Here are my Top 4 Crucial Elements of Separation Anxiety Training
Separation anxiety isn’t cured by trying a bunch of different things to see what works.
Here are four important elements that every separation anxiety training protocol needs to include.
1. Building Duration on Comfort
Has your dog just laid down for the first time ever when home alone? Get back quickly! Even if they’ve been left alone longer in the past, trust me, returning on comfort during the early stages of training will pay off in the long run.
Avoid pushing your dog to the max with each session.
2. Take Days Off
Yup, you read that right. Training every day will not get you to your goals sooner. You are asking your dog to do hard things. Days off is so important, and this is especially true for separation anxiety training.
3. Incorporate Easy Wins
See a theme here? Again, it’s not about asking for more and more with each training session. Sure, it’ll work for a few days or maybe even weeks, but trust me, it will backfire. It’s so important to toggle between shorter and longer absences. Build easy wins into your training plans each week.
4. Meet Your Dog’s Needs, Everyday
Ensure that you are meeting your dog’s needs daily. This includes exercise, rest, feeding routines, and regularly scheduled health checks.
Did you know that vet checks to rule out pain should be done for all dogs that have sudden behaviour issues, including separation anxiety? Pain can have an enormous effect on behaviour, so it’s important to keep your vet in the loop.
There are many other nuances to separation anxiety training, but all training plans should consider these four things.
Want to learn more about what goes into a Separation Anxiety Training Protocol when we work together?
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