What helps dogs with Separation Anxiety?

When we think of behavior problems in dogs and finding solutions with training, people often think in terms of behaviorism. Behaviorism looks at a behavior and attempts to change it through reinforcement or punishment. Unfortunately, behavior is much more complex in dogs especially when the behavior displayed is rooted in anxiety.

If we think about the punishment/reward model for a condition like separation anxiety, we would be tasked with remotely rewarding the dog’s calm behavior when they are alone. Likewise, we would also need to correct or punish the dog for unwanted behaviors, like barking, destroying exit points, potty accidents, etc. I want to point out a few pitfalls with punishing those behaviors. It’s important to understand that Separation Anxiety is a panic disorder that has symptomatic behaviors that often become a problem for the dog’s owner. But we want to be empathetic that those behaviors are communication signals of immense distress and are symptoms of a bigger issue. And if we stop short of seeing it as an anxiety issue we miss the bigger picture. Focusing only on punishing symptomatic behavior can result in a dog who suffers in silence. The training has done nothing to address the dog’s internal sense of safety but instead inhibits their expression and communication. If this paints a sad story for you, I wholeheartedly agree! Read on to learn about what works for these anxious kiddos.

When approaching Separation Anxiety it is important to look at the cause of the behaviors that we want to change. We can get so much further in effectively changing the behavior when we address the underlying motivation. In the case of Separation Anxiety, we are looking at a dog that has an outsized fear reaction to being left alone. They are anxious at the signs that alone time might be coming (pick up keys, putting on shoes, etc) and panic once their human exits and the door closes. Our task then is to teach the dog that alone time is safe and that someone always comes back. We do this through a process called desensitization.

The first step in my Separation Anxiety Training Program is an assessment. When working through a desensitization training plan it’s imperative to keep the dog under threshold. This means that while we teach the dog that alone time is safe, we have to ensure the dog believes and trusts us. Therefore, we cannot sometimes have alone-time that is actually scary to them. Desensitization is a learner centered training method. Meaning, we give the driver’s seat to the dog. We don’t get to determine what’s safe and what’s dangerous to them. Instead, we let them tell us what they feel through interpreting their body language. Then we can create training plans that are appropriate to their tolerance of alone time. We won’t make progress with teaching them that alone time is safe by doing repetitions of scary alone time over and over.

After determining how much alone time the dog can handle, we begin by demonstrating repetitions of safe alone time. This might look like some version of simply going to the door, stepping outside then coming right back in, then repeating it roughly 10 times so the dog learns that it’s no big deal. This type of learning is done by observation rather than active participation. We don’t ask anything of the dog. There are no cues, confinement techniques or distractions. We teach by demonstrating and by holding a boundary that we will not cross the dog’s stress threshold during training.

When we start a desensitization plan we go under contract with our dog. The contract says:

We understand alone time has been scary. We know you’re safe and that we’re coming back but it’s hard for us to explain that to you. We want to help you feel safe when you’re alone. We promise not to trick you, confine you or distract you when we leave. There are new rules around leaving that you might not trust at first but over time you will come to believe. They are:

Rule #1: We will never leave you longer than you can handle it, ever again.

Rule #2: If we have to leave you, we will make plans for you to have a safe person with you

Rule #3: If you tell us that you feel afraid during training, we will believe you and will adjust so that you do not feel afraid.

Rule #3.5: You set the timeline. We understand that pushing you too quickly would be a breach of contract.

If we uphold our end of the contract our dogs will be able to slowly untangle the knots of Separation Anxiety and can learn to feel safe at home alone.  

Separation Anxiety is workable and I have helped many dogs and their humans find resolution. Unlike manners training, Separation Anxiety takes time, sometimes months of consistent training to resolve. But it is possible and worth it! Reach out for a free consult, we’d love to hear about your dog and chat about how we can help! 

Help! My dog’s separation anxiety is getting worse.

