Every September I see the same week play out in an exam room. Dogs who’ve had someone home nearly nonstop all summer suddenly have a house to themselves for seven or eight hours a day, and a lot of them don’t handle it well the first time around. Chewed windowsills. Accidents from dogs who’ve been fully house-trained for years. Owners standing in my exam room a little embarrassed, saying some version of “they’ve never done this before.”
They’ve never had to.
The School District of Philadelphia’s first day is Monday, August 24. That’s next week! Across the city kids are getting ready to go back to their local catchment, magnet, or private school. If your dog’s had company all summer, this is the week to start adjusting, not the week school actually starts.
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Some Dogs Take This Harder Than Others
Not every dog struggles with the transition. But if I had to guess which patients are coming back in mid-September with a new anxiety problem, I’d start with the “velcro” breeds. Cavaliers, goldens, vizslas, most of the doodles, a lot of the smaller companion breeds bred for generations to stay close to a person. That’s just what they were bred for, and it’s why the switch from constant company to an empty house tends to land harder on them than on, say, a basenji who was mildly tolerating everyone the whole summer anyway.
If you’ve got one of those dogs, or one who already gets anxious when you grab your keys, don’t wait until the first week of school to find out how bad it’s going to be.
Start the Shift This Week
The mistake I see most often is families treating the first day of school as the first day of the new routine. For your dog, the routine needs to start changing now, while you can still fix problems before anyone’s rushing out the door for a bus.
Three things that actually help:
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- Run the real morning schedule today. Same wake time, same walk, same time you’d actually be leaving for drop-off. Dogs read patterns, not calendars.
- Practice the exact goodbye you’re going to use. A quick, low-key exit tends to work better than a long, guilty one, so if that’s the plan, start doing it now instead of on day one.
- Do an actual trial run. Leave for the real number of hours your dog will be alone, not twenty minutes. A cheap camera you can check from your phone is worth the money if you’re unsure how they handle it.
Give Your Dog a Job While You’re Gone
A tired dog handles alone time better than a bored one, so the morning matters. Here’s the order I’d actually do it in:
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- Burn off energy before you leave. A hard twenty-minute play session or a real walk keeps your dog from turning that energy into pacing by 10am.
- Set up enrichment for the hours they’re alone. A frozen Kong, a snuffle mat, or a puzzle feeder turns sitting by the door into working for food. Peanut butter frozen into a Kong does the job for a couple of dollars, no need for the expensive toys. KONG’s own stuffing guide and recipes has more combinations if you want to mix it up, and the ASPCA has a solid list of DIY enrichment projects using stuff you probably already have around the house.
- Add a midday break if your schedule allows it. A check from you, a neighbor, or a dog walker breaks a long stretch alone into two shorter ones, which makes a real difference for the dogs who struggle most.
If you want more structured options beyond a stuffed Kong, AKC has a good rundown of brain games and cognitive activities that work especially well for the higher-energy velcro breeds.
More Enrichment Ideas for Dogs
Enrichment isn’t just about tiring a dog out for the day. It gives them an outlet for the sniffing, chewing, and problem-solving instincts they’d normally use in the wild, and it builds confidence along the way. Here’s a good explainer on why mental stimulation matters if you want the fuller picture. If a stuffed Kong isn’t cutting it anymore, here’s a working list.
Toys and Puzzles
- ASPCA: DIY Enrichment
- ASPCA: Enrichment Recipes
- KONG Wobbler
- TRIXIE Activity Flip Board (TJ Maxx and Marshalls are a surprisingly good source for puzzle toys too)
- Pet Zone IQ Treat Ball
- Foraging Mat
- Book: Homemade Brain Teasers for Dogs
- DIY Dog Puzzles
- DIY Dog Toys From Things Around the House
- DIY Dog Food Puzzles
Crate Rest Activities
If your dog ends up on crate rest, whether for training or recovering from surgery or an injury, boredom becomes its own problem. These are built specifically for keeping a confined dog’s mind busy without letting them move much:
- Crate Rest Crazies
- Crate Rest Activities
- Mind and Scent Game
- Container Scent
- Take and Give
- 101 Things to Do With a Pouch
- Exercise Your Dog’s Mind
Try a Sniffari
A sniffari is a walk with no destination. Your dog leads, sniffs whatever they want, and sets the pace, even if that means standing at the same fire hydrant for two minutes. It’s different from a normal walk, and it can tire a dog out just as much as a longer hike. Here’s a good breakdown of why sniffing walks work.
