Be Right Back! The Separation Anxiety Podcast

As much as I know you're 100% committed to managing absences, what happens in an emergency? As horrible as it is to think about bad things happening is does pay to have a contingency plan should disaster strike.  In this episode I look at how to plan for those rare occurrences where you might, just might, need to leave your dog. Hopefully, you'll never be faced with such a dilemma but if you do, planning ahead can help you. 

There are few, if any, aspects of separation anxiety that create more mythology than crating. I see way too much muddled and confusing advice, and I can see that many of you struggle to get your head around whether or not to crate your dog. To clear things, up this episode covers the seven facts about crating that you absolutely need to know.

You've heard the horror stories about people getting pandemic puppies only to find that their pup grows into a dog they can't leave. You're so scared that this will happen to your puppy that you just don't dare leave him. You've taken on board all the advice about how this is a bad strategy. But you missed the bit about how you do need to leave them – as long as you so within context of gradual home-alone training. In this episode I'm going to show you why, if you're worried about leaving your puppy, you don't need to be concerned, as long as you do it safely and gently and follow a structured training plan.  

You've started training. You manage to get to the door or even out of the door but... ...your dog is following you the whole time. Big problem, right? Well, maybe but maybe not.  You see anxiety isn't always the reason dogs follow us to the door during training. And just because your dog is following you, that doesn't mean to say your training is a write-off. In this episode I explain when following is okay and when it's not. And I look out what to do with a dog who waits by the door.

Don't think for a minute that your dog getting separation anxiety is a result of you being an inadequate dog parent, or down to you being clueless about what you're doing. Not at all! Plenty of dog professionals and dog trainers have dogs who develop separation anxiety too. In this episode I'm chatting to Certified SA Pro Trainers, Beth Berkobien and Jo Sellers, about their own dogs' journeys with separation anxiety. They share their stories and give you some trainers tips for how best you can navigate the separation anxiety journey. 

Does it seem like there's a ton of conflicting advice out there about separation anxiety? I can totally see why you might think that and why that might leave you feeling overwhelmed, not knowing what to do. But here's the thing, the way we get dogs over separation anxiety – gradually getting them used to alone-time – isn't a secret. And it's pretty much accepted as the standard method, by people who know about these things. The confusion you're feeling is down to conflicting opinions (not advice) from professionals, online commentators, and maybe even friends and family. You see, there are so many separation anxiety myths out there and too many people talk about myths as if there were facts. But how do myths become truths? And how on earth can you know what to believe when it comes to separation anxiety training advice? Tune into this episode to find out!

Has your dog's separation anxiety been the cause of a few tense moments between you and your other half? Perhaps they think you're being too soft on your dog. Maybe they think the training is taking too long and that you should just let your dog cry it out. If this sounds familiar, then tune into this episode where I share my tips for doing separation anxiety training the right way even if your partner isn't bought into the training method.

Separation anxiety training takes effort and it takes time. And there are a fair few mistakes that are easy to commit and which make training all the harder. That's why, in the episode, I spill the beans on the errors that I see people make over and over. I'll also share my tips and tricks to help you avoid these, and so ensuring your training far more efficient and much less painful!

When we're deep into separation anxiety training we get really good at observing our dogs when they are alone. So good in fact, that we can sometimes overlook getting to know what their body language is at other times. But in order to understand what's going on when doing departure training, we have to know what's normal for our dogs. Tune into this episode for tips on reading your dog in all sorts of situations. Plus, grab your free downloadable observation sheet here.

Separation anxiety training has been revolutionized by video technology, in particular being able to watch your dog remotely. But it can be tricky to know what to pick and how to set up the tech you need without breaking the bank.  In this episode I explain why tech matters and I guide you through your options, fancy and not-so-fancy. There's an option for every budget and it needn't be daunting.