How Common Is Separation Anxiety in Dogs, Really? What the Studies Actually Show (2026)

85.9% → 9.3%

The exact same 43,517-dog national dataset produced a separation-related-behavior prevalence of 85.9% in one analysis — and 9.3% when independent researchers re-analyzed the identical data using more appropriate statistical methods.

Source: Beaver et al., Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 2024–2025; re-assessed by Serpell & Powell, 2025

Key Findings at a Glance

→ Re-analyzing the same 43,517-dog dataset with corrected statistics dropped the separation-anxiety figure from 85.9% to 9.3% (Beaver et al. 2024–25; Serpell & Powell 2025)
→ The most-cited worldwide estimate for the general pet dog population is 13–29% (Animals, 2020), with a separate review putting it at 14–20% (Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2021)
→ Among dogs specifically referred to veterinary behavior clinics, 20–40% are diagnosed with separation anxiety (JAVMA, 2021)
→ A Finnish survey of 13,715 dogs found only 5% under strict high-frequency criteria — versus 14–20% using looser criteria on similar populations (PMC, 2020)
→ In the one longitudinal UK dataset available, prevalence was highest before COVID lockdowns (22.1%) and lowest after them (17.2%) — the opposite of the popular “pandemic puppy” narrative (PMC, 2022)
→ Newly adopted shelter dogs show separation-related behavior at 79–88% in the months after adoption — far above general-population rates (PLOS ONE, 2023)

Ask how common separation anxiety is in dogs and you’ll get a different answer depending on which page you land on — 5%, 17%, 29%, even “almost every dog.” None of those numbers are wrong. They’re measuring different things: different dog populations, different diagnostic thresholds, and in one striking case, the exact same data run through two different statistical methods. This article lays out what the actual peer-reviewed studies say, with every figure traced to its source, so you can see precisely why the range is so wide instead of just being told it is. If you’re dealing with a specific breed, the underlying biology is the same, but separation anxiety in dachshunds gets its own breed-specific patterns worth reading alongside the population-level data here.

1So How Common Is It, Really?

Depending on which population and which measurement standard a study uses, published separation anxiety prevalence ranges from about 5% to 29% in general pet dogs, 20–40% in dogs referred to behavior clinics, and 79–88% in recently adopted shelter dogs. There is no single correct number — there’s a correct number for each specific situation.

Study Population	Reported Prevalence	Source
General pet dogs, strict high-frequency criteria (Finland, n=13,715)	5%	PMC7058607, 2020
Dog Aging Project dataset, re-analyzed with corrected statistics (n=43,517)	9.3%	Serpell & Powell, 2025
General pet dog population, worldwide review	13–29%	Animals, 2020
General pet dog population, literature review	14–20%	Frontiers in Vet. Science, 2021
UK owner-survey, post-lockdown timepoint (n=1,807)	17.2%	PMC8868415, 2022
Single referral behavior practice, 40-month descriptive study (n=215)	22.6% of clinic patients	Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 2014
Dogs referred to veterinary behavior clinics	20–40%	JAVMA, 2021
Dog Aging Project dataset, original analysis (n=43,517)	85.9%	Beaver et al., 2024–25
Newly adopted shelter dogs, 180 days post-adoption (n=99)	87.5%	PLOS ONE, 2023

Sorted by reported value, not by study quality — see the sections below for why population and method, not disagreement about dogs, explain the spread.

Finland, strict criteria

Same data, corrected method

9.3%

UK post-lockdown survey

17.2%

Single clinic, descriptive

22.6%

Behavior-clinic referrals (mid)

~30%

Same data, original method

85.9%

Newly adopted shelter dogs

87.5%

If you want a rough sense of scale rather than a diagnosis: using the 17.2% figure against roughly 63 million US dog-owning households, secondary sources arrive at an estimate of about 10.8 million affected dogs nationwide. Treat that as a back-of-envelope calculation, not an independent count — there is no national census of diagnosed separation anxiety, so any “X million dogs” figure you see online is derived the same way, not independently measured.

2Same Data, Two Headlines: Why One Study Said 85.9% and Another Said 9.3%

In 2024–25, Dr. Bonnie Beaver’s team analyzed Dog Aging Project survey data from 43,517 dogs and reported that 85.9% showed moderate-to-severe separation and attachment behaviors. In 2025, researchers James Serpell and Lauren Powell re-analyzed the identical dataset with more appropriate statistical methods and found separation-related behavior at just 9.3%.

