Risk factors for separation anxiety in dogs

Abstract

Understanding the risk factors for separation anxiety is important to understanding why dogs have this problem and can help in understanding how to prevent and treat the problem. We conducted a survey of potential risk factors for separation anxiety. The survey was completed by 202 dog owners. Of the 202 surveys, 63 of these dogs had separation anxiety and 130 did not. This study was done with an owner directed survey that asked questions about the dog’s background and current behaviors. In this study we hypothesized the effect of 12 risk factors for separation anxiety. These risk factors include, but are not limited to, source of dog, time left alone, type of dog and time spent exercising. The results of the surveys found that the source of dog had a high impact on incidence of separation anxiety.