Separation Anxiety

Helping you get your life back

Angela is a Provisional Clinical Animal Behaviourist and specialises in Separation Anxiety. She is very proud to be one of only 4 Certified Separation Anxiety Trainers (CSAT) in the UK.

She has been trained and mentored by the world renowned and highly respected Malena DeMartini, bestselling author and international speaker on Separation Anxiety.

As a Dynamic Dog Practitioner, Angela incorporates a full Dynamic Dog assessment into the every behavioural assessment to assess each dog’s comfort levels.

Polite Paws client Nicky explains how working with Angela means that she can now go out and leave a contented Bruno on his own!
“Angela was amazing to work with, she is so attentive, responsive and caring. Her attention to detail is amazing.

She is ALWAYS on time and prepared.

She guides you through step by step. When we first started working with Angela due to our dog Obie’s severe separation anxiety – Obie was alone for 4 seconds before she went into an extremely high state of anxiety. 4 weeks later she can last as long as 25 mins without escalating at all.

I am currently in the middle of a session as I write this where we are desensitising her to us leaving in the car. She is not crying or reacting negatively or showing any signs of anxiety. It is truly amazing.

Angela is an absolute sweetheart and genuinely cares about her clients and their success.

If you have any doubts about working with her, erase them. We finally have hope that we may get our lives back once again without traumatising our girl 🙂 thank you Angela!!”

– Sasha Jackson & Obie (Doberman)

Taking you from A to B…

This is you now.

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Coming home to a destroyed house

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Being greeted by a stressed dog

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Feeling guilty/worried when you go out

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Having complaints from neighbours about barking/howling

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Coming home to find your dog has toileted in the house

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You know your dog is stressed, but don't know how to help them

This can be you.

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Being free to leave the house guilt and worry free, knowing you will be coming home to a calm, relaxed dog, a home that has't been destroyed, and no conflict with neighbours.

I can help you go from Point A to Point B so that you are able to leave your dog home alone without feeling guilty or stressed.

Yes, it really IS possible, as USA-based Polite Paws client, Rose, describes.

Learn how Margo can now be left for over an hour and Rose now has some freedom back in her life.

“We couldn’t have done this without Angela!”

“Angela helped us with training when we got a new puppy and was fab!!
When we realised our Cavapoochon had a separation anxiety issue we tried a few months of training alone. We soon realised it wasn’t working and so needed a professional’s help. Having known Angela and that she was an expert with this we reached out and she has been brilliant.

Angela was very honest about the regressions and plateaus you see with resolving separation anxiety but I am pleased to say our dog can now be left for short durations, and building to longer.

Angela’s patience, honesty and dedication has led us to this! I couldn’t recommend Angela more- she is brilliant, and always there when you need her!! “”

Vicky Simon & Ralph (cavapoochon)

FREE DOWNLOAD

7 Tips for successfully working through separation anxiety with your dog.

Discover how we start helping dogs with separation anxiety, what to do, and what not to do.

Free SA pdf

Buster the Jack Russell x Dachshund

Buster – Initial Assessment

There is barking and whining in this video.

Buster

Shortly after starting the programme

A personalised Separation Anxiety plan for you and your dog

I use a process of Systematic Desensitisation to gradually teach dogs that being alone is safe.

Separation anxiety work is done 100% remotely (via Zoom or a similar platform) so I am able to work with you no matter where you are in the world!

By working remotely it ensures that I can observe your dog’s behaviour without my presence affecting it.

I will create a customised and personalised training programme for your dog, working with you 5 days a week to set daily goals in a step-by-step format.

“Angela has been instrumental in helping myself and my rescue boy Arnie for separation anxiety.

Arnie had been displaying all the usual behaviours such as toileting, barking, howling, pacing and destroying my things to cope with me leaving – it was hugely restrictive, very stressful and frankly upsetting my watch my boy descend into complete panic mode.

Since working with Angela, I have been able to go from 2-5mins of away time, to an amazing 1hr30mins! Having now graduated from the programme, I have all the tools at my disposal to continue building away time with him and I can’t thank Angela enough for her time, patience and support throughout the process.

