There are a few things you will need for our program to help dogs with Separation Anxiety. To make it easy for you to find these items, we are listing these items below with links to options on Amazon. You will need ALL of these items (unless specified). If you don’t already have them, please order them now so you have them before your first session.
You can certainly find some of these linked items elsewhere, but these are the options we prefer and use ourselves due to quality, availability and durability.
Shopping List (Get these before we come out)
.
A Dog Bed (Or cooling mat)
.
We recommend a solid colored bed (preferrably with a light color (light cream, light grey or white) that is flat (no sides like a couch) that isnt too puffy (firmer form).
If you have a long coated or cold climate dog (Great Pyreneese, Husky, Bernese Mountain Dog, etc) who prefers to lay on tile, linoleum, etc, you may need to get a Cooling Mat instead.
Why a flat, solid and light colored bed? Dogs eyes are not very good for color or detail, so a solid (no pattern) light colored bed will make it easier for your dog to see the treats we will be tossing on the bed. If your bed is puffy, the treats may roll off. A firm, flat bed without sides will make it easier for the dog to see the treat on the bed.
The bed should be twice as long as your dog’s body length. If its too small, your dog may be able to lick up the treat we toss, without stepping on it.
Avoid beds with tassles or deep fur as the treats can fall inside them making it harder for your dog to find.
A great simple option is a kennel bed liner. There are durrable, washable and their simple design works wonderfuly with one of our Separation Anxiety exercises. Just make sure the bed is at least twice as long as your dog’s body.
There are many dog beds out there, just make sure its large enough for your dog to lay on completely and not take up too much of the room. If you have multiple dogs, consider getting a bed large enough for them all.
A security camera
You will need to be able to monitor your dog with the door closed or when you are out of your home. Make sure you can access it on your mobile phone. Cameras that use wifi are best for this option. While some cameras allow you to talk to your dog or dispense treats, you will not be using the camera for that with our program.
If possible, try to get a camera that has a motion sensor alert. This way the camera will notify you if your dog goes into the Santuary on their own. Something we want to see happen early and often. Here are a few options, but not all have a motion sensor so please read the description beofre buying.
GNCC Camera $24 Blink Mini $65 Kasa $25 Light Bulb Socket Camera $32
Adaptil Diffuser Kit (or collar listed below)
Adaptil Dispenser: This is a phermone releasing plug in that will fill the room your dog will be in with a calming mist.
One month Two months Three months
Adaptil Collar (Or diffuser spray listed above)
Adaptil collar: This is the coloar version of the dispenser listed above. This way your dog get the benefits of the calming phermones even when they are away from the dispenser. Make sure you order both the dispenser and the collar.
Small dogs Medium / Large dogs
Lick Mat
This is a silicone mat you can add peanut butter or yougurt to. Licking release feel good endorphins. Your dog will be using this daily to build a positive association with the room you will be leaving it in. Mateey Life 2 Pack $13 Pup Culture (Wide) $14 Mighty Paw Bowl (allows dog to move it around) $16
Kong
This is a rubber dog toy you will fill with peanut butter or yougurt every other day (alternating wiht a lick mat) to build more positive associations with being in the sanctuary. If your dog is a strong chewer, get a black kng which are stronger.
Classic (For Normal chewers): Small Medium Large Xtra Large
Extreme (For Hard chewers): Small Medium Large Xtra Large
.
Snuffle Matt
This is a matt that you will be using to feed your dog its food. Dogs who are fed out of these have to work (an analog to hunting) for their meal which burns energy (similar to a short walk), boosts confidence and helps them practice being alone in their sanctuary room. RundA for large breeds (Pictured and our favorite) $29 Youthink for small breeds $15 HlinZoon $23
Puzzle toys
Pick up three of these toys which you will be giving to your dog to have a snack in the sanctuary each day. They will ask your dog to use his/her brain which can burn energy and provide a nice positive distration as they are in the sanctuary.
Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball (Pictured and our fave) Large $7 Medium $5 Small $9
Starmark Bob a Lot Large $35 Medium Small $13
SNiFFiz – Smelly UFO $29
PetZone – IQ Treat Ball $13 Not for super aggressive hard chewers
Petsafe – Tug a Jug $21 (Durable and a staff favorite)
Edible chew items
.
High value items that dogs can chew and swallow are wonderful distraction and ways to releive stress and energy for dogs. Chewing releases feel good endophins into your dog’s brain which help them have an even more positive association with the sanctuary. You will need a variety of these chew items so your dog can have positive experiences chewing them when alone in the sanctuary.
