Every dog is different. Like working on any anxiety condition or phobia, recovery takes a long time and requires patience, a lot of repetitive work, and breaks. We speak in months, not weeks, when we talk about recovery. Most of the dogs I work with take between 1 to 2 years to reach alone time goals.

We use a process called gradual exposure, which is also how we address human phobias! Together, we’re going to find a version of alone time that your dog can handle. Slowly, as your dog learns how to self-regulate during these short, sweet absences, we dial up the intensity.

In the meantime, you’ll also be managing your dog’s alone time. This means that, aside from structured training sessions, you’re not leaving your dog for longer than they can handle. Managing your absences ensures that all alone time, from here on out, is safe alone time. Management is the cornerstone of a gradual exposure protocol. It stops your dog from rehearsing the behaviours we’re actively trying to modify, and it immediately ends their panic.

Part of my job as your trainer is to come up with ways to suspend absences that make sense for you and your family. Recovery is unlikely if your dog is continually being left to panic. Absence suspension is just as important as the training protocol when we’re working through separation anxiety, and it is a non-negotiable part of working intensively with me.

We will meet on Zoom, and using external cameras, to complete your first training session live together. At that point, we’ll ensure that you have access to the spreadsheet, can ask questions about recording data, and can understand the flow of a training session. The next morning, you’ll find a brand new training session in your spreadsheet. This training session will be written based on the information collected in your initial consultation, and based on how well your dog does on the first training session we run together.

You’ll receive up to four training plans per week, and we’ll meet once a week on a fifth day to do a live check-in and assessment. You’ll get two days off per week to recover with your dog. This work is tough on the human and the dog, and a couple of days to take a break is absolutely necessary.

Many clients continue to renew four week packages until they reach their goals. I’m here to continue writing training plans and conducting assessments as long as you feel like it’s supportive to you and your dog!

A dedication to managing absences, an open mind, a lot of love and compassion for what your dog is going through, and a willingness to prioritize training 4 to 5 days a week. Cameras are also incredibly helpful to support our work together. I like the Wyze cam, which can be shared with me and multiple members of your family at the same time.

Not necessarily, but there are many medications that can support a separation anxiety training plan. Medication, in conjunction with gradual exposure, is considered the gold standard approach for addressing separation anxiety in dogs. The vast majority of my clients are on anxiety medication for separation-related behaviours, and after beginning medication we typically see more consistent and more comfortable progress.