Free Tips for Overcoming Dog Separation Anxiety and a Fear of the Kennel

For this Gretna training session we worked with Woody, a one-year-old German Shorthair Pointer mix. His guardian arranged this dog training session. Our main goal was to help him listen better.

We wanted to address Woody’s fear of the kennel. This will also help him learn to respect boundaries and personal space. In this training session we also addressed the signs of dog separation anxiety.

Woody was a bit excited when I arrived for the session. He showed good manners by not jumping on me. However, when I sat down with his guardian in the living room, Woody showed me some common dog behavior issues, which his guardian wanted help with.

I noticed that Woody had no rules about getting on the furniture. So, I asked his guardian about the rules and boundaries. After thinking about it for a couple of minutes, his guardian was only able to come up with a few minor rules.

How to Help Dog Separation Anxiety

Dogs that suffer from separation anxiety often are overwhelmed by stress and anxiety. This results in them entering a panic state when their human leaves them alone. Also, a lack of rules and structure is a major contributing factor.

I have found that the best way to help dogs with separation anxiety is to set clear rules and boundaries. This helps them see and understand their role as a follower. This eliminates much of the stress that leads to the anxiety.

I suggested some rules, boundaries and limits and showed Woody’s guardian how to enforce them properly. This structure should help Woody feel less stressed. He can look to his human as the responsible authority figure who takes care of things for him.

During our talk, I saw that whenever Woody got close to his guardian, she would pet him. This happened even after she corrected him for something. The problem with this is anything a dog is doing when we pet them is what the dog thinks we are petting them for.

It’s quite common for dog guardians to unknowingly reward their dog in a way that encourages the very behavior they’re trying to eliminate.

I spent the next few minutes explaining an easy technique. This technique helps a guardian stop rewarding the dog for bad behavior. Instead, it encourages the dog to engage in good habits and behaviors that their human wants.

By asking Woody to do something before his guardian pets him, she can help him feel less stress. He will know exactly what she wants him to do.

In my opinion, positive dog training is always the best way to go. But sometimes we need to disagree with the dog when it does the wrong thing. In the video, I talked about using nonverbal cues to show I disagreed with Woody’s bad behavior. Then, I explained my Petting with a Purpose strategy.

I spent a few minutes reviewing the nonverbal cues I use to disagree with a dog when it misbehaves. Since Woody is quite sensitive, it should not take many corrections to get him to listen or stop unwanted behaviors.

I also stressed how important timing is when rewarding or correcting a dog. Many people are far too late in disagreeing with dogs for doing something they don’t want. The sooner or earlier you can correct the dog, the easier and more effective it will be. Same thing for rewarding them for desired actions or behaviors.

I always tell my clients to focus on a three-second window when rewarding or disagreeing with their dog. After three seconds, its hard for a dog to connect the reward with the action. This makes it easy for the dog to understand exactly why the human is rewarding or correcting them.

I wanted to give the guardian another way to reach and connect with Woody so I shared a focus exercise with her.

By doing this exercise a few times each day without distractions, Woody’s guardian can get his attention faster. This will help hold his attention longer when needed in the future.

Help a Dog get Over a Fear of the Kennel

Now that we discussed communication, rules, and structure, we were ready to address Woody’s main problems. These problems are his fear of the kennel and his separation anxiety.

We headed into the guardian’s basement so that I could see where the kennel was kept. The kennel was in a room that the guardian rarely visited. This likely made Woody afraid of the kennel.

Only real punishment for dogs is to be excluded from the group. By placing Woody’s kennel in a spot where she rarely went, she was unknowingly punishing him. Every time she put him in the kennel, he felt it was a punishment.

We relocated the kennel into a spare bedroom and then I tested Woody to see how fearful of the kennel he was.

We used dog treats and positive training to help him feel good about the crate. This is the first step to positive crate training.

Now that Woody felt comfortable going in and out of the kennel, we were ready to take our next step. For many dogs, the problem with the kennel is actually twofold. First off they are restricted or restrained inside the crate. But secondly, and perhaps more importantly, this only occurs when a human is about to leave the dog.

I have developed a technique to help dogs with this issue. It involves having them stay in the kennel with the door open. A human should be in the room. Gradually, increase the time they spend in the kennel.

I explain the methodology to this rehabilitation method in the following video.

While the guardian is practicing this rehabilitation method, I suggested that she make other arrangements for Woody on the days that she has to work. If we force a dog into the kennel before they are ready while using this technique, it will take much longer to rehabilitate them.

While the process for helping a dog get over a fear of the kennel is relatively easy, it does take quite a bit of repetition. I go through that in detail in the following video.

It took some time, but by the end of the kennel exercise, Woody was lying down inside. The door was open, and he was completely calm.

As we finished the session, Woody’s guardian told me she noticed a change in his energy and behavior. We always love hearing that.

Woody is a great dog. He simply lacked the rules and structure he needed to feel confident and to identify as a follower.

If his guardian can practice the kennel training exercise that I outlined in the videos, enforce the new rules and boundaries in a timely fashion and start petting him with a purpose, his days of dog separation anxiety when left alone should stop.