 It can feel really helpless when you’ve tried to help your dog to the best of your ability and they continue to get worse. Separation Anxiety is a tricky behavior to treat in dogs and there is no shortage of misinformation about it on the internet. Many of my clients have exhausted themselves with internet research, DIY programs and even seeking out help from other professional trainers without seeing improvement in their dog’s separation anxiety symptoms by the time they reach out to me. The truth is that Separation anxiety is a complicated issue and there could be a myriad of reasons why the dog’s symptoms haven’t improved. Let’s go over a few of the most common:

Incomplete Management

Management is one of the most important things to get right in your dog’s separation anxiety training. Progress will be hard, if not impossible, if your dog is continuously left alone longer than they can handle it. The most effective way to treat separation anxiety is with desensitization, which effectively teaches the dog that alone-time is consistently safe, therefore there’s no need to feel anxious. So, we cannot teach the dog that alone-time is safe while also contradicting ourselves by sometimes having the dog experience alone time that isn’t safe (or at least doesn’t feel safe to them). So, we have to make sure all absences are covered in some way. Either by daycare, a neighbor or friend, dog walker, etc.

Flooding, Sensitization VS desensitization: Is your training too hard?

The name of the game for Separation Anxiety training is desensitization. Without getting into the technical nitty gritty of it, desensization essentially exposes the dog to the scary thing, alone time, at an intensity that doesn’t feel scary. Over time, you can increase the intensity ever to gradually so that it is barely perceptible to the dog. Resulting, over time, in a dog that doesn’t feel scared with longer and longer durations of alone-time. Here’s a human example to help you visualize: let’simagine that you have an intense fear of snakes. You’ve been so scared of snakes that you avoid hiking with friends and other once-loved outdoor activities. You’ve decided to seek out a therapist to help you overcome your anxiety so you can get back to doing fun outdoorsy activities. They may begin your protocol by having you look at a noodle that could bring up mental images of a snake, then by showing you a friendly cartoon snake, then you watch the 2006 class film Snakes on a Plane, and so on until you’ve worked your way up to tolerating handling a socialized, non-venomous snake. Every step of the way your therapist checks in on your anxiety levels to ensure you aren’t experiencing stress that would stifle progress. And if you began to panic at one stage she would reduce the intensity of the stimuli and meet you where you were at. This is desensitization in a nut shell.

Now let’s talk about the therapist you decided not to go with. His treatment plan involved helping you “get over” your fear of snakes by a total immersion protocol in which you would be dropped into a pit of snakes until you felt better. If that strikes you as terrifying, you are correct! This is called a flooding procedure and is no longer deemed humane in human or animal behavioral procedures. It can have unwanted side effects like sensitization (making the anxiety much worse) or learned helplessness (a feeling of being unable to escape and therefore shutting down/giving up).

Often, I encounter cases where previous training attempts were just too hard for the dog. Remember, the dog must set the pace for separation anxiety training to be effective desensitization. If we continuously push the dog over their threshold, we run a very real risk of making their separation anxiety worse. It is crucial to take it at the dog’s pace, even if the pace feels very slow, especially in the beginning of your training.

 Throwing Spaghetti

I’ve seen and heard of many, many approaches to training dog separation anxiety. Everything from the very common, well-meaning but typically ineffective crate training approach to the very sad, and troubling to hear shock collar method and almost everything in between. But, in my 15 years of professional experience, I have yet to see a more effective approach than desensitization. Not only does it target the anxiety directly, it does so without the risk of fallout. Which is great news for you and your dog!

Other methods either don’t target the anxiety and instead rely on teaching behaviors such as the dog to hold a down-stay in suspended animation until the owner returns. Which, I don’t know about your dog, but there isn’t enough chicken in the world that could get my dog to reliably “stay” for 3 hours + without supervision or some sort of reinforcement.  So layer on the dog’s anxiety and the likelihood for success becomes very low.

Separation Anxiety can be a complex issue and it’s important to take the dog’s overall behavioral and physical health in to consideration. A Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer can help you assess your dog’s specific needs and develop an appropriate training plan. Reach out today to get the help you and your dog need to move towards resolution!

How We Treat Separation Anxiety

Working with Separation Anxiety

Separation Anxiety is a panic disorder in dogs. And with no shortage of misinformation out there on working with it, it can be tricky for owners to help their dogs. Fortunately, there is a solution for separation anxiety that is rooted in science that has been proven to result in good outcomes.

Many people are familiar with the term desensitization. In psychology, Desensitization is a treatment or process that diminishes emotional responsiveness to a negative, aversive, or positive stimulus after repeated exposure. Practitioners have been using this method with humans to treat various anxieties and phobias since the 1950’s. There is a lot of overlap in how humans and animals learn which is why dog trainers have been successfully implementing desensitization with dogs for decades as well. We use a desensitization plan to treat separation anxiety.

