Separation anxiety affects an estimated 14-29% of pet dogs and causes significant suffering. Early recognition and evidence-based treatment dramatically improve outcomes for dogs and owners.
Separation anxiety represents one of the most welfare-significant and undertreated conditions in companion dogs. Dogs suffering from it experience genuine panic — elevated heart rate, cortisol spikes, inability to rest — during every absence of their attachment figure. Many owners do not recognise the condition, attributing symptoms to misbehaviour and sometimes responding with punishment that worsens the anxiety. The COVID pandemic created a wave of dogs with insufficient independence training who subsequently suffered when owners returned to workplaces. Effective treatment requires commitment to a structured desensitisation programme, often over weeks to months. Prevention through gradual independence training from puppyhood is far more effective than treating established anxiety.