85.9%

Original 2024–25 analysis of the Dog Aging Project’s mini-C-BARQ survey responses, using Beaver’s “moderate to serious” threshold (score ≥2) applied broadly across the separation/attachment category.

Beaver et al., Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 2024–2025

9.3%

Same raw survey responses, re-analyzed in 2025 using statistical methods the authors argue better match how the C-BARQ questionnaire was validated, rather than treating every item above a low raw-score cutoff as “moderate to severe.”

Serpell & Powell, re-assessment, 2025

This isn’t a story about one team being wrong and one being right about dogs — both used the same real survey answers from the same 43,517 dogs. The disagreement is entirely about how to convert a 0–4 owner-rating scale into a yes/no “problem” label. Serpell and Powell’s broader critique covered more than separation anxiety: the original analysis also reported 55.6% of dogs with moderate-to-severe aggression and 49.9% with moderate-to-severe general anxiety, and the re-assessment brought those down to a 1.2–30.4% range for aggression types and 14.1–28.2% for anxiety/fear types. It’s the same pattern behind why dog food allergy prevalence estimates range from 0.2% to 40% depending on diagnostic criteria — a wide published range is usually a measurement-definition story, not a sign that nobody knows anything.

3Does the Diagnostic Bar Matter That Much? The 5% Study

A 2020 survey of 13,715 Finnish pet dogs found separation-related behavior in only 5% of dogs — notably lower than the 14–20% reported elsewhere — and the researchers explicitly attribute the gap to using stricter inclusion criteria than prior studies.

Criteria Used	Resulting Prevalence	Source
Only dogs with frequent/very-frequent destructive or vocal behavior when alone	5%	Sulkama et al., 2020 (n=13,715)
Any reported occurrence of separation-related behavior, looser threshold	14–20%	Bamberger & Houpt 2006; Ballantyne 2018, via Frontiers review 2021

3–4x

That’s roughly how much the prevalence estimate swings on comparable owner-survey populations purely from tightening the definition of “a case” from any occurrence to frequent/severe occurrence only — before any difference in the dogs themselves is considered.

Derived from Sulkama et al., 2020, compared against Bamberger & Houpt, 2006 / Ballantyne, 2018

This is the same mechanism driving the 85.9%-vs-9.3% gap in the previous section, just demonstrated on a different, smaller dataset and stated directly by the study’s own authors rather than inferred from a later re-assessment. It’s a useful sanity check for owners trying to interpret conflicting training advice, too — the same definitional looseness is part of why training-method “success rate” claims often don’t hold up under closer research: a loose definition of success inflates the number the same way a loose definition of “separation anxiety” does.

4Did COVID Cause a Separation Anxiety Epidemic? The Data Says No

The only longitudinal dataset tracking the same dogs across the pandemic found separation-related behavior prevalence was actually highest before lockdowns (22.1%, February 2020) and lowest after they ended (17.2%, October 2020) — the reverse of the widely repeated “pandemic puppy” separation-anxiety-spike narrative.

UK LONGITUDINAL SURVEY, n=1,807 DOGS (PMC8868415, 2022) 22.1% 20.2% 17.2% Feb 2020 (pre-lockdown) May–Jun 2020 (lockdown) Oct 2020 (post-lockdown)

55.7%

Of dogs showing separation-related behavior at the start of the study, 55.7% had stopped showing it by October 2020. Meanwhile, 9.9% of dogs with no prior signs developed new ones — a smaller, offsetting effect.

Impact of Changes in Time Left Alone on Separation-Related Behaviour in UK Pet Dogs, 2022

This matters because it’s a methodology lesson as much as a pandemic-trivia fact: this is owner-reported data, not clinical diagnosis, which the study’s own authors flag as a limitation. But it’s still the best available before/after comparison on a fixed group of dogs, and it directly contradicts a claim repeated constantly in casual pet-media coverage. It’s worth separating this from a related but different question: how a dog’s routine attachment and bonding habits — like whether a dog sleeps on the bed or couch — interact with being left alone is simply not what this dataset measured. Owners sometimes also confuse ordinary forgetfulness for anxiety; the research on how a dog’s memory actually works is a useful companion read if you’re trying to rule out cognitive explanations for a behavior change.

