​​For all the modern conveniences the modern dog is given in our current world, we have a tendency to love dogs a lot more than we honor who they are.  
 
In a world where dogs are unemployed and always on-leash, we are seeing a rise in many problem behaviors. And perhaps none more brought about by current living conditions than separation anxiety.  
 
Separation anxiety is one of the most difficult issues you can face as a dog owner, and it usually stems from what I see in dogs as a failure to launch – meaning they’ve never really crossed the line from a small, dependent puppy to an independent, strong member of the community. This is often times brought about by a lack of a job, or a lack of strong leadership and direction. Some dogs, like Weimereiners or other “Velcro dogs”, almost seem to have it bred into them. Like most bred behaviors with pure bred dogs, if it’s not carefully trained out of them from the start, you're going to have issues.  
 
Like anything, if you prevent separation anxiety from day 1 by fostering independence, teaching the dog how to entertain himself away from you, effective crate training, and general good obedience work, it is much easier than dealing with it once they are already destroying your floorboards or your door frames. 
 
If you’re already dealing with separation anxiety, then here are some steps you can take to start getting it back under control: 

Whether or not you choose to use a crate as a long-term solution, your dog should be comfortable in a crate. If they're not, scary places like the groomer, the kennel, or the vet become that much scarier when your dog realizes being crated is part of the deal. 

That's why crate training should be an essential part of every dog's training regiment. Because even if you're not going to use a crate in your daily life, at some point down the road having that skill WILL make your dog more comfortable and reduce their anxiety. 
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