This looks like exposing the dog to alone time (the fear inducing trigger) in small approximations that do not produce panic. It’s extremely important for the dog to remain under threshold during separation anxiety training to avoid unwanted outcomes. The opposite of desensitization is sensitization which can occur when exposure to the trigger is too intense and happens repeatedly. To avoid this, we conduct regular assessments where we “ask the dog” how long they can handle being alone. Sometimes this is only a few seconds, but as their tolerance grows, the duration becomes longer. Through body language the dog is able to tell us when they feel relaxed, when the become a little uncomfortable and when it starts to become scary and too much to handle. We’re then able to target the right intensity for optimum desensitization training.

Separation Anxiety training that is too easy won’t “kick the ball forward” because the dog ends up in what we call “managementland”. Management, by definition, avoids exposing the dog to the trigger to avoid making the behavior worse. But management is not training and doesn’t necessarily help to improve the behavior over time. It just safeguards to make sure the unwanted behavior isn’t rehearsed. In the case of separation anxiety, panicking when alone.

On the flip side, separation anxiety training that is “too hard” or too intense can actually make the dog worse. Remember, repeated exposure to a trigger that is too intense can lead to sensitization. Which is why we never want to expose the separation anxiety dog to alone times that they aren’t ready to handle. It can lead to a more sensitive dog or a regression in the training plan.

So, like Golilocks, we have to get the training plan just right. This is why working with a skilled trainer is so important. Certified Separation Anxiety Trainers are specially trained in assessing and identifying thresholds and creating tailored training plans for Separation Anxiety dogs. We have a passion and expertise in helping these special cases. With the right guidance, a positive outcome and resolution for your separation anxiety dog is totally possible!

Treating Separation Anxiety Virutally

Ever wonder why so many trainers work with Separation Anxiety exclusively online? While it might seem counter-intuitive for a dog trainer to work virtually with their 4-legged student, the truth is virtual technology has given us the ability to streamline the way we approach working with Separation Anxiety.

Dogs with Separation Anxiety are acutely aware of their environment. Anxiety produces vigilance, dogs are watching for safety cues or signals that the scary thing might be coming. When a trainer is called in to the home to help with a Separation Anxiety case they bring alone a BIG signal. Their presence is a huge tip off that “we’re about to practice alone time”. This can either be a safety cue to the dog; they know that these training sessions are “just pretend” or the trainer’s arrival can make the dog feel scared about what’s to come next. Either way, the trainer’s presence has a major influence on the dog’s internal landscape and behavior.

But using virtual tools like Zoom and webcams, your trainer can watch your dog’s behavior during alone time without changing the dynamic or adding any tip offs to the environment. We’re able to make assessments and training feel completely like business-as-usual. Plus, this gives our clients access to see how their dog is doing during their training missions between assessments. We all gain accurate information on how the dog is feeling during alone time. Let me tell you, your dog is savvy to you peeking through the window. Webcams and other virtual monitoring tools give us far better insight without inadvertently tipping our dogs off to our presence.

By creating the most realistic environment for training we greatly reduce the time to resolution for our Separation Anxiety cases. Gone are the days of mucking the waters with having your dog trainer at your house and peeking around windows! Instead we create a calm and realistic learning environment for the Separation Anxiety dog to learn that “real” alone time and departures predict safety and that the guardian will soon return.

And as an extra bonus for clients, Separation Anxiety trainers using these methods can work with clients all over the country (or even the world!). I am thrilled when I can work with someone in New York, Portland or even London and help their dog overcome Separation Anxiety. It’s a complex but treatable condition with the right approach and I’m so grateful to have and share these tools with my clients and their dogs!

Top 5 Most Common Myths about Separation Anxiety

Top 5 Separation Anxiety Myths

Separation Anxiety is a panic disorder in dogs where, when left alone, a dog experiences outsized and high levels of panic, stress and fear. Many trainers shy away from taking on Separation Anxiety cases due to a lack of understanding of how to effectively treat it. There is no lack of misinformation on how to help the Separation Anxiety dog on the internet, from friends and even from pet professionals. This can lead to dog guardians feeling hopeless and burnt out. The good news for guardians is that there is effective treatment for Separation Anxiety.

