Separation-related problems part 2: owner absence, learning and pain

The motivation behind a dog's failure to cope during owner absence may be varied, but there is a greater consistency in what the dog is likely to do (Table 1). From the list of signs and behaviours related to distress during separation from owners (Table 1), it can be seen that many are relatively subtle and could easily be missed by owners; not least because a dog that shows signs of distress in response to a wider range of daily events may exhibit such signs (such as pacing or quiet whining) in other contexts within the home while the owner is present. Yet, despite the relative ease of access to technical equipment that records a dog's ‘owner absent behaviours’, it is the author's experience that it can be difficult to persuade owners to provide evidence of their dog's ‘owner absent’ activity. As dogs are social obligates (Heath, 2023), a substantial percentage of domestic dogs considered by their owners to be coping with owner absence, are likely to exhibit passive signs of separation-related problems that will continue to go unnoticed, resulting in a considerable reduction in the welfare of affected dogs. In addition, many owners consider that the behaviour they observe via apps that record their dog's activity during their absence to be evidence of contentment, when behaviours such as remaining prone alongside a front door for many hours may be far from ‘normal’.