Can Separation Anxiety be Prevented?

Separation anxiety is clinically not well understood. It is believed to be a panic disorder triggered when the dog is alone or separated from a bonded human. The panic causes distress screaming, frantic physical movements that tear up furniture and anything else in the dog's path, and diarrhea. It can also lead to biting or other aggression in an attempt to keep the person near the dog.

No one knows what causes separation anxiety. Be skeptical of any information you get on "preventing separation anxiety" because any certified expert will tell you no one knows. (We do know more about how to treat it. But science hasn't figured out what causes it or what prevents it.)

But, dogs are pack animals and wolves and street dogs often go from birth to death without ever spending a moment alone. So it isn't altogether surprising that separation anxiety is common in dogs.

Toy breeds are believed to be particularly susceptible to separation anxiety which stands to reason since they have been bred for the sole purpose of human companionship. (As opposed to gun dogs or herding dogs for instance).

No one knows if separation anxiety is genetic or not. For what it’s worth, neither Neville or Zaley have separation anxiety. 

If a puppy or dog develops separation anxiety it is no one's fault. People tend to self blame and think they should have done something different. For one thing, we don’t know that. For another, anything you did was without harmful intent. So feelings of guilt are not warranted. 

Current Best Practices

1. Work on developing secure attachment with your puppy before leaving them for any period of time. (There is no reason to think you need to leave them to “get them used to it”. No one believes secure attachment causes separation anxiety. Besides, your puppy has just gone through the biggest and possibly most intense separation of their lives leaving their litter and breeder family). 

2. Do not crate train using the “cry it out” method. At Winona’s Legacy we use the Puppy Culture Method and your pup already has a good start.

3. Do not house train using the crate training method. This is dated and known to be inhumane. And if your pup is uncomfortable in a crate that is a very likely cause of separation anxiety. We also use the Puppy Culture potty training method and your pup has a great start! 

4. Dogs will typically (though no guarantees) not soil the bed so it is fine to sleep with your puppy in the bed with you if you choose. If not, usually an open rubber maid bin with a cozy bed at the bottom next to the bed works pretty well. Then someone can hang their hand over the bed so the puppy can smell it and see they are not alone. You can also add a heart beat puppy, other stuffies, and the scent items we send home with your to make it a cozy spot. In either case you need to scoop your puppy up as soon as they wake up and rush outside.