Separation Anxiety in Dogs – Hope and Help!
Separation Anxiety in Dogs
Is stressful for your family, and your dog – but it can be modified!
If your dog does two or more of the following things when left home alone, your dog may have separation anxiety:
Separation Anxiety Symptoms
- Barks or Howls (not triggered by hearing noises outside or in the hallway) simply because everyone has left
- Pacing, Whining, Drooling, simply because everyone has left (observable via webcam)
- Chewing, Digging, Destruction, especially around the door the owners have exited from (door frame, door, etc.)
- Urinating or Defecating, when under normal circumstances, the dog is 100% house trained
- Won’t eat food (owner has tried leaving behind the kong filled with liverwurst, tripe, wet dog food, cheese whiz, etc.) and it remains uneaten until the humans return home
- Stress behaviours such as pacing, whining, or attention seeking behaviour as the owners prepare to leave (pre-departure cues are triggering stress)
Some owners incorrectly assume their dog has separation anxiety when in fact these common mistakes are made:
Probably Not Separation Anxiety:
- Juvenile dogs destroy sofa cushions or tip over garbage bins because it’s fun and they are bored (confinement and puppy proofing is required)
- Accidents occur because the dog is not properly house trained (dog sometimes has accidents even when people are home)
- Barking occurs in response to environmental noises in the hallway or outside
- Inadequate exercise and/or the dog has simply been left isolated for longer than is reasonable
Meet Your Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT)
Billie Shannon, CPDT-KA, CSAT, completed the prestigious Malena DeMartini Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer program in 2023.
This intensive program is over 100 hours in study and involves instructor-led learning coached directly by Malena DeMartini herself.
The CSAT Credential is widely recognized as the most respected and long-standing in the field of separation anxiety – in fact, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior states that CSATs are one of the best resources because they are truly experts in this (separation anxiety) behavior issue.
Separation Anxiety Behaviour Modification Consulting Services
How We Help
We start with a 30-minute phone consultation to help you determine whether your dog’s issue is separation anxiety, and then provide two options to help.
Separation Anxiety training and consulting is delivered 100% over Zoom. It is a systematic process of doing departures, gathering video, reviewing it, collecting data, and then preparing expertly prepared training plans for the days ahead.
Key Elements of a Separation Anxiety Behaviour Modification Plan
- Owners need to commit to approximately 30 minutes of training per day
- Owners need to commit to suspending absences during treatment, which means relying on friends, family, bringing the dog to work, working from home, arranging for dog sitters/dog swapping, taking “stay at home shifts” with other family members, and utilizing dog daycares or all-day dog walking services.
- Owners need to understand treatment typically takes 3-6 months, although individual cases will vary.
- An expert needs to create Daily Missions (5 days a week) that are individualized training exercises/departure scenarios based on your dog’s progress and needs. These missions are created based on live virtual assessments. The precision of how these are prepared greatly affect the trajectory of your dog’s progress. The fastest path to success is with the expert eye of a CSAT preparing these daily missions.
I wanted to post a success story. After a combination of working from home and gradual desensitization, plus the help of a great doggy daycare when we had to both be at work, we’re happy to say that Russell can now be left alone, happy to see his dogwalker who comes at lunch.
– Russell and Family
What’s It Cost?
Initial 30 Minute Call
Start Here- Initial 30 Minute Phone Call
- Interview to determine best training plan
- Opportunity to ask our CSAT questions
Platinum Support (4 Weeks)
The fastest path to long-term change- Four Weeks of Support:
- Week 1: Monthly 1 Hour Meeting
- Weeks 2-4: Weekly Progress Meetings
- Video / Data Log Review
- Bespoke Daily Missions (CSAT Prepared)
- Daily Support Online
- 15% Savings Over a-la Carte
DIY Option
For the technically inclined DIYer- One Time Package
- Week 1: Initial 1 Hour Meeting
- Weeks 2 and 3: Weekly Progress Meetings
- Additional Meetings a-la Carte
- Video / Data Log Review
- Bespoke Daily Missions (CSAT Prepared)
- Daily Support Online
For details regarding class/training policies, please see our Policy page:
Get Started
You are one step closer to relief for you and your dog from Separation Anxiety.
The next step is to book your 30-minute initial consultation: