Stress Signals You Might Be Missing

Separation anxiety rarely appears overnight. For most dogs, it develops gradually, with subtle signs showing long before distress becomes obvious. These early signals are easy to overlook, especially because many of them are often described as “cute”, “clingy”, or simply part of a dog’s personality.

Following you from room to room. Sitting outside the bathroom door. Becoming restless when you put shoes on or pick up your keys. Struggling to settle unless they are physically close to you. These behaviours are often brushed off as affection or loyalty, but for some dogs, they are signs of emotional discomfort around separation.

Dogs communicate constantly through body language and behaviour. When a dog feels uneasy about distance from their guardian, they may try to maintain proximity at all times. This isn’t about control or dominance. It’s about safety. Your presence helps regulate their nervous system, so they seek it out whenever possible.

Other early stress signals can include pacing, frequent yawning when not tired, licking lips, sudden bursts of restlessness, or difficulty settling during normally calm times of day. Some dogs may vocalise softly, whine when you move away, or appear on edge during everyday routines that predict absence, such as picking up a bag or closing internal doors.

Because these signs don’t look dramatic, they are often missed. Life is busy, and it’s easy to assume that a dog who follows you everywhere is simply bonded or well attached. The challenge is that when these early signals go unnoticed, the dog has no opportunity to learn that separation is safe. Instead, their worry quietly grows.

When the emotional pressure builds high enough, it can spill over into behaviours that are harder to ignore. Barking, howling, scratching doors, chewing, or toileting indoors often appear later, not because the problem has suddenly started, but because the dog’s coping strategies are no longer working.

By learning to recognise and respond to these quieter signals, we can step in much earlier. Early intervention is gentler, faster, and far less stressful for everyone involved. It allows us to support the dog before panic takes hold, rather than trying to undo fear once it has become deeply rooted.

Noticing stress signals is not about becoming anxious or hypervigilant. It’s about curiosity and compassion. When we see these behaviours as communication rather than inconvenience, we can respond in ways that help our dogs feel safer and more understood.

Listening is one of the most powerful tools we have. When we listen early, we give our dogs the best possible chance to learn that time apart does not mean danger, and that they are safe even when we are not right beside them.

All the best,

Victoria 🐾