Let’s get in to dispelling some of the most common myths about Separation Anxiety and what we recommend instead:

The Crate Training Cure:

Many well meaning guardians try crate training for their Separation Anxiety suffering dog. The thought Is that dogs will find a den like space comforting. Unfortunately, confinement doesn't address the anxiety and panic that the dog experiences during alone-time. In fact, many dogs that present with Separation Anxiety also experience confinement distress. So, leaving them alone In confinement can actually have the opposite effect than originally Intended, making the anxiety much worse. It can actually be dangerous to leave a stressed dog In a crate. As dog pros, we know that dogs can break teeth, nails or even get limbs caught in the bars trying to escape. Or, sadly, an unknowing guardian can easily mistake the signs of learned helplessness (when a dog shuts down as a result of being exposed to a fear inducing stimulus without an option for escape) as the dog “calming down”. But the truth is that dog is suffering internally.

The most effective treatment for Separation Anxiety is desensitization which involves exposure to the fear inducing stimuli, in the case of separation anxiety it is alone time and departures, at an intensity that feels safe to the dog. Our desensitization protocols are straight forward and do no add any extra steps like crate training. We aim to teach the dog to feel safe with alone time without trying to trick them or suppress behaviors. Instead we slowly build a history of safety with the actual trigger.

The Outrunning Anxiety Cure:

Exercise is an incredibly important piece of a dog's overall physical and mental wellbeing. We've all heard the saying "a tired dog is a good dog". However, we have to take that with a grain of salt in the case of the Separation Anxiety dog. We simply cannot exercise Separation Anxiety away. If it were that simple, we would not see the Separation Anxiety cases in the frequency that we do.

Of course, CSAT trainers will often encourage and coach clients on making sure their dog Is receiving adequate exercise and enrichment to ensure the dog's needs are being met. But we want to look at this as a supplement to the training plan and not the training plan itself.

The Eating our Feelings Cure:

Many trainers suggest that guardians use puzzle toys, chews or other food enrichment to help their dog overcome Separation Anxiety. The intention is to pair absences with something yummy to help ease the dog's stress. Although well intentioned, this strategy rarely works. Typically, the guardian buys 20 minutes where the dog Is distracted by the food puzzle, But what about after the food Is gone? Most dogs return to their SA symptoms. And I don't know about you, but I can certainly still experience stress and eat at the same time. Hello feeling feels over a pint of Ice cream! It's no different for our dogs.

Not only that but the presentation of stimuli is out of order. When focusing on associative learning, which includes desensitization, the order of presentation is paramount. When done correctly, we want to present alone time with safety so over time alone time feels safe. When we use food enrichment to distract a dog during an absence that is too long for the dog to handle we are presenting food with a scary absence. Over time we can create a scenario where puzzle toys become the boogeyman. The dog learns that those items predict your departure which can lead to inappetence, food refusal and anxiety around enrichment. We certainly don’t want that! Instead, we recommend working at a level that is centered around the dog’s tolerance and needs. Once your dog has worked up to a comfortable 30-45 minute absence food toys can be reintroduced to help with boredom. But we want to avoid masking anxiety and discomfort with food toys.

The Double Trouble Cure:

You may be thinking getting your separation anxiety dog a buddy will help ease their anxiety. And while I appreciate the thoughtfulness and intention, I do not recommend going down this road. Many dogs with Separation Anxiety need a human present to feel safe. We have observed this time and again with dogs in mutli-dog households where the dog couldn’t care less that a fury buddy is home. If the humans are absent, they are stressed. And if it does work to calm the Separation Anxiety dog to have a buddy, you will still be faced with the same issue if the second dog needed to go for grooming, to the vet or any other scenario occurred where the dogs were required to be separate. The second dog is acting as a security blanket but hasn’t done anything to address the underlying separation anxiety. Finally, my last word of caution about the second dog as a fix scenario: I, of course, love dogs! And multi-dog households can work out beautifully. But that is not always the case. Adding an additional dog can be a complex endeavor itself and a new dog can come with their own behavior hurdles. There’s no guarantee that the second “helper” dog doesn’t turn out to be an additional layer to an already complex issue. So, while I would never police someone’s decision to add another dog to the mix, I do provide my insight so folks can be informed while weighing the pros and cons.