There are many different high value chew options available for dogs and just like humans with food, some dogs prefer one option over another. Since these are usually sold in bulk, we recommend that you go to a local (higher end) pet store (we recommend Long Dog Fat Cat or the Green Spot) and pick up one of each of the items listed below so you can test them with your dog to see what they prefer. Once you identify that, you should grab a bag of 2-3 different items so you can rotate them.
One thing we want you to stay away from are Rawhides. Rawhides are soaked in phomaldahide, ammonia and other harsh chemicals which can cause all kinds of issues. They are also the same size as your dog’s digestive track so there are blockage risks with them. We’d recommend you never offer these to your dogs.
Here are some of the more popular doggie edibles (Not marijuana)
.
Bully Sticks (Also known as bull pizzles)
.
Bully sticks come in two scents; natural (a distinct odor) and low-odor or odor-free. The odor-free option costs more, but if you dont like the natural scent, get the odor-free options (highly recommended). These are the bully sticks we use ourselves.
Collagen Sticks
Collagen sticks are an alternative to bully sticks (sometimes bully sticks are hard to find or more expensive) made from the inner layer of cow skin, called the corium. This is a great material for dogs to chew and its easily digestable. Collagen sticks also contain healthy benefits; Reduce inflammation, Helps with bone strength, brightens and ads shine to your dog’s coat, promotes dental health and supports skin health.
.
Cow Kneecaps
Cow kneecaps are one of our favorites and many dogs love them as well (As Moose demonstrates in this pic) as they are good for multiple chew sessions. These are actual kneecaps and they look gross but dont smell or make a mess (the first chew may have some pieces come loose, but most dogs lick them all up). After chewing off the skin on the top layer, dogs will gnaw on the bone and cartilage in future chew sessions. You can get them at Amazon, but we’d recommend getting them from Long Dog Fat Cat or the Green Spot in Omaha
.
No Hides
No Hides are very high value chews that many dogs go silly for. They are made with simple, traceable, clean ingredients, are agood chew option and are easily digestible. Amazon
.
Additional Options
There are a few other really good options we will simply name and link since this list is so long; Frozen Marrow bones, Cow snouts / Pig snouts, Beef Tracheas, Himalayan chews and Cow ears. You can get these all at Long Dog Fat Cat or the Green Spot or most high end pet stores.
.
Hard Chews
.
When dogs are stressed or bored, they like to chew to release tension and energy. Unlike the chew options listed above, these are chew only (no injection) items. While these are fine for many dogs, if yours has teeth issues, you should speak to your vet to detemine if these are ok to give your dog.
.
Deer or Elk Antler
Deer and Elk antlers are another good chew option for dogs with a serious / strong chew habit. Deer antlers are smaller / thiner. Elk antlers are larger and bigger. Antlers come in whole or split (cut in half lengthwise) versions. There are different sizes so get one that is appropriate for your dog.
.
Water Buffalo Horn
Water Buffalo horns are extremely long lasting. We recommend you get one with a thick wall as the thinner ones may be broken by dogs with a strong chew habit. Note, these can have a bit of a smell when your dog chews them the first few times, but it usually disapates within a week or so.
.
Nylabones
Nylabones are hard plastic bones that come in various shapes, sizes and flavors. Strong chewers can eventaully bite pieces off. If your dog accomplishes this, make sure they dont eat the fragments. Many dogs simply pull / chew the pieces off and leave them alone. If your dog eats these small pieces, you should avoid this option for your dog.
Soft chews
.
If your dog isnt a heavy chewer or doesnt eat any chewed off pieces from toys, having some appropriate things to chew on and possibly destroy can help dogs relieve stress and channel destructive behavior to specific sacrifical items, lol. There are many different stuffed animals, squeaker toys, etc that can be fun for dogs.
However, these toys are usually only short attention getters which is why they are at the bottom of the list. Many of our clients have a Bark Box subscription which sends a box of 3 new toys to you each month.
Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Rolls
One of the tricks we will for your dog use involve stuffing empty TP and paper towel tubes with treats and high value chew items. Sometimes the dogs tear these as they try to get to the treat or chew, so we will need a bunch. Try to save 5-8 TP tubes and 5-8 paper towel tubes as you finish the rolls so you have these handy.
Last but not least; Boxes
One of the things your dog will be doing is looking for treats with their noses and we want this to take some time which means we need safe places to hide them. Empty cardboard boxes dogs have to inspect or open can be a great way to keep your dog occupied and engaged while being alone. We will get into the details later, but for now, we want you to start keeping small boxes you get.
Ideally these boxes are the size of 2-3 showboxes and smaller. We’d like to have a good 10-20 boxes in the sanctuary floor. So please set aside boxes you get from deliveries or ask your friends and neighbors. Boxes are pretty easy to come by, but to collect 20 smaller ones can take a little time.
