It can be difficult to understand if separation anxiety dogs is a problem with an animal, or if it is just suffering from boredom when it is alone. The dog that is close to people is content to do nothing but lie around near them when they are home. If they leave for several hours, the dog can become bored because its usual interests are missing.

One test to find out if anxiety is a problem is to have a video camera set up to record what happens when the master is away. Animals that suffer from separation anxiety dogs will misbehave within the first twenty minutes that they are left alone. The bored dog will take longer to get involved in mayhem.

Another indicator to help determine if the dog has separation anxiety is the regularity of its misbehaving. If it does things out of character every time that it is left alone for even a half an hour, it is probably based on anxiety rather than boredom.

A strong indication that separation anxiety dogs exists is how the animal acts when the master prepares to leave. Dogs with separation anxiety will get very excited and want to stay close to their owner in anticipation of going along on the trip. Dogs make associations, and the typical events and the master’s behaviors leading up to a departure are learned quickly by a dog with separation anxiety.

Dogs that are comfortable with sleeping separate from their masters and do not have to be in the same room during day time hours are usually not dogs with anxiety problems. Separation anxiety dogs suffer from the condition all the time, not just occasionally. They do not control the feeling; it controls them.

Curing separation anxiety in a dog may not be possible, so most times, it is necessary to learn ways of living with the situation.