The Cry it Out Cure:

So many of my clients have been advised by well-meaning friends to “stop coddling” their dog and the dog will “get over it” eventually. This is simply not true with a panic disorder like Separation Anxiety. Dogs with separation anxiety experience panic when left alone, so when exposed to long periods of absence they experience what is known as flooding. When flooding occurs the outcome is often sensitization, the opposite of desensitization, which makes the dog more sensitive to absences over time. Another possible outcome of flooding is learned helplessness which can be easily misread as calmness but in fact is a dog that has given up as opposed to have gotten over it. It’s the difference between depression and calmness. Using desensitization treatment leads to a dog that feels calm, secure and safe. Using the right methods for training takes your dog from surviving something scary to thriving around their triggers.

Top 5 Tips for a New Dog or Puppy (pssst… this stuff applies at any time!)

These are our best tips for bringing home a new dog or puppy! Set your dog up for success and read our top 5 tips!

1.     Be a good manager!

Dogs come with their own set of behaviors that are normal and natural. Some of these are unique to the individual and some just come along for the ride with the species. A lot of these behaviors make them wonderful pet companions: sociability, willingness to work and train, bonding, playfulness and being so darn cute. Other behaviors can be nuisances: barking, digging, scavenging, chewing, the list could go on ad finium.

It’s up to you, as a dog parent, to set boundaries and decide which behaviors you wish to encourage and which are ones you want to see less of. Then, taking those guidelines into account, set your dog up for success. This looks like setting up their environment so that they practice those naughty behaviors less! Hate your dog barking out the window? Try drawing the shades, frosting the window or blocking access. Frustrated with a dog begging in the kitchen? Try a baby gate! There are so many management solutions to almost any behavior problem! All you have to do is get a little creative! 

2.     Be a cookie pusher!

Science tells us that reward-based training is, not only the kindest and most humane way to train, but also the most effective! Training is the number one way to build effective communication between you and your dog. Take advantage of all the “Good Stuff For Dogs” you dull out each day by making it into a training opportunity. Give your dog her bully stick when she settles in her bed, only deliver her meal when she offers a sit, reward your dog with treats on walks when they offer focus or ease up on the leash, throw the ball to reward a wait….. the list goes on and on. Remember, you are in-charge of all your dog’s most valuable resources which puts you in the ultimate trainer’s seat!

3.     Dress for Success!

Having the right equipment for your dog goes a long way and can make a huge difference on walks and the effectiveness of your training. We always recommend owners start their pups on a well-fitting, front-clipping harness like “The Freedom Harness”. These harnesses make the mechanics of leash pulling much more difficult for your dog thus making your job much easier! If you have a very strong or leash reactive dog it may also benefit from learning to wear a Gentle Leader snout harness.

If you have a dog that is aggressive or so reactive that you are concerned they might become at-risk for biting, it is best to train them to wear a basket muzzle. We recommend Baskerville muzzles because they allow dogs to pant freely, drink and eat treats. Muzzles are wonderful management tools and allow dogs who need the extra safety precaution to still enjoy outside time and much needed socialization. Remember, when dealing with reactivity and aggression we highly recommend working alongside a qualified, force-free trainer.

4.     Practice Patience with Your Pup

A new dog or puppy is going to need some time to adjust to their new family and environment. We typically see benchmarks in their behavior at a few weeks, a few months, then a year into their new routine. Allow your dog some time to settle in. It may be best to hold off on more “difficult” activities like nail clipping, bath-time, having lots of guests over, outings to busy areas, etc, for at least the first week to allow your dog to acclimate.

Provide them with activities to boost their confidence and to feel more at home.  This may look like enrichment and puzzles toys instead of feeding out a bowl, or teaching them game-based training exercises. Remember not to be harsh with hick-ups or set-backs (and remember ways to manage your dog’s behavior) Finding outlets for them to blossom will help them become the confident, friendly and happy pet we want! 

5.     Get Educated!

Inviting a critter into your life and home is a big commitment! Make sure you take the time to do your research on dog behavior and training basics. There is a lot to learn and a lot of information out there. Make sure you find credible sources that focus on science and positive reinforcement. Better yet, find a qualified local trainer who specializes in force-free training to support you through navigating early dog ownership. The knowledge and skills you gain through that relationship will be invaluable throughout your dog owning journey!

DIY Dog Agility Course

It’s important to keep your dog busy and their energy channeled into productive exercises! Try this fun activity on days at home with your dog!

DIY dog agility courses are a great way for dogs to have fun while getting some exercise. This obstacle will test your dog's speed and work his joints and mu...