Be Right Back! The Separation Anxiety Podcast

It might not make much sense – you train, and train, and train, but your dog's anxiety seems to be getting worse not better. Well, it can happen. But it is totally avoidable. So, if you think separation anxiety training is actually making your dog clingier and more on edge tune in to find out what to do. 

If you're feeling guilty or concerned about your dog sleeping on your bed because you think it might be making his separation anxiety worse, don't be.  There really is no evidence to this. And in fact, suddenly forcing your dog to sleep elsewhere could make things worse. Check out this episode where I explain exactly why.

Are you leaving food when you go out only to find that your dog either doesn’t touch it, or consumes it only to fall apart? You’ve probably been told that this is the way to go, that leaving a puzzle feeder stuffed with goodness will stop your dog freaking out when you’re not home. Sadly this advice is often misguided, and doesn’t work for most dogs. In this week’s podcast I explain why food fails. And I’ll also give you a specific example where good can be useful.

As if having a dog with separation anxiety isn't hard enough, most owners also deal with a ton of guilt about their dog's condition. I know I did! In today's episode I examine the types of guilt I see most commonly. And I share tips on how to deal with those feelings so that you can focus your energy on what matters – getting your dog over this.

Ah, the joy of having more than one dog. Watching them interact, seeing them negotiate the social space: having more than one dog can be bliss. But if you have a dog with separation anxiety it can be chaos, especially when the non-anxious dog barks at the world outside and immediately sets off your anxious dog. If this sounds like your household help is at hand! In this episode, I explain how you can train your dog to overcome separation anxiety despite attempts by your other dogs to sabotage the process!

Anxiety medications can make a huge difference to separation anxiety training. But not in every case. That means we can easily get our hopes up only to find that our dog is one of those cases. If this is you and your dog, tune into this episode to find out why meds might not be working and what you can do if they don't.

It can definitely seem like dogs are all over the map with their ability to cope alone. Some days they ace training. Other days they fall apart. But just why do they do this? And what, if anything, can you do to smooth things out?

If you feel like you've had enough and want to quit training, just know that you are not alone. Everyone at some point wants to give up. Separation anxiety training is hard, unrewarding, and definitely not the most fun thing you'll ever do with your dog.  So before you do throw in the towel, check out my 5 tips for helping you get back on track.

I've heard some chatter recently that separation anxiety training is unethical and inhumane. The argument goes that dogs are such social creatures that training them to be alone is cruel. Well, it's not. People have to go out. Dogs need to be able to cope with that.  What is actually unethical is NOT giving them the skills they need to be okay with inevitable alone time. Tune in to find out more.

It can seem really confusing when your dog will sleep all night in a crate but when you try to leave your dog in a crate when you go out he loses it. And that's why I both love and hate crates. In the right context, at the right time, they are amazing tools. But how can we work out when it's right to use a crate and what do we do when crating goes wrong? Listen to find out.