASPCA).
  • Not eating while alone, even a favorite treat (ASPCA).

Merck puts most signs within the first 15 to 30 minutes after you leave; the ASPCA says within the first 40. That is why a short video of your departure is so useful.

Separation anxiety or boredom?

Separation anxietyBoredom
WhenOnly or mostly when aloneOften when you’re home too, especially in young dogs
What gets damagedDoors, windows, crate doorsShoes, cushions, the trash
How the dog looksAnxious: pacing, drooling, pantingBusy, not anxious (ASPCA)

Sources: ASPCA and Merck. The full side-by-side is in Is it separation anxiety or just boredom?, and the boredom test checks the other side.

What else can look like it

Merck lists the usual look-alikes: house-training that isn’t finished, normal exploring and scavenging, reacting to noises or sights outside, fear of noises, and stress from being confined. VCA adds pain, problems that make a dog need to go urgently, and, in older dogs, cognitive decline. Noise fear and separation distress also often come together; in a survey of 13,700 dogs, separation-related behavior was 1.4 times more common in noise-sensitive dogs (Salonen et al., 2020). If loud noises upset your dog, the noise fear test is worth a look.

How common is it?

Estimates vary with how it is measured. In that same survey of 13,700 dogs in Finland, about 5 to 6 percent showed separation-related behavior; earlier studies the authors cite put it at 14 to 20 percent. The ASPCA notes it is seen more often in dogs adopted from shelters than in dogs raised in one home since puppyhood.

What helps

  1. Vet first, to rule out medical causes before training (ASPCA). Medication is your vet’s decision; there are FDA-approved options for separation anxiety in dogs (VCA, FDA).
  2. Fewer full panics: keep alone time below what your dog can handle while you work on it (Merck).
  3. Gradual practice: short departures, returning before your dog gets upset, built up slowly (VCA). Mild cases can improve with counterconditioning alone; moderate and severe cases need a fuller program (ASPCA).
  4. No punishment, no crate for a dog that panics in it, and don’t count on a second pet to fix it (ASPCA, Humane World).

My complete separation anxiety guide walks through each step, and the free alone-time training log keeps the practice honest.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my dog has separation anxiety?
Look at when the trouble happens. If your dog barks, destroys things or has accidents only or mostly when left alone, often within the first half hour, and the damage is at doors and windows, that is the classic pattern (ASPCA, Merck). Filming your dog after you leave is the quickest way to be sure, and your vet can rule out medical causes.
Can separation anxiety in dogs be cured?
It can be treated. The ASPCA says mild cases may respond to counterconditioning, while moderate and severe cases need a gradual desensitization program, and that most dogs need medication from the vet alongside the training. Progress usually means a dog who settles faster and copes with longer absences.
Should I crate a dog with separation anxiety?
Only if your dog is truly calm in the crate. The ASPCA advises against crating a dog that pants, drools, howls or tries to escape in it, and Humane World notes that some dogs injure themselves trying to get out.
Will getting a second dog help?
Not reliably. Humane World notes that adopting another pet isn’t a silver bullet and can make things more complicated.
Is my dog doing this out of spite?
No. The ASPCA is clear that anxious behaviors are not disobedience or spite, and that punishing what you find can make an anxious dog more upset and the problem much worse.
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