Does your dachshund follow you from room to room? Sit outside the bathroom door with the patient intensity of a small, determined debt collector? Lose their mind when you put your shoes on?

Welcome to dachshund separation anxiety. It’s extremely common, frequently misunderstood, and — here’s the thing most advice gets wrong — it’s not really a training problem. It’s a breed problem. And there’s a difference.

It’s not your fault. It’s their design.

Dachshunds were bred to work in close partnership with humans. Not to be independent, like a Kelpie or a Husky who could range miles from their owner and make their own decisions. Dachshunds were bred to go underground — literally into the dark, into a confined space — and trust that their human was right there, digging from above.

That partnership is baked into them at a genetic level. When you leave the house, your dachshund doesn’t think “she’ll be back in four hours.” They think: my person is gone. The concept of “temporary absence” is not something their emotional architecture was built for.

This is why dachshund separation anxiety is so prevalent compared to other breeds. It’s not clinginess. It’s not poor training. It’s six hundred years of selective breeding for a dog who stays close and trusts their human completely. Understanding this changes how you approach it.

What separation anxiety actually looks like

The obvious signs are what most people think of: howling, barking, destructive behaviour, accidents in the house even in toilet-trained dogs. But anxiety often shows up earlier and more quietly than that.

Signs before you even leave:

• Hyper-vigilance when you pick up keys or put on shoes
• Following you from room to room with increasing intensity
• Panting or pacing as you prepare to go out
• Yawning, licking lips, pinned ears — stress signals that are easy to miss

Signs during your absence (often only visible on camera):

• Whining or howling that continues well after you leave
• Pacing, inability to settle
• Destructive behaviour focused on exits — doors, windows, the spot you last stood
• Not eating food or treats left out
• Excessive drooling or house soiling

Signs when you return:

• Frantic, prolonged greeting that takes a long time to settle
• Seeming almost angry or frantic, not just happy

If you’re not sure whether your dog has separation anxiety, set up your phone to record them for the first 20–30 minutes after you leave. What you see will tell you a lot.

What doesn’t work

Before we get to what does work, it’s worth clearing away a few things that are commonly suggested but largely ineffective — or actively counterproductive.

Punishing anxiety behaviour

Destructive behaviour and accidents are symptoms of distress, not disobedience. A dog who chewed the doorframe while you were out wasn’t making a choice to misbehave — they were panicking. Punishment after the fact doesn’t connect to the behaviour and just adds more stress to a dog who is already struggling.

Ignoring your dog to make them “more independent”

There’s a persistent belief that being affectionate with your dog causes or worsens separation anxiety. The research doesn’t support this. What matters is building their confidence and their ability to self-soothe — not withholding affection.

Just “letting them get used to it”

Flooding — exposing a dog to the thing that frightens them and waiting for them to stop reacting — doesn’t work for anxiety. It often makes things worse. If your dog is distressed every time you leave, they are not learning that it’s okay. They are just suffering repeatedly.

What actually helps

Separation anxiety is manageable. It takes patience and consistency, but genuine improvement is possible for most dogs. Here’s what the evidence — and experience — says works.

Start with very small absences

The principle behind treating separation anxiety is systematic desensitisation: gradually increasing the thing that causes anxiety in tiny steps, never going past the point where the dog becomes distressed. This means starting absurdly small. Step outside your front door and come back in. Do it ten times. Then step outside and wait five seconds before coming back. Then ten. Build up slowly, in increments small enough that your dog stays calm throughout. The goal is to teach your dog that you leaving predicts you returning — and that the duration between those two events is manageable. This takes time. It is not a weekend project. But it works.

Break up the pre-departure cues

Many dogs with separation anxiety start showing distress long before you actually leave — as soon as they see the signs that leaving is coming. Picking up keys. Putting on a coat. Picking up your bag. You can desensitise these cues separately. Pick up your keys and then sit down and watch television. Put on your coat and then make a cup of tea. Repeat until the cues stop predicting departure and your dog stops reacting to them.

Create a positive association with alone time

Give your dog something genuinely wonderful that they only get when you’re gone — a Kong stuffed with something high-value (peanut butter, cream cheese, their favourite treat) that’s been frozen overnight. The idea is that your absence predicts something good happening, not just something frightening. This alone won’t resolve significant anxiety, but it’s a useful part of a broader approach.

Consider a dedicated safe space

Some dogs find genuine comfort in having a specific place that is theirs — a covered crate, a cave-style bed in a quiet spot, a particular corner. Not used as a punishment, but as a place where good things happen and where they feel secure. Not all dogs take to this, and it shouldn’t be forced. But for dogs who do, it can make a real difference.

Exercise before you leave

A tired dog is a calmer dog. A good walk or play session before you go out doesn’t cure separation anxiety, but it reduces the baseline arousal level — making it easier for your dog to settle.

Use a pet camera

Being able to check in on your dog while you’re out isn’t just reassuring for you — it lets you gather real information about how they’re coping and whether the things you’re trying are working. Some cameras have two-way audio so you can speak to your dog, though for some anxious dogs, hearing your voice without seeing you can actually increase distress. Test it and see.

When to get professional help

Mild separation anxiety — some distress, settling within 20–30 minutes, no destructive behaviour or accidents — can often be managed with the approaches above. Moderate to severe separation anxiety — prolonged distress, significant destruction, self-harm, complete inability to settle — deserves professional support. A veterinary behaviourist or a certified applied animal behaviourist can assess your specific dog and create a targeted plan. In some cases, medication can help reduce baseline anxiety enough for behavioural work to take hold. For severe anxiety, it’s often the most humane and effective path.

A note on day-to-day management

While you’re working on the underlying anxiety, it’s worth thinking about your dog’s daily situation. Can you work from home some days? Could a dog walker break up a long day alone? Is doggy daycare an option? These aren’t permanent solutions, but they reduce the amount of distress your dog experiences while you’re doing the longer work of building their confidence.

The thing to hold onto

Dachshunds are partnership dogs. The fact that yours struggles when you leave is, in its own way, a testament to how much they love you. That’s not nothing. But loving them back means helping them manage that love in a way that doesn’t make them suffer. It’s worth the work.

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Elodie came to me with significant anxiety — about almost everything, not just being left alone. She’s made enormous progress. McKenzie is better described as offended by my absences than genuinely anxious, but she does like to make her feelings known.