Apparently many of our clients saw segments on this topic on the Today show and ABC News or read about it in the Union-Tribune . Symptoms can include barking, salivating, and hyperventilation. As the condition progresses, the dog may turn to more destructive behaviors - urinating or defecating in the home, chewing up furniture, and digging to get out of the yard. Many veterinarians report that separation anxiety is among the most common behavior problems in dogs. It is one of the leading reasons for having dogs euthanized.
Dogs are naturally pack animals.
Wild dogs display many of these same frantic activities when they become separated from the pack. When we bring a dog into our home, we become its pack. If we leave the dog at home alone, as we do increasingly in two-income families, it may try to rejoin the pack. Dogs quickly learn that barking will cause humans to come. Until recently, veterinarians had few tools to treat separation anxiety.