Tips to Help Dogs Get Over Separation Anxiety

For this in-home Omaha Dog Behavior Training session with Black Lab mix Rina, we shared some tips to help dog’s get over separation anxiety.

Rena‘s guardian had arranged to have us come by and work with her on her separation anxiety issues over the last few weeks. Rina had made great progress practicing being alone in her sanctuary which helped her gain confidence.

How to Help Dog’s Get Over Separation Anxiety

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Stopping separation anxiety in dogs is all about helping the dog practice being alone in very easy scenarios that get progressively longer and more realistic. Over the last month Rina’s guardian had practiced the exercises and techniques that we had introduced while simultaneously desensitizing her from the triggers that were associated with her guardians leaving her alone.

I was very pleased with the progress that she had made. Instead of barking and scratching at the door when the dog anticipated her guardian was about to leave, Rina now sits contently on the dog bed and watches her walk away.

As this was our last session to treat the dog’s separation anxiety, I wanted to make it easy for the guardian to remember the last few steps. We recorded a short summary video that included the last couple of things the guardian will need to practice to help Rina stop suffering from Separation Anxiety when left alone.

Based on the amount of progress that are guardian made over the last several weeks, I’m confident that she will be able to continue increasing the amount of time that Rina spends alone. If she goes slow and continues only progressing when the dog shows that she is calm and comfortable, she should be able to help Rina feel relaxed when left alone in her sanctuary.

There are many secrets to helping dogs get over separation anxiety, but the most important thing is you go at the dog’s pace and dont ask for more than they can handle. Slow and steady progress is key if you want to train your dog to get over separation anxitey.

When we wrapped up the session I asked the guardian to keep me in the loop on her progress and let me know if there were any setbacks or additional issues that pop up. i’m looking forward to getting a good progress report and hopefully hearing one day that Rina is completely content being left home alone