“Comparision is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Your dog’s separation anxiety journey is unique
Separation anxiety is a panic disorder in dogs that takes time to overcome. How long it takes varies drastically from dog to dog, and this is why it is so important to try your best not to compare your dog’s journey to others. Comparision will only lead to feeling like you are not making progress fast enough or failing your dog; neither of which is true!
How long will it take?
That my friend is the million-dollar question that no one has the answer to. Separation Anxiety training looks as different for every dog as our fingerprints do to us. Every dog’s separation anxiety training program is unique and trying to predict how long it will take is impossible.
We can however focus on what your dog is telling us through the training progress, track data, look at trends and make adjustments to our training plan as needed. We will toggle between easy and harder missions, but we will always return before your dog is panicked. This is how systematic desensitization (the gold standard in treating separation anxiety) works.
This is why I provide custom-made daily training plans for all of my clients. No cookie-cutter dog training programs here because they simply don’t work!
We will get you and your dog to your training goals, but at the end of the day, your dog sets the pace.
Celebrate the successes. No matter how small!
Reaching your goals for your dog’s home alone time can feel daunting and out of reach. Especially when we are most often working in seconds of time to start! Taking 2 months to reach a small amount of duration is not failing- it’s normal progress for many dogs.
My biggest piece of advice is to look at what you have achieved, no matter how small it seems. Celebrating those small wins will keep you in the game long term. And remember that comparison IS the thief of joy!
Freedom is possible!
You’ve got this. Your dog has got this. We can help your dog feel safe at home alone.
With patience, support from qualified professionals, and having trust in the process, you can reach your goals. You will be able to meet with friends, run errands or go out to dinner and no longer feel trapped at home. While working on behaviour change always takes time, it will be so worth it long term.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Book a FREE 30-minute discovery call with me. I’m here to help!
