Leaving your dog home alone can be a major source of stress for many pet parents, especially if your dog shows signs of separation anxiety. As a professional dog trainer specializing in separation anxiety, I know that each dog’s needs and comfort levels are unique, and understanding these is crucial for their well-being.

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.

When we force anxious and fearful dogs into confined spaces isolating them without means of escape, we may believe we are protecting our dogs from harm.

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.

Sniffing is a natural behavior for dogs. It's how they explore their environment, learn about other animals, and even find food. But did you know that sniffing is also good for their health?

Myth 1: Dogs with separation anxiety have been spoiled.

This is not true. Dogs of all breeds and backgrounds can develop separation anxiety. It is not caused by “spoiling” a dog, but rather by a combination of factors, such as genetics, early experiences, and environmental stressors.

It’s 2022 and while the stigma associated with mental illness in humans has - thankfully - dissipated over the last decade or so there is still a stigma associated with the use of psychiatric medications that are widely available to help those in need with mental illnesses.

It’s cold, wet, windy and days are shorter. This usually means our dogs are getting shorter walks, and less physical and mental exercise overall. As a professional dog trainer I know this can lead to a slew of icky consequences….

As a trainer specializing in separation anxiety and fear related behaviors I know all too well the instinct to bring our dogs everywhere, and in some cases this might actually be need a that management set up to succeed with home alone training, but before you leash up your pup and bring them out to the nearest brewery, restaurant or cafe - let’s talk about what makes a successful patio dog.

As a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer I have been spending the better part of my time lately talking to and worrying about my NON separation anxiety clients and their dogs. We are living in unprecedented times.

Hi. How are you? Still hanging in there I hope. These are strange and uncertain times we are living in and I hope that you are finding ways to keep yourself and your puppies entertained!