Is your dog suffering from Separation Anxiety?
Separation anxiety is a panic disorder in dogs where they are unable to control their behaviors due to panic. Some typical signs of separation anxiety in dogs are:
- Destructive behavior, typically around windows, doors and window/door frames, which may result in injury to the dog
- Housetraining problems, even if your dog previously was housetrained they are suddenly having accidents any time you leave
- Excessive vocalizing, such as barking, howling, and crying
- Lack of appetite or inability to eat when left alone
- Stressful behaviors, such as repeated pacing, drooling, digging and panting
He or she is truly panicking. It is similar to how we might react if we have a phobia, such as of spiders. If one suddenly appears, we react fearfully and panic, often without reason or realizing we are doing it. Your dog is not doing this to punish you. As the saying goes, they are not giving you a hard time, they are having a hard time.
Separation anxiety takes a toll not only the dog but on the owners. It can be extremely stressful to worry what your dog is going to do and feel when you have to leave the house. It’s heartbreaking for owners to know their dog is in pain and they don’t know why, or what to do to make it better.
Although we don’t know exactly what causes it, I can tell you it is NOT something you did or did not do with or to your dog. Read that one more. This is not your fault!
There is help for separation anxiety!
All of our trainers that offer help for separation anxiety hold the title as Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer, Maggie or Patti can help you and your dog to feel better! The goal of a separation anxiety behavior modification plan is to:
- Have a dog who can relax when you’re not home, free of anxiety and fear
- Have an owner who can leave home without feeling stress, guilt or worry about their dog
- Have a dog who won’t upset your neighbors with non-stop barking and vocalizing
What You Should Know About Treating Separation Anxiety
Dogs suffering from separation anxiety can be helped to leave a less stressful life. There are no quick fixes however. The training protocol Maggie or Patti will create for you and your dog takes time and patience. The steps to help your dog with separation anxiety are based on proven scientific principles. By working with Maggie, she can provided much-need relief for your dog and help improve your quality of life.
You love your dog and you both deserve the best life! Contact us today to help you!
What does separation anxiety training with Tenacious℠ Dog Training look like?
Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer Maggie uses proven protocols to gradually help your dog not worry about being alone. It is a process called desensitization. When administered properly – meaning we go at the pace of your dog – with an individualized training plan, you will begin to help your dog learn that you leaving is not scary. In fact, they will begin to learn it is boring. This is the gold standard in helping dogs with separation anxiety.
What does the training entail?
When teaching a dog to be relaxed when left alone, we must introduce alone time gradually. We have to work at the pace of your dog. This means, each training plan is customized to your dog. No two dogs are the same, which is why no two plans should be the same. It takes time to create behavior change and we need to think in terms of months, not weeks. If you are ready to commit to helping your dog live their best life with you, Maggie is here to help. As Maggie always says, Slow is Fast™, when it comes to behavior change.
Your first step:
Start with a Separation Anxiety Consultation:
How does the training protocol work?
In order to not affect your dog’s behavior with my presence in your home, training is done online. This also means you get more support, training and coaching with Maggie’s secret recipe to recovery!
An added bonus is you get expert help in the comfort of your home, there are no limits to where you live! Maggie has clients all over the USA. Don’t live in the USA? As long as you speak English, training through us is an option, just please note Maggie is in the Central Time Zone (GMT-6 winter; GMT-5 summer).
Separation Anxiety Program Pricing
The TenaciousSM Dog Training Separation Anxiety program is sold in a package.
- Packages come in eight weeks to 12 weeks.
- Each week you will receive one live assessment with one of our, Certified Separation Anxiety Trainers, and another four days of touch points on the next steps in your dogs, specific tailor-made training protocols, as well as coaching and support.
To learn more about separation anxiety
What will you need to be successful?
Helping a dog deal with separation distress is not a quick fix. Before you start a behavior modification plan, you’ll need to be prepared to do the following to have a successful outcome:
Ensure your dog is not left alone
At least for the beginning time period of the training, you will need to make sure your dog is not left alone. If your dog begins to panic before we have worked through relaxation and training exercises, this can make it extremely difficult for the program to work. Maggie can help you with ideas for how to keep your dog from being alone during this crucial time.
Employ modern technology
Key equipment you will need to have is a webcam of some type, such as on your laptop, computer, tablet, smartphone or even a home wifi camera. Maggie can help you with the setup and using these options so don’t worry if you’re a technophobe.
Make a commitment
An effective behavior modification program for anxiety takes a commitment to work with your dog several days a week. You should be ready to spend about 20 to 30 minutes a day, at least four days a week, to work with your dog and the training exercises provided to you. In addition, you will need a half hour to one hour a week for live sessions. If you do not have this much time, some training is better than none!
Use humane, science-based training practices
At TenaciousSM Dog Training, we adhere to using modern, up-to-date training protocols based on scientific research and principles. This means we do not allow the use of any aversive equipment in our training programs. This means no shock collars, anti-bark collars, citronella collars, shake cans, choke chains, prong collars, etc. These tools can make your dog’s anxiety increase and are not consistent with humane, positive methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re familiar with phobias and panic disorders in humans, dogs with separation anxiety suffer similar symptoms. A dog experiencing extreme panic needs help to relieve his or her distress and cannot do it by themselves.
Dogs suffering from separation anxiety need a behavior modification program coupled with medication to alleviate their panic. In cooperation with your veterinarian who can prescribe medication, we will work on a protocol to teach your dog to be comfortable being left alone.
As much as we’d like to give you a concrete timeline, every dog is a unique individual. Just as mental health professional cannot predict when a human patient will get better, we cannot say how long it will take with your dog. The more you stick to the training protocols and follow our guidance, the more likely you are to see success. However, be prepared for the process as we need to think in terms of months not weeks. Slow is fast.
It’s common for dog owners to think that their dog’s extreme behavior is due to the dog being angry, upset or just stubborn. However, dogs are not capable of complex human emotions and cannot feel vengeful or resentful. When dogs are destructive due to separation anxiety, it is because they are feeling an overwhelming sense of panic and are struggling to cope with their fear.
We do our training remotely, which means you will need a working webcam. This can be a webcam on your laptop, desktop, or mobile device. You can also use a wifi home-security type camera. I can help you set everything up too!
It depends on your dog. Some dogs find being in a crate comforting when they are afraid. Others become more panicked and will even engage in self-harm to get out. If your dog cannot deal with the crate, there are other options, such as using a small dog-proof room with a baby gate to keep the dog confined. In fact certain dogs do best with no confinement at all.
Using remote video helps us to see what your dog is doing when he is alone. If someone is there in the room or home, he will know he’s not truly alone. We have found remote training very effective because we can see your dog’s behavior without being there.
Don't Delay - We can help you with your dog's separation anxiety!
