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My three-year-old Maltese, Abbey, has recently become agitated when I leave my apartment for work every morning. My neighbours have told me that they hear her barking, whining and scratching at the door for up to an hour. When I get home from work, she greets me like she always did and shows no signs that she's been doing anything but sleeping. I know this is called separation anxiety but I don't know why, after more than two years of living together, she has suddenly decided to act up.

Colleen

Dear readers,

After further correspondence with Colleen, I discovered that Abbey's behaviour started immediately after Colleen returned home from a one-month vacation. This is vital information as it appears to be the key to Abbey's anxiety when Colleen left her apartment on her first day back at work.

Jacque Newman

Dear Colleen,

Separation anxiety is fairly common in dogs and it doesn't appear to be breed specific. Experts note that it occurs in any breed of any age or gender and it's impossible to gauge which puppy will be prone.

It's not a matter of loneliness - it's actually a panic response. As pack animals, our dogs become secure in our company. They don't understand when their pack members, whether it's one, two or a dozen, disappear.

Separation anxiety isn't apparent until it's tested. In Abbey's case, she was accustomed to being left alone for a period of nine hours, five days per week. The weekends came on schedule and Abbey had been able to deal with Colleen's disappearance every Monday morning. But Abbey was thrown a curve when her "pack" (Colleen) "went missing" for longer than usual.

Abbey is now feeling a little insecure that Colleen's departures for work may signal a long-term absence and she'll need a little reassurance to get back into the swing of things. In this case, "reassurance" doesn't mean extra treats, hugs and "Bye-bye! I'll miss you!" for half an hour before you leave the house. In fact, it means the opposite.

Keep your comings and goings light and easy. When you're leaving for work, avoid excessive talking and touching Abbey. Just move about your apartment and say a cheerful "Bye!" in a calm voice as you close the door. Too much whining (I mean on your part) and assurances that you'll miss her and you love her will only serve to raise her panic response. To put it in human terms, she'll think: "My goodness - she's making such a fuss! This must mean she'll never return to me! Wahhhhh!"

You can stand outside your door and wait for her to start barking, whining, and scratching but you probably won't hear anything. Most dogs suffering separation anxiety wait for 20 or 30 minutes before they start beating the drums.

When you return home, enter your apartment as lightly and low-key as you did in the morning. A quick "Hi, Abbey!" and a short pat should do the trick. Don't bounce off walls in your happiness to see her or she'll think, "You're excited to be home, too? It must be a miracle then! Awoooooo!"

Keep Abbey secure in knowing that your comings and goings are normal and, while you may be away for up to a month occasionally, Abbey has nothing to be concerned about.

In other words, what you're trying to do is avoid vast displays of excitement when leaving and returning to your home as dogs may see this as proof positive that something absolutely terrible will happen and you'll never return. I'm sure you'll have Abbey back on track in no time.

If you have continued difficulties with Abbey's separation anxiety, your veterinarian or professional dog trainer can give you more suggestions. There's also an excellent article on separation anxiety available at the website for the Humane Society of the United States at www.hsus.org.

E-mail jacque-newman@rogers.com with a question, comment or suggestion.