Why oh why do I only get sucked in to these things when it is so very late?!?!? I'm tired so it is likely to be a bit of a ramble here - go get a cup of tea and settle in!

The first thing I would like to ramble on about is what seperation anxiety actually is. To people it is a set of destructive, noisy, panicky, self harming and other disturbing behaviours exhibited by their dog because the dog loves them so much it can't cope with life without that person. The dog is so totally devoted to the owner that any form of seperation is unbearable for the dog. Most humans find this a rather appealing aspect to owning a dog as long as the behaviour is low level and is controlled by the owner simply "being there" - for instance the dog that follows you around like a shadow is seen by people as a loyal and faithful friend when the dog is actually displaying low level SA.
A dog displaying SA will invariably be getting messages from the owner that are meant as sympathetic and comforting - the owner is making every effort to show the dog that it is loved.

Herein lies the problem - humans don't communicate with dogs the same way that dogs communicate with humans. In a sense humans are too clever for their own good in a human-canine relationship. The intentions of human communication seem very clear and easy to understand to the human - I love you, I'm sorry you feel bad, I want to make you feel better. The more the human gives these messages the worse the behaviour of the dog becomes - the human tries harder to show the dog how much it is loved and tries to comfort it even more - the dog gets worse - the human increases efforts to comfort and love the dog - the dog gets worse....you get the picture.

Before looking at the dog's viewpoint in this situation it is important to review what a "dog" actually is.
Basically it is a domesticated wolf (I have been studying jackals lately and have found their posturing and vocalisations in many instances a lot clearer and easier to connect to the domestic dog - the basic language hasn't changed - it's still wolf speak with a regional accent - it's just easier to detect, especially their dominance stances in general) and still operates and behaves as though it is a wolf. It still communicates as though it is a wolf, still expects and needs the intricate social interactions of the pack and still has an innate sense of self preservation if that pack structure fails to develop, is inconsistent or falls apart. We, as humans, have had a profound influence on the domestic dog. We have manipulated the shape, basic breed behaviour, colour, size, eye colour, ear length, coat density and length along with a host of other genetically controlled characterisicts by intervening in the natural process of wolves breeding. But the major problem we had to get over was that a wolf grows up into a competitive, intelligent, physically and mentally strong adult that is, at the end of the day, willing to go to any lengths to ensure that the basic need for it's genetic survival is met. So we manipulated the wolf into the domesticated dog by ensuring that even the sexually mature entire male was stuck, behaviourally, in puppyhood. Anyone who thinks they have an "Alpha" animal on their hands is so very lucky they never have to deal with a low ranking wolf in their house!!!! All the instincts are there, the needs to behave in a certain way, and it can be tough to handle - at times even dangerous, but you are still dealing with a wolf that never grew up. You are also dealing with a wolf that never had a language lesson.

From the dog's point of view there is only two reasons to get frantic when the owner is out of sight - something bad happens to you when the owner is away or the owner is not being the strong alpha leader that the you need to feel safe.

A strong leader in dog terms is one that never pays attention to the greetings of the other members of the pack (the leader has more important things to do like gaze off into the distance and enjoy the minions grovelling at his feet!) in the morning or after a hunt or at any time when he returns to the pack. Trouble starts when the lower members of the pack rush up to greet the leader and the leader responds to them by acknowledging them - it can only mean, to the lower members, that the leader has had a situation where he felt threatened or afraid and needs reassurance or that he is hurt/wounded/too old to carry on very much longer as leader. Either way it is a sign that the leader 'aint up to the job of keeping the pack safe, fed and secure anymore. It creates tension. Each wolf in the pack then begins to look for another leader - it is the natural order, a pack needs a leader - if no individual can gain control, act in the appropriate manner of a leader and gain the trust of the pack then every individual has a self preservation instinct that kicks in - if nobody is good enough to look after me then I have no choice but to take control and look after everyone!

This is, very basically, what seperation anxiety is in the domestic dog. the dog is not upset because the owner has left it but because it, the dog, has failed to be a good leader. It has failed to control the pack. Despite the dog's best efforts at being a leader the pack has gone off to do whatever it wants and the dog is left - a "leader" unable to lead. In human terms the stress on the animal would be like training for years to become a plumber, going for years on a limited income, finally getting qualified, going through the worry and stress of setting up your own business and finding your first client expects you to fly a military jet to China, over Russia, refuel in mid-air, cover Iraq and Afghanistan and land in Iran without being detected.

In case you were wondering and in the very remote chance that you have stayed with me this far - the short answer is, yes your dog is suffering SA.