How to Reduce Dog Anxiety When Left Alone
For dogs that struggle to settle alone, the biggest improvements come from calm departures, gentle desensitisation to your leaving cues, and slowly practising short absences. Comfort, enrichment, and steady routines help support the process. A behaviourist or vet can step in if things feel too big to handle alone.
When your dog’s anxiety raises your own, it’s understandable to feel overwhelmed. The pacing, the whining, or the sudden chewing of things you’d rather they didn’t — it all comes from a place of stress, not defiance.
Helping a dog feel safer is a slow, gentle process built on predictable practice.
What follows is a routine that helped settle our own nervous Staffy, mixed with a few techniques we picked up from our trainer and behaviour experts along the way. These are the steps worth trying, in the order that usually makes the biggest difference.
How to train a dog not to be anxious alone
1. Start With Calm Departures and Arrivals
An anxious dog takes their emotional lead from you. When goodbyes or returns feel big and dramatic, they’ll wait with eager excitement for you to return. It’ll be hard to settle when there’s pent-up anticipation.
Try to keep things low-key:
- soft voice
- no emotional “I’ll miss you!” rituals
- leave the house without fuss
- come back in the same quiet way
A quiet “I see you, boy” and a gentle head pat is enough to acknowledge them without turning your return into a big emotional event.
This gently teaches your dog that comings and goings are ordinary events, not crises.
2. Desensitise Your Dog’s “Leaving Cues”
Many dogs don’t panic because you’re gone — they panic because they’ve learned the sequence that leads to you going. Keys. Shoes. Coat. Bag. Door.
Turning these cues into non-events helps remove the emotional weight behind them.
Start with micro-steps:
- pick up your keys and put them back down
- put your coat on, then sit back down
- open and close the door without leaving
- step outside for a second, then return
The aim is to repeat these tiny actions until they become boring.
If your dog starts pacing, drooling, trembling, refusing treats, or shadowing you closely, you’ve gone a bit too fast. Slow the steps and keep them well below your dog’s threshold.
Over time, your “leaving cues” lose their power, and your departures become far less triggering.
3. Practise Very Short Absences First
Once your dog is calmer with your leaving cues, you can begin practising early departures.
Keep these short in the beginning:
- step outside for a few seconds
- return before your dog shows any distress
- repeat until they stay settled
- gradually increase to 1 minute → 2 minutes → 5 minutes
Your dog is learning two important things:
- You always come back
- Nothing bad happens while you’re gone
When your dog shows anxiety, shorten the next session.
Think of it as similar to training the ‘wait’ command. Up too 30 seconds at first, progressing to a minute, then longer.
4. Create a Safe, Comfortable Space
Some dogs prefer a cosy bed or crate. Others become more anxious when confined and prefer an open room. Choose whatever setup helps your dog feel safest.
Helpful additions:
- their favourite bed or blanket
- an item with your scent
- low-level background noise (TV, white noise, soft music)
- natural daylight or dim lighting — whichever calms them most
Crates can help some dogs feel secure, especially if they’ve grown up with one, but they can worsen anxiety in dogs who dislike confinement.
The goal is comfort, not containment.
If your dog is comfortable in a crate, it’s worth testing which toys are safe for that space.
Some chews and toys are perfect for settling, while others aren’t ideal for confined areas — especially with strong chewers. If you’re weighing up options, I’ve a list of just few durable toys that work well for our Staffies.
5. Use Food Toys — When They Actually Help
Chewing and sniffing can reduce anxiety, which makes food-based enrichment a great support for many dogs.
Good options include:
- KONGs
- snuffle mats
- puzzle toys
- long-lasting chews
But it’s important to recognise this:
an anxious dog in true panic won’t touch food.
So use enrichment as a tool in your routine — not as the main solution.
6. Increase Physical and Mental Stimulation
If you’ve a bit of time before heading out, a quick round of mental enrichment — a snuffle mat, a treat-finding game, or even five minutes with a puzzle toy — can take the edge off their energy.
Mental exercise tires a dog just as much as a physical session, sometimes more, and it usually leads to a calmer, quieter stretch while you’re gone.
A dog who has burned off a bit of energy — and used their brain — is often more settled when left alone.
Try adding:
- short, focused training sessions
- scent games around the house
- puzzle or food toys
- easy indoor games on rainy days
These small bits of stimulation can make a noticeable difference in how relaxed your dog feels during the day.
7. Adjust Your Routine When Needed
If your dog is going through a particularly anxious phase, or your schedule keeps them alone for longer than they can manage, small adjustments can help:
- a trusted sitter dropping by
- a short session of doggy daycare
- staggering family routines
- keeping walk and meal times consistent
Predictability lowers stress.
A dog who knows what to expect from their day tends to cope better with your absences.
When to Seek Additional Support
If your dog continues to panic even with slow, structured practice, it may be time to bring in support.
Behaviourists
A qualified behaviourist can help create a personalised plan that meets your dog where they are emotionally, without pushing them too far, too fast.
Veterinary Input
Sometimes anxiety isn’t purely behavioural.
Underlying medical issues can influence how a dog copes with being left alone:
- pain
- thyroid changes
- neurological issues
- cognitive decline
- hearing or vision loss
If your dog’s anxiety seems extreme, sudden, or out of character, it’s sensible to rule out medical causes.
Above All: Keep It Slow, Calm, and Predictable
Reducing dog anxiety isn’t about forcing independence — it’s about helping your dog feel safe.
Small, predictable steps done consistently go much further than pushing too quickly or expecting overnight change.
Most dogs won’t love being alone.
But with steady support, they can learn that it’s safe.
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