Is my dog anxious or just bored when alone?

Recording the first 30 minutes of an absence is often the clearest way to tell the two apart. A dog that settles after a brief period of restlessness is likely bored or mildly unsettled, while one that paces continuously, drools, or fixates on the door for the whole time is showing signs closer to genuine anxiety.

A dog that gets plenty of exercise, has engaging toys, and still destroys things only when left alone is more likely dealing with anxiety, while an under exercised dog that gets into trouble both when you are home and away is more likely simply bored and under stimulated.

Boredom generally responds well to more exercise, mental stimulation, and enrichment, while anxiety needs a structured desensitization approach and sometimes professional help, so correctly identifying which one you are dealing with saves a lot of wasted effort on the wrong solution.

Some dogs present a genuinely mixed or ambiguous picture, particularly if they are only mildly affected, and in these cases it is reasonable to try increasing exercise and enrichment first for 2 to 3 weeks, since this is the lower effort intervention, before assuming anxiety and moving to a more involved desensitization plan. If exercise and enrichment make no real difference, that itself is useful information pointing more clearly toward anxiety as the actual cause. This kind of process of elimination, tried in a genuine, consistent way rather than half heartedly for a day or two, gives a much clearer answer than trying to guess correctly on the first attempt.