Is it Separation Anxiety or…?

Isolation distress? Confinement phobia? Barrier frustration? FOMO (fear of missing out)?
Sound sensitivity? Fear-based or territorial reactivity? Pain or physical discomfort?
Boredom? Hunger? Need to potty?

So often “Separation Anxiety” is a catchphrase that’s used for a variety of conditions that each have a different cause. If we treat just what you think is the immediate problem, we may not be addressing the actual issue and the solution might not generalize to other situations. For example, desensitization training can help your dog be relaxed when you leave them at your house in a specific room during a quiet day. But they may still panic if they are left in other contexts, like when you’re traveling or if you move to a new house or even in that room but during a thunderstorm.

I like to frame treatment in terms of building independence and self-confidence skills, rather than treating anxiety around separation and isolation. It’s a more complex process, but that doesn’t mean it has to be hard or time-consuming.

Physical comfort always plays a role.

Work with your vet to address any sources of pain like arthritis, GI distress, or allergies.

Imagine that you twisted your ankle but you are confined to your sofa. It might be a great sofa to watch tv for an hour or 2, but not big enough to stretch out and keep your ankle elevated for 4 hours. Or you’re sitting in your large, comfy office but you have a migraine and some creepy guy keeps walking past your door while clicking his pen. There’s been research showing a correlation (not causation) between separation-related distress and sound sensitivity, as well as sound sensitivity and orthopedic pain.

What we want is an animal who knows how to find activities to keep themselves entertained regardless of whether we’re there or not. We want to know that our pet can self-soothe when faced with stress. We want them to feel secure and loved in any context.

Further reading

Separation and confinement anxiety in a golden retriever × standard poodle dog by Anneliese Heinrich & Christine Calder

Canine Anxiety Disorders: Separation Anxiety And Reactions To Noise by Karen Overall

Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs by Daniel Mills et al.

Sound Masking to Help Dogs with a Noise Phobia or Sound Sensitivity by Eileen Anderson