5Are Shelter Dogs Really at Higher Risk?

Yes, substantially. Two C-BARQ-based studies of recently adopted shelter dogs found separation-related behavior in 79.2% to 88% of dogs in the months following adoption — three to four times higher than most general-population estimates.

Population	Prevalence	Source
Newly adopted shelter dogs, 180 days post-adoption (n=99, 5 Ohio shelters)	87.5%	Bohland et al., PLOS ONE, 2023
Comparable newly adopted shelter dog study	79.2–85.5%	Comparable C-BARQ study, cited in Bohland et al., 2023
General pet dog population (for comparison)	5–29%	See Section 1

0.23 pts

The small but statistically significant drop in average C-BARQ separation-behavior score between 90 and 180 days post-adoption — prevalence stays very high, but severity trends downward the longer a shelter dog settles into its new home.

Bohland, Lilly, Herron, Arruda & O’Quin, PLOS ONE, 2023

Recently adopted and rehomed dogs are, functionally, a different population from dogs who have lived in one home for years — which is one more concrete reason raw prevalence numbers quoted online disagree so sharply depending on which study they’re pulled from. It also connects to a broader pattern worth knowing before adopting: unresolved behavior problems are a documented driver of dogs being returned to shelters, and separation-related distress in the first six months is exactly the kind of problem that, left unaddressed, can contribute to a return. It can also ripple into conflict in multi-dog households when a newly adopted dog’s distress at being left alone affects resident dogs too.

6Interactive: Which Range Actually Applies to Your Dog?

Prevalence numbers are only useful if you’re comparing your situation to the right study population. Select the description that best matches your dog, and this tool will show only the published figures that actually apply — not a single blended number.

7Risk Factors the Data Actually Supports

Among dogs diagnosed with separation anxiety at referral clinics, neutered male dogs are notably overrepresented (odds ratio 4.65 vs. intact females), and the single most common co-occurring condition is noise sensitivity, present in 43.7% of diagnosed cases.

Risk Factor	Finding	Source
Neutered male dogs vs. intact females	OR 4.65	JAVMA, 2021
Most common comorbid diagnosis (noise sensitivity)	43.7% of cases	JAVMA, 2021
Recently adopted / rehomed status	79–88% prevalence	PLOS ONE, 2023 (see Section 5)

If your dog is already noise-sensitive — startling at thunderstorms, fireworks, or garbage trucks — that alone is a documented reason to watch more closely for separation-related signs, not a coincidence. This is also exactly the kind of risk profile worth weighing before committing to a schedule that leaves a dog alone for long stretches; it’s part of why matching a dog to a full-time work schedule is as much about temperament risk factors as it is about breed energy level. Early in a new dog’s life, some clinginess is developmentally normal rather than pathological — the first-month adjustment period covers how to tell ordinary settling-in behavior apart from a genuine emerging pattern. When management or training is warranted, the same evidence base that applies broadly to dog training favors reward-based methods over aversive correction, particularly for anxiety-driven behavior rather than simple disobedience.

Methodology

Every figure in this article is drawn directly from a peer-reviewed veterinary/behavioral journal article, a named academic dataset, or trade coverage of one of those studies that was cross-checked against at least one other independent source. Two frequently repeated claims — a consumer-survey “52% of owners” figure and an unsourced “70 million dogs lifetime” estimate — were investigated and excluded because no disclosed, traceable primary methodology could be found for either.

Sources consulted: 21, across academic journals (JAVMA, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Animals, PLOS ONE), institutional/preprint listings (PMC, ResearchGate, SSRN), and trade press (dvm360, Texas A&M News, independent pet-behavior journalism)
Sources cited: 11, listed in full below
Data range: foundational figures from 2006 and 2014; current data from 2020–2026
Freshness note: 2025–2026 sources anchor the hero finding and lead the article; the 2014 single-clinic descriptive study and the 2006 foundational prevalence figure (cited via a 2021 review) are retained only because no study of comparable scope has superseded them as of this writing, and both are still actively cited in current review literature.
Last verified: October 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

So how common is separation anxiety in dogs — one number?

