Separation anxiety – is your dog quiet or comfortable?
Seems an odd question right? Surely if a dog is quiet when home alone, they're comfortable? Sadly it is not that simple. Every dog will give different behavioural signs that they are anxious or uncomfortable. The most common behaviours that we tend to associate with...
Can medication help your dog overcome separation anxiety?
Medication can be a game changer when given alongside a behaviour modification plan for separation anxiety, but a lot of people are still reluctant to use medication, feeling it will change their dog's personality in some way, or that they feel their dog should be...
How window film can help you work on your dog’s separation anxiety
When you are working on a protocol to help your dog overcome his/her separation anxiety, it is so normal for various external triggers and stimuli to have an impact on how easy or hard they find it, and they can impede your dog's progress at learning being home alone...
Why track data when working on separation anxiety?
Tracking data! One of the most important parts of working through a separation anxiety protocol, and the part that is often left out when people are trying to help their dog through separation anxiety. What do we mean by 'data'? Data in a separation anxiety protocol...
Separation anxiety case study – Alfie (Cockapoo)
I worked with Alfie the Cockapoo and his lovely humans on his separation anxiety for a month from 14th February 2023. They had previously worked with someone else who was not a separation anxiety specialist and sadly the methods he used did not result in any...
Suspending absences in separation anxiety training
One of the most important elements of helping a dog learn that being home alone is safe, is ensuring that they are not left alone for any longer than they can comfortably handle. When I first start working with people, most dogs are not comfortable with being alone...
Review of Graeme Hall (Dogs Behaving Very Badly) & Jax, a Malinois with separation anxiety (season 5, episode 8)
WHY NOT ALL TV DOG TRAINERS ARE GOOD! Review of "Dogs Behaving Very Badly" recent episode of Jax, the Belgian Malinois with separation anxiety. It's a long one but it's well worth a read. I don't ever usually watch Graeme Hall because I simply cant stand watching...
Separation anxiety case study – Milo (Cockapoo)
I worked with Milo and his lovely humans for 3 months, from 14th September 2022 until 1st February 2023 (with a couple of breaks inbetween for holidays!). In our initial assessment on 14.9.23 Milo became mildly anxious when he realised that his people were getting...
Pre-departure cues in separation anxiety training
A conversation with one of my clients earlier has prompted me to write this short blog on pre-departure cues (or PDQs as they will be referred to during this article) and what they are. What are PDQs? PDQs (pre-departure cues) are certain things you do, or items you...