Can separation anxiety be cured?

Many dogs improve hugely with a gradual, structured approach. Severe cases benefit from professional behavioural help and sometimes medication.

Should I get another dog to keep mine company?

Not as a fix — separation anxiety is usually about missing you specifically, so a second dog often doesn’t resolve it and can complicate things.

Do calming aids help?

Calming support can take the edge off and help your dog learn to settle, working best alongside a gradual training plan.

Separation Anxiety in Dogs: Helping Your Dog Cope Alone

8 min read Vet-informed guidance

If your dog panics, barks, chews or toilets when left alone, they may be struggling with separation anxiety. It’s genuinely distressing for them (and for you), but it’s also one of the most treatable behavioural problems with the right, patient approach. Here’s how to help.

What is separation anxiety?

Separation anxiety is real distress at being left alone — not bad behaviour or 'spite'. The dog feels panicked and can’t cope, which spills out as barking, destruction, toileting or pacing. Understanding it as fear, not naughtiness, is the first and most important step.

Signs your dog struggles alone

These typically happen soon after you leave.

Barking, howling or whining when alone
Destructive behaviour, often around doors and windows
Toileting indoors despite being house-trained
Pacing, drooling or refusing food when left
Over-the-top greetings and 'shadowing' you at home

Helping your dog cope

Build confidence gradually — there’s no quick fix, but it works.

Practise very short absences and build up slowly
Keep departures and returns calm and low-key
Leave them with a safe, long-lasting chew or enrichment toy
Create a cosy, secure space they associate with calm
Use calming support and consider a structured plan with a behaviourist

Signs to look for

Barking when aloneDestructiveToileting indoorsPacing

When to see your vet. Speak to your vet or a qualified behaviourist if your dog’s distress is severe or not improving — they can rule out pain, recommend a structured behaviour programme, and discuss whether calming support or medication would help.