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My dog has separation anxiety. What can I do to help her when I leave?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Beagle | Female | spayed | 3 years old | 47 lbs

I've noticed that Lacey seems depressed a lot. She has separation anxiety, esp. when I leave. Besides giving a treat, what else there to do? The treat trick, she is looking out the window by the time I shut the door and walk down the steps. And the look on her face.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 4th, 2018

Separation anxiety can be a common problem in dogs, and I can give you some suggestions that may help with Lacey. I recommend crating her when you are gone. The crate will provide her a small space where she can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train her to get used to a crate. Start putting her in it when you are home and sitting nearby so she doesn't think you are abandoning her, and slowly increase the time she is in it. She can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that she has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to her in the crate. That will keep her occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety and pair that will a DAP pheromone collar that releases pheromones when in contact with her skin. If these methods do not help him, then I recommend having her seen by a vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 28th, 2016

    Great question! I would recommend crating Dizzy when you are gone. The crate will provide her a small space where she can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train her to get used to a crate. Start putting her in it when you are home and sitting nearby so she doesn't think you are abandoning her, and slowly increase the time she is in it. She can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that she has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can also fill a Kong toy with peanut butter and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to her in the crate. That will keep her occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety. If these methods do not help with Dizzy's separation anxiety (I would trial it for a few weeks first), then you can speak to your vet about getting her some anti-anxiety drugs.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 2nd, 2018

    It sounds like Shakira is suffering from separation anxiety. I recommend crating her when you are gone. The crate will provide her a small space where she can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train her to get used to a crate. Start putting her in it when you are home and sitting nearby so she doesn't think you are abandoning her, and slowly increase the time she is in it. She can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that she has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to her in the crate. That will keep her occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety and pair that will a DAP pheromone collar that releases pheromones when in contact with her skin. If these methods do not help her, then I recommend having her seen by a vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 30th, 2017

    I'm sorry that Shirrah is experiencing anxiety and stress quite badly lately! I'm not sure if she is experiencing this anxiety when you leave the house, so I will give you some remedies to help her when you do leave. I would recommend crating her when you are gone. The crate will provide her a small space where she can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train her to get used to a crate. Start putting her in it when you are home and sitting nearby so she doesn't think you are abandoning her, and slowly increase the time she is in it. She can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that she has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to her in the crate. That will keep her occupied for a while. I'd recommend getting a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety. You can pair that with a DAP collar that also releases these pheromones when in contact with her skin. If these things do not help Shirrah, then I would have her seen by a vet to discuss using anti-anxiety medication.

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