Tips to Help a Rescue Puppy Relax

In this Omaha puppy training session we worked with Shiba, a seven-month-old Doberman who was experiencing issues with separation anxiety and needed rules and structure in the home.

After arriving I chatted with Shiba’s guardian and learned that she was a recent rescue dog. In her previous home she didn’t have a lot of time indoors or contact with her owners, which probably led to Shiba’s separation anxiety. One way to help a dog stop separation anxiety is to give them more rules and structure to help them have a predictable environment. I wanted to show the guardians our Leadership Exercise, which you can watch below.

As you can see in the video Shiba was a little distracted by her two dog friends in the other room. This is completely normal! If she gets distracted like that, just encourage her to come back to you or wait her out and see if she will come back on her own. Once she is back continue/ resume the exercise. It is best to not leave the treat area, other wise she might run over and take it when you are off looking for her!

By the end of the session Shiba was looking to her guardians for leadership and direction. She was laying down calmly and visibly relaxing. To keep up with this good behavior I want to remind the guardians to keep using our Petting with a Purpose technique to reward her for good behavior and to use our Escalating Consequences to disagree with her. We wrapped up this dog behavior session with Shiba’s Roadmap to Success video, which you can watch below.