Separation anxiety in dogs is a panic disorder. If you’ve ever had a panic attack, you know how overwhelming it is—your chest tightens, your heart races, you shake, feel dizzy, and everything feels like it’s spinning.

Separation Anxiety (or separation related behavior challenges) is expected to affect more than 35 million dogs in the US alone. These behaviors and the emotions that come with can be very challenging to modify. However, there are a number of things you can do to help your dog recovery, and one of the most important is to suspend absences during training.

Having a dog with separation anxiety can be daunting. Especially if you’ve tried all of the tips and tricks on the internet without avail, but you’re here now so you’ve probably heard about gradual desensitization and may be about ready to give it a go, congratulations!