If you are struggling with separation anxiety, I would highly recommend working with Angela who knows her stuff and is completely understanding of your situation – a big thank you from myself and Arnie for getting us to where we are today! 😊”

– Jess Smith & Arnie

Helping you and your dog

To go from this…

…to this!

I do ask for a minimum of 4 weeks commitment  as this allows me to get a foothold on the behaviour and enables me to teach you how the protocol works.

As anxiety is experienced differently for each individual, response rates to behaviour modification varies from dog to dog, and the progress is usually slower to start with.

Each 4 week package includes:

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A 60-90 minute initial assessment (on Zoom)

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5 personalised training sessions per week, set on a daily basis

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1 live (Zoom) reassessment per week with me

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Tracking of a multitude of relevant data

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Membership of a private clients Facebook group

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The live assessment and reassessments are recorded and you can have the recording

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Help with setting up Zoom or other technology if needed

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Ongoing email/WhatsApp support while we work together

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Gait and posture analysis to assess potential signs of pain

During this protocol it is important that your dog is not left for longer than he/she can handle.  Please remember your dog does not need to be with you all the time….they just need to be not left alone!

At the end of the initial 4 week training you will be able to continue on with me for a further 4 weeks or longer, or you may find you have acquired sufficient knowledge to be able to progress the process forward on your own.  I am always available to do ad-hoc live reassessments or should you wish to sign up for another block in future.

Please be aware that you should be able to claim my fees on insurance, depending on the cover of your policy.

Your investment

Initial 4 week package: £575
Subsequent 4 weeks: £450

Ready to go from A to B?

Please complete the attached questionnaire and I will be in touch to arrange a FREE initial call to get more information on your dog and explain how the protocol works.

“I have a rescue dog and he absolutely hated being on his own, but we wanted him to feel more comfortable in the times we did have to leave him for a little while. I had tried a few things on my own but nothing seemed to work.

Angela has been a great help! The initial assessment was easy and simple to go through and my dog started showing panic signs after 7 seconds, over a few months we have managed to build this up to 25 minutes.

He has become more ‘dog’ in this time too and you can see the effect the training has had on him. I felt supported the whole time and Angela was always there if I had a question.

Would 100% recommend! 🙂

– Laura Townley & Spyro (rescue dog)

FAQ

What is Separation Anxiety and will it go away on its own?

Separation anxiety is a phobia of being alone, and that causes a fear reaction.

That panic can show itself in a number of physical ways (such as panting, barking, howling, destructive behaviour and toileting in the house when left alone), and also physiological ways (such as increased heart rate and respiration rate).

Because it is an actual phobia, separation anxiety is not something that will get better on its own, and often it tends to get worse.  Every time your dog is left alone, he will go into that panic state.

This floods the brain with stress chemicals and inhibits learning, which means your dog will never be able to learn that being left alone is safe.

Will getting another dog help?

This rarely, if ever, works. Most dogs experience separation anxiety from their humans, and often bringing another dog in can complicate the situation. That second dog could also develop separation related issues themselves!

Is separation anxiety treatable?

YES!

Anxious dogs can learn that it is safe to be left alone, but it takes time and there is no ‘quick fix’.

It requires commitment to follow the personalised training all the way through.

The proctocol is very successful and I will be there to help make that process of moving from A to B as smooth as possible.

Dynamic Dog Assessment

Did you know that physical health and pain can have a profound impact on your dog’s behaviour?

Subtle pain often goes unnoticed for months or even years, yet it could be the root cause of unwanted behaviours. A Dynamic Dog Assessment provides a detailed and holistic approach, assessing posture, gait, and everyday movements alongside behaviour and medical history.

This thorough process ensures no stone is left unturned and helps uncover pain-related issues that might be affecting your dog's well-being.

Don't wait for your dog to show obvious signs of discomfort - start uncovering the cause today.

Ready to book or have a question?

I’m always happy to have a chat about your dog, situation or issue.
You can find all the ways you can get in touch with me on my contact page.