Separation Anxiety Tips to Help a Hollywood Dog Feel OK Being Alone

For today’s West Hollywood dog training session we helped 1 year-old Gerberian Shepsky Mowgli with her Separation Anxiety problem.

Because Mogli can sometimes be a little bit territorial when meeting new people inside her home, I asked her guardian to bring her to meet me outside. This is the method that they had been using to introduce her to new people and it was very smart of the guardians to do so.

I augmented things a bit by leaving a trail of treats from the front door to where I was positioned. As LA’s resident Dog Behavior Consultant, I have found that this is a great distraction and puts the dog in a pretty good mood. After we met and I gave her a few more treats, we headed inside to get started.

I went over a number of foundational things like marker words and how to use them to accelerate a dog‘s learning, the importance of rewarding desired behaviors, how to teach a dog manners and some creative forms of exercise.

Tips for dogs with separation anxiety

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When a dog does not practice being alone as a puppy, it’s not unusual for them to develop a case of separation anxiety when they grow up. Fortunately in Mowgli‘s case, her separation anxiety issues were not severe. She would bark for up to five minutes, then stop and settle down. Many dogs who have a separation anxiety problem will bark for hours or chew things up, drool or have accidents because their separation anxiety symptoms are so extreme.

I have found a very effective way to help dogs with separation anxiety is to help them develop self-control, desensitize them from the triggers associated with us leaving, ensure that they are receiving the proper amount of exercise and then create scenarios where they can practice being alone with a lower intensity.

Since there are several factors involved in treating separation anxiety in dogs, I pulled out my phone and asked the guardian to record me as I walked them through this process. If you have a dog that has separation anxiety when you leave, you should check out the free positive dog training video below.

Since Mogli only has a minor case of separation anxiety, I’m guessing that the guardians will be able to stop her separation anxiety easily, provided they practice these tips multiple times every day.

Helping dogs with separation anxiety is very rewarding because you know you’re making a real improvement on their quality of life.  No one likes to see their dog suffering from separation anxiety, let alone coming home to a house that is torn upside down by a panicked dog.

It will be important for the guardians to practice these secrets to help dogs with separation anxiety in both residences as Mowgli’s guardians live separately. The key is to practice in short, successful sessions; building one success on top of another. If her guardians go at her pace, practice these separation anxiety techniques frequently and continue to get her good enrichment and exercise, I think she has a very good chance of learning that there’s nothing wrong with being left home alone.

Tell the guardians remember all the positive dog training tips I shared in this in-home Hollywood dog training session, we recorded a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.