It seems impossible, but here's why it's so critical.
If you’ve been looking into separation anxiety training for your dog, you’ve probably come across what seems like the most impossible-to-follow advice of all time: never leave your dog alone. Like, ever. Or at least, not longer than your dog can handle, which, if you got here because you're googling separation anxiety training, probably means like, any longer than one second. Maybe your dog can't even handle you touching the doorknob yet!
Here's the bad news: As a certified separation anxiety trainer, I agree. Separation anxiety training for dogs progresses fastest when your dog is completely free from the panic-inducing idea that you might, at any moment, leave them alone.
Like any good dog training, effective separation anxiety training takes place at your dog's pace, at your dog's level, and for a lot of separation anxiety dogs, that means spending weeks or months without even being able to take out the trash without them.
For the person's point of view, that's an untenable situation. We have to live our lives. We have to go to work to pay for the separation anxiety training, after all! It's one of the biggest reasons people shy away from starting training.
But here's why it's so important. Separation anxiety training is based on the idea of gradual desensitization. The key to desensitization is never exposing your dog to more alone time than they can handle. We’re trying to teach them that being alone isn’t scary, but every new panicky experience will reinforce their fear. That’s why training progresses faster when we stop leaving our dogs alone.
It's totally reasonable to think, “That’s impossible! I need to leave the house!” Sometimes it takes some creativity, we'll grant you that. But here are some ways that people make it happen:
working from home
taking your dog along to the office, outdoor dining, etc.
doggy daycare
calling on friends and neighbors, particularly students, older people, or those who work from home
dog walkers
pet sitters
Even if you can't immediately suspend absences, any reduction in the amount of time your dog spends alone is helpful.
If you can't suspend absences entirely, it also helps to make your "safe" absences (training) look very different than your "unsafe" absences (the ones where you'll be gone for longer than your dog can handle).
Not sure quite how to accomplish that? Set up an appointment with us to get a custom training plan for your dog!
And remember: though separation anxiety training can take a while, it’s all temporary. As your training progresses, you’ll be able to get back to doing the things you used to do without a thought—a grocery run, a quick errand, date night, going to the office—with the assurance that your dog is comfortable hanging out without you.
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