Preventing Separation Anxiety in Pets

4 min readJul 30, 2020

As restrictions on gatherings begin to be lifted , many of us will begin to return to work in the next few weeks.

But for many pets, this will be a very tough time as they readjust to not having you around all day. It is inevitable that some pets will experience separation anxiety as a result of this, so we thought we would put together a guide on how to ease your pet back into things and prepare them for a return to normal.

What is Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is when a pet experiences severe distress while separated from their owner. The owner can often be completely unaware that their pet is suffering while they are gone as the pet can act completely normal when they are around. It might only be bad behavior by a pet that can tip the owner off.

A pet that has separation anxiety can have a variety of symptoms including:

For Dogs

Inappropriate urination or defecation (going bathroom inside the house but not in a designated area)
Barking or howling
Chewing, digging or destructive behavior
Attempting to escape or escaping your house or yard
Pacing in a particular spot — often up a down a fence or in front of a window
Coprophagia — this is the act of a dog defecating and their eating the feces

For Cats

Inappropriate urination of defecation (going bathroom outside of their litter box or on clothing, sheets, towels, etc)
Excessive meowing
Excessive grooming
Eating too fast or not eating when you are away
If they recognize the signs that you are about to leave the house they could become distressed and vocalize loudly or hide
When you arrive home they follow you everywhere and demand constant attention

Rule Out Other Causes

It is always important to take your pet to their vet for a full check up to make sure any symptoms they display can’t be explained by another medical condition.

Preventing Separation Anxiety

If you have been working or studying or simply spending more time at home in recent weeks, your pet has likely gotten used to having you around a lot more so it will be quite a shock for them when we all go back to work. To prepare your pet for this return to “normal” and reduce their chance of developing separation anxiety, here are a few things to help them ease into this change.

Start Small

Start to take short trips outside the house, increasing their time as your pet adjusts to your absence.

Give Them Lots To Do

Ensure your pet has plenty to keep them entertained while you are gone. Talking your dog for a walk before you leave for work or ensuring they have plenty of interactive toys to entertain themselves with will ensure they won’t spend hours at the door waiting for your return. You can view our article full of great games to entertain your dog right .

More Than Mild Anxiety

For pet’s that suffer from more severe separation anxiety, your vet may recommend a medication for them, or you may find a pet behaviorist useful to help you train your pet.

Every Day Is Take Your Dog To Work Day

For those of us that are lucky enough to work in a pet friendly workplace you might be able to take your pet to work with you while you transition back to working from an office. If you don’t have a pet friendly workplace, perhaps a friend or family member can pet sit during the day for you, or you can send your pooch off to doggy day care which will also help them develop great social skills.

Products to Help Your Pet

Adaptil is recommended for the control and management of fear and/or stress-related behaviours in puppies and adult dogs including separation anxiety, destructive behaviour, vocalisation, house-soiling, hypersalivation and excessive licking, sleep disorders, feeding problems and phobias such as fear of thunderstorms and fireworks.
Blackmores Complete Calm is a tasty chew for dogs that contains tryptophan and B vitamins to help reduce anxiety in dogs.