Normal Adjustment vs. Something to Bring In
Some rough behavior in week one is expected. A little pacing, some extra barking, maybe a chewed shoe. That usually settles down within a week or two once the routine becomes familiar.
What I’d actually want to see in the office:
- Destruction concentrated at doors, windows, or the crate
- Barking or howling that neighbors are mentioning
- House accidents from a dog who’s otherwise fully trained
- Scratching or chewing that’s drawing blood
- Refusing to eat at all while alone, even food they love
That’s true separation anxiety, and it’s a medical condition, not a training failure on your part. It’s also treatable, sometimes with behavior work alone and sometimes alongside anti-anxiety medication while your dog adjusts. There’s no reason to spend months rebuilding windowsills when a visit usually gets things moving within a couple of weeks.
See a Vet If This Sounds Like Your Dog
Cats Notice Too
Cats get left out of nearly every back-to-school article, which doesn’t match what I actually see. Fewer torn-up doors, but plenty of over-grooming, litter box changes, or a cat who suddenly wants to be underfoot the second someone’s home. Same basic approach applies: a little extra enrichment, a consistent routine, and a vet visit if it hasn’t settled after a week or two. Ohio State’s Indoor Pet Initiative has good guidance on choosing cat toys cats will actually use, and their feline separation anxiety page is worth a look if your cat’s the clingy type.
More Enrichment Ideas for Cats
Feline enrichment does the same job it does for dogs: it lowers stress and boredom and heads off behavior problems like aggression, destruction, or hiding before they start.
- FelineVMA: Meeting the Physical and Emotional Needs of Indoor Cats
- Food Puzzles for Cats
- Environmental Enrichment for Indoor Cats
- Indoor Hunting Cat Feeder
- Cat Enrichment for Bored Cats
- Mental Stimulation for Cats
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my dog get anxious when school starts?
Dogs who’ve had people home all summer get used to constant company. When the house suddenly empties out for seven or eight hours a day, that abrupt change in routine is what triggers the stress, not the dog “acting out.” It’s a real adjustment, not misbehavior.
How long does it take a dog to adjust to a new routine?
Most dogs settle into a new schedule within one to two weeks once it becomes predictable. If pacing, barking, or accidents haven’t improved after two weeks, or they’re getting worse, that’s a sign to bring your dog in rather than wait it out.
What are the signs of separation anxiety in dogs?
Destruction focused on doors and windows, barking or howling while you’re gone, house accidents from a dog who’s otherwise trained, drooling, and refusing to eat when left alone are the main ones. Occasional whining in week one is normal. Consistent, worsening symptoms are not.
Can kids going back to school cause separation anxiety in dogs?
Yes. It’s one of the most common triggers vets see every September. The dog isn’t just losing a person, it’s losing hours of activity, noise, and attention all at once, and some dogs handle that shift much harder than others.
Is separation anxiety in dogs treatable?
Yes, and most cases respond well. Treatment usually combines behavior modification, like practicing low-key departures, building up alone time gradually, and adding enrichment (the ASPCA’s DIY enrichment projects are a good place to start), with anti-anxiety medication for more severe cases while the dog relearns to be comfortable alone.
Do cats get separation anxiety too?
Less dramatically than dogs, but yes. Watch for over-grooming, litter box changes, or a cat who’s suddenly clingy the moment someone’s home. It’s easy to miss because cats don’t destroy doors, but the stress is real. Ohio State’s Indoor Pet Initiative has good resources on both choosing cat toys cats will actually use and feline separation anxiety specifically.
What can I do this week to prepare my dog before school starts?
Start running the actual morning schedule now, not on the first day. Same wake time, same walk length, same departure time. Do a full-length trial run alone, add enrichment like a stuffed Kong (KONG’s own stuffing guide has recipes), and start using calm, low-key goodbyes instead of long send-offs. AKC’s brain games and cognitive activities are worth adding too if your dog needs more mental work.
Where can I find more dog enrichment ideas?
The “More Enrichment Ideas for Dogs” section above has our running list of toys, DIY puzzles, crate rest activities, and sniffari resources, including the ASPCA’s DIY enrichment guide.
Where can I find more cat enrichment ideas?
The “More Enrichment Ideas for Cats” section above has our go-to resources, including the FelineVMA’s position statement on indoor cat needs and a few specific feeder and toy picks.