Probably is. Seems like it is if that's when it happened. I remember our Shih Tzu Chewbacca (he's all black and yes, looks like a mini Wookie, lol) would go crazy when my mom left him. He still barks constantly if she takes him in the car and leaves him a moment, but now that he's older, the destruction quit in the house. (Still does it sometimes in her bedroom though, lol.) He's a huge momma's boy too. Used to take all of five seconds for him to go nuts and grab anything to tear up. Came home one holiday season to find he'd torn up the gift bags under the tree because she'd left while I was gone! lol
Have you tried to slowly get him used to you not being with him? Say leave him five minutes, come back. Then ten minutes, come back, etc? I can safely leave Mila in the bathroom if I'm fixing to brush my teeth, up to a good five minutes without the freak out. I'll be doing that with her, but I work at home so she's not really left alone much. Mila used to be so bad she'd flip out if I even walked downstairs for one minute.