Chapter Sixty-Two: Separation Anxiety

After glancing at her own dog, Mrs. Wang's heart quickly settled. Her dog could eat and drink, run and jump, and by all appearances, seemed perfectly healthy. So Mrs. Wang soon concluded that Zhang Congwen was exaggerating her dog's problem on purpose to raise the price for training.

But in fact, before he even visited Mrs. Wang’s home, Zhang Congwen had already suspected that her dog might be suffering from separation anxiety. It wasn’t, as she imagined, just a ploy to charge more for training.

Separation anxiety is indeed an illness, though not one of the body, but of the mind. It refers to a state of psychological distress that occurs when the subject is separated from someone they rely on. This condition is not unique to dogs; cats and other pets may experience it too. Even humans, especially preschool children, can show symptoms of separation anxiety.

This psychological disorder arises in dogs because they cannot accept a world without their owners; it's a sign of their dependency. Many people say that while the human world is vibrant and rich, in a dog’s world, there is only you. Zhang Congwen found some truth in this, though he did not wholly agree, for such words grant dogs a deeply human nature, something he firmly opposed when it came to animals.

Dogs with separation anxiety exhibit emotions similar to a human infant’s fear of being parted from their mother, but they also experience anxiety about leaving their group. Dogs are social animals, accustomed to living within a pack. As a result, separation anxiety seldom occurs in multi-dog households, but is more common in those with only one dog, especially where there is just one person and one pet.

After Zhang Congwen explained the nature of separation anxiety to Mrs. Wang, she finally relaxed and, somewhat dismissively, said, “Oh! You scared me. I thought it was something serious.”

“Mild separation anxiety isn’t very serious,” Zhang Congwen replied. “Some dogs even outgrow it as they mature. But that’s usually only during the transition from puppyhood to adulthood. Has your dog already passed that stage?”

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang became even less concerned and began to consider finding an excuse to send Zhang Congwen and his companion away. If the dog could recover on its own, what need was there for a trainer?

But as Zhang Congwen continued, she grew anxious again. Her dog was already two years old, well past the transition phase he’d mentioned.

“Is Beibei’s condition serious?” she asked.

Her dog was a miniature schnauzer, a breed known for its social nature. The fact that her schnauzer was already showing separation anxiety was worrisome—without intervention, it was hard to predict how it might develop.

Zhang Congwen answered honestly, “It doesn’t seem too severe right now. But things could get worse. Dogs with separation anxiety not only bark when their owners leave, but may also destroy things or soil the house. If the symptoms become severe, they might even harm themselves.”

“You mean, the mess in my house is because of its separation anxiety?” Mrs. Wang asked.

Zhang Congwen shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

According to Mrs. Wang, her schnauzer had never been destructive before, so Zhang Congwen couldn’t make a definitive judgment. But in truth, today’s behavior was indeed caused by separation anxiety.

Ironically, Mrs. Wang had unwittingly contributed to the problem. Ever since she learned her dog would bark when she was away, she’d come home several times—only to check the house, not to attend to the schnauzer. This made the dog believe that barking could bring its owner back, so it barked all the harder. When its barking no longer seemed effective, it began to destroy things, hoping to summon its owner and gain her attention.

Though this may not have been the schnauzer’s conscious intent, instinct drove it to act this way, which only signaled a worsening of its separation anxiety.

“So… how do you train for this?” Mrs. Wang asked.

“No rush,” Zhang Congwen replied.

He’d just seen Beibei urinate on a mat on the floor. The mat didn’t look like one intended for the dog to relieve itself on—it seemed more like a mat for the dog to lie on.

Pointing to the mat, Zhang Congwen asked, “Does it always go on this mat?”

Mrs. Wang showed no surprise. She picked up the mat and tidied it away before replying, “I made a special spot for it to pee, but it refuses to use it. It prefers my sofa, the bed, or some corner of the floor.”

Song Jiawei’s expression changed and he looked uneasy. He was sitting on Mrs. Wang’s sofa, and from what she said, it was likely the schnauzer had peed where he was sitting. He wasn’t a clean freak, but the thought of sitting on dog urine was still unsettling.

As if deliberately trying to unsettle him further, Mrs. Wang pointed at Song Jiawei and said, “It used to love peeing right where you’re sitting.”

“Um… Mrs. Wang, have you ever changed this sofa?” Song Jiawei asked, trying to sound casual.

Mrs. Wang looked at him, puzzled. “Why would I change a perfectly good sofa?” But then she caught on to his meaning and added, a little annoyed, “Don’t worry, I’ve cleaned it. It’s spotless. I’m very particular about cleanliness.”

Song Jiawei finally felt reassured. At least Mrs. Wang claimed to be a clean person, so things couldn’t be too bad.

Mrs. Wang went back to the topic, explaining, “That mat was originally for Beibei to lie on. But after I noticed she liked to pee there, I let her. With that mat, she rarely pees on my sofa or bed anymore, so I just let it be. But she still occasionally pees elsewhere on the floor. Is this related to separation anxiety?”

“It might be, or it might not,” Zhang Congwen replied. “I’m not sure yet.”

“Again with the uncertainty. Why is nothing certain?” Mrs. Wang muttered under her breath. If she hadn’t witnessed Zhang Congwen working with that dog called Snowy and seen the clear improvement with her own eyes, she would have doubted his skills.

Zhang Congwen asked, “Why don’t you take her outside to relieve herself?”

Mrs. Wang shot him a look. “Outside? It’s filthy out there.”

Song Jiawei nodded inwardly, thinking Mrs. Wang really was a meticulous person who valued cleanliness. That made him feel better about possibly sitting where the dog had peed.

Zhang Congwen didn’t press the issue. Everyone has their own way of raising dogs. Training a dog to go in a designated spot at home wasn’t a problem in itself.

He continued, “Could you show me where you’ve set up the designated spot?”

Mrs. Wang tidied up as she pointed to the balcony. “It’s on the balcony, plain as day.”

Zhang Congwen walked over, curious to see if the arrangement of the spot might explain why the schnauzer refused to use it.

Song Jiawei followed, but when he reached the balcony and saw the designated area, he was stunned.