Separation anxiety in dachshunds: how to spot it and what to do

Separation anxiety is an individual dog’s problem, not a breed trait. That matters, because the repeated line about dachshunds being “one person dogs” has no source behind it, and the FCI standard describes the breed’s temperament as even, friendly, neither fearful nor aggressive [S4].

This article is informational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian or a behaviourist.

Signs

Recognised signs of anxiety and distress in dogs include [S1]:

• Vocalisation: howling, barking, whining after the owner leaves
• Destruction, particularly around doors and windows
• Salivation
• Escape attempts
• Urination or defecation despite being house trained
• Pacing or freezing

Watery eyes are not on standard lists of anxiety signs and should not be read as one. Eye discharge is an ophthalmic sign, which is a reason to see a vet for an entirely different cause.

What the research does not support

Sleeping in the owner’s bed. In a 2001 case-control study of 200 dogs diagnosed with separation anxiety and 200 controls, so-called spoiling activities including sleeping on the bed were not associated with the diagnosis [S2]. An observational study cannot prove the absence of any causal link, but there is no basis for warning owners off the bed.

A second dog as the cure. In the same study, the presence of other pets in the household was not associated with a separation anxiety diagnosis [S2]. A second dog is therefore not a proven treatment. We have no interventional study allowing the claim that it makes things worse, so we do not make it.

What does not help

• Punishing on return. The dog does not connect the punishment with something that happened hours earlier.
• Leaving the dog for hours “to get used to it”. Without gradual steps that is not therapy.

What is done in practice

The protocol developed by Karen Overall involves rewarding calm behaviour and gradually practising being left alone [S3]. Pace is the key: you work below the threshold at which the dog panics.

1. Start with absences short enough that the dog stays calm, sometimes ten or twenty seconds. Come back without a greeting scene.
2. Extend the time in small steps. Any absence that ends in panic sets the work back.
3. How fast things improve depends on severity. Mild cases can show progress within weeks, full separation anxiety takes months.

A flat departure routine. No goodbyes, no enthusiastic returns. Leaving and coming back should be boring.

Activity before leaving. A walk, scent work, food taken out of a puzzle toy. A tired dog settles more easily.

When to involve a vet

Severe separation anxiety is managed together with a veterinarian or a behaviourist. There are veterinary medicines authorised for separation anxiety in dogs, used alongside behaviour modification, but choosing them is entirely the vet’s call. This is not an area for owner decisions.

Prevention in a puppy

From the first day at home, short daily absences, gradually extended. The dog learns that being alone is temporary.