There isn’t an honest single number. Depending on the study population and diagnostic threshold, published estimates range from about 5% to 29% of the general pet dog population, 20–40% among dogs referred to behavior clinics, and 79–88% in recently adopted shelter dogs. A 2025 re-analysis of one 43,517-dog dataset found 9.3% where the original analysis reported 85.9% — the same data, two statistical methods.

Why do separation anxiety studies disagree so much?

Three documented reasons: diagnostic threshold (counting any occasional sign vs. only frequent/severe signs can swing a number 3–4x on similar populations), population sampled (general pets, clinic referrals, and shelter dogs have very different base rates), and statistical method applied to identical data (the 85.9%-vs-9.3% re-assessment). None of this means the underlying biology is in dispute — it means “a case” is defined differently across studies.

Did separation anxiety in dogs get worse because of COVID-19 lockdowns?

The best longitudinal data says no, and in fact points the other way: a UK study tracking the same 1,807 dogs found prevalence was highest before the pandemic (22.1%, Feb 2020) and lowest after lockdowns ended (17.2%, Oct 2020). Some dogs did develop new signs (9.9%), but more dogs with pre-existing signs actually improved (55.7%) over the same window.

Are shelter or recently adopted dogs more likely to have separation anxiety?

Yes. Two C-BARQ-based studies of recently adopted shelter dogs found separation-related behavior in 79.2–88% of dogs in the months after adoption, far above the 5–29% range reported for the general pet dog population, and severity only declines slowly as the dog settles into its new home.

Is separation anxiety the same thing as general anxiety or fear in dogs?

No, and the two get conflated constantly in casual coverage. A 2026 analysis of 43,517 dogs found 91% showed at least mild fear/anxiety toward at least one specific trigger (strangers, loud noises, grooming, unfamiliar dogs) — but that statistic describes general fear/anxiety, not separation anxiety specifically, which is a distinct diagnosis tied to being left alone.

What’s the actual risk-factor profile for a dog developing separation anxiety?

Among dogs diagnosed at referral clinics, neutered male dogs are notably overrepresented (odds ratio 4.65 vs. intact females), and the single most common co-occurring condition is noise sensitivity, present in 43.7% of diagnosed cases — useful context since noise-sensitive dogs and anxious-when-alone dogs are frequently the same dogs.

Sources & References

Beaver BV et al. “Prevalence and Severity of Behavior Problems in Dogs in the United States.” Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 2024–2025. Coverage: stories.tamu.edu. Accessed October 2026.
Serpell JA, Powell L. “Prevalence and Severity of Behavior Problems in Dogs in the United States: A Re-assessment.” 2025. Coverage: dvm360.com. Accessed October 2026.
“Mental Health Disease or Preventable Problem? Australian Dog Trainers’ Opinions about Canine Separation Anxiety Differ with Training Style.” Animals, 2020. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7459922. Accessed October 2026.
Review of epidemiological, pathological, genetic, and epigenetic factors in separation anxiety. JAVMA, Vol. 259, Issue 10, 2021. avmajournals.avma.org. Accessed October 2026.
“Impact of Changes in Time Left Alone on Separation-Related Behaviour in UK Pet Dogs.” 2022. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8868415. Accessed October 2026.
Sulkama S et al. “Prevalence, comorbidity, and breed differences in canine anxiety in 13,700 Finnish pet dogs.” 2020. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7058607. Accessed October 2026.
“A descriptive study of 215 dogs diagnosed with separation anxiety.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 2014. sciencedirect.com. Accessed October 2026.
Bohland KR, Lilly ML, Herron ME, Arruda AG, O’Quin JM. “Shelter dog behavior after adoption: Using the C-BARQ to track dog behavior changes through the first six months after adoption.” PLOS ONE, 2023. journals.plos.org. Accessed October 2026.
Dog Aging Project analysis. Veterinary Research Communications, 2026;50(4):284. Coverage: dvm360.com. Accessed October 2026.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science review, 2021, citing Ballantyne (2018) and Bamberger & Houpt (2006). frontiersin.org. Accessed October 2026.
dvm360 secondary coverage (derived ~10.8 million dog estimate). dvm360.com. Accessed October 2026.

This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed and edited by our editorial team.