Keep calm to manage puppy separation stress, RVC says
Puppy owners were asked to follow one of four different sets of guidance.
A new study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has found that keeping calm could be the key to managing puppies’ separation anxiety.
The research could support the management of separation-related behaviours (SRBs), which the RVC says has been identified in 50 per cent of dogs, and prevent such behaviours forming in puppies.
Researchers from the RVC, in collaboration with Dogs Trust, recruited 34 new puppy owners before they brought their dog home. Each owner was given one of four randomly selected sets of guidance: general puppy care advice, control plus calm departure and reunion advice, control plus gradual habitation to being left alone advice, or a combination of all three.
The puppy owners were each left to follow their respective advice, tracking how their pet reacted to being left alone over time.
They were also asked to film their pets at four key stages during their first six months at home. Puppies were filmed at the start of their first week, end of the second week, at three months of being home, and finally at six months of being at home.
At the three-month milestone, the puppies and their owners also took part in a supervised separation test.
The researchers then analysed the footage of the puppies, scoring behaviours such as barking, whining, resting or playing to assess signs of anxiety. This would give researchers an overview of how different advice influenced SRBs.
The study did not find evidence that any of the advice had a significant effect on specific signs of separation distress overall.
However, it did prove that the ‘control plus calm departure and reunion’ advice resulted in puppies resting quietly when they were left alone.
Similarly, puppies following the ‘control plus gradual habitation’ rested more when they were alone during the supervised separation test. They also demonstrated fewer passive signs of stress, such as panting or lip-licking.
Researchers say that a larger study would be needed to confirm whether these strategies could reduce SRBs. However, it is hoped that the study could prevent SRBs from forming with new puppies.
Charlotte Burn, associate professor in animal welfare and behaviour science, said: "Separation related problems can develop from a young age while puppies are very dependent on caregivers, so helping young animals cope and stay calm while alone is important for preventing life-long issues.
“This study suggests that calm owner behaviour can help, which ties in with our previous findings that puppies were more likely to develop separation related behaviour if their owners fussed over them or punished them around departure and reunion.
“We’re really grateful to all the puppy owners who participated in this research to help future dogs and their owners cope better when they have to be apart.”
The full study can be found in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour.
Image © Shutterstock.com/Sergey Dudikov
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.
