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My dog scratches the door at night. How to stop her anxiety?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 7 years and 1 month old | 30 lbs

Little Lucy here is scratching the door of our sitting room up at night. We can not tell if it is separation anxiety or if its maybe fireworks but she does it all night and we are very concerned. She also gets very nervous if you close the door even if you are in the room, she starts pacing and shaking and whining. She is destroying her nails when she scratches the door it must be hurting her. Is this normal? Is there any way to make her stop?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 31st, 2017

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concerns. Separation anxiety can be quite difficult to fix. There are many things you can try but what works for a one dog may not work in another. I would recommend starting with the following: 1. Thundershirt 2. Adaptil collar and diffuser (pheremone that helps calm dogs) 3. NaturVet Quiet Moments calming chews 4. Rescue remedy for dogs 5. Provide plenty of environmental enrichment (toys and things to interact with) 6. Pet Cube (you can use this handy device to communicate and play with your dog when you are not home) You can use all of the above at the same time. If these do not help, I would discuss the separation anxiety with your veterinarian to see if anti-anxiety medications are the next step. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

    Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

    Published on October 3rd, 2018

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These types of behavior can usually be fixed but it usually requires in person type training by someone qualified. However, if most of it seems because of her anxiety, you could try something like using a thunder shirt which is a product that can help with anxiety which you may obtain online. There are of course medications that can also be tried for anxiety. If no improvement is noted after trying this, I would recommend that you have her evaluated by a qualified trainer or your veterinarian to consider medications possibly. Good luck and have a great day!

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