I am going to do a video series today on separation anxiety. This post and the video’s are long and rightly so. This is no easy topic! Many dogs suffer from anxiety and it is not because temperaments have changed from a breeding standpoint. It is a problem being created by the owners. Don’t take this the wrong way, I created anxiety in my first Std Poodle. From Merlot I learned how to create and then correct this issue. Maybe I can help a few of you now. There is nothing shameful about having a dog who suffers from anxiety. You are not a bad person or a bad owner. Likely you are super nice and you might own many dogs during your lifetime who thrive in your household, then suddenly you get a dog who feels freighted by the lack of structure or one who is just to smart for his own good. Many issues manifest as anxiety as the years go by, even in a confident dog. Submissive peeing, peeing in the house, whining, barking, lunging at people walking by the window, destroying things, getting into the trash, counter surfing. All this goes back to anxiety or unclear household rules. Maybe your dog was great for years, then all the sudden starts counter surfing. Why? Because your training stopped. You let the dog coast or had a change in habits, and the dog started looking for mental stimulation at the cost of your Sunday ham.
Most of you who read my blog understand basic dog training. Most of you have or could get a Therapy or Rally title on your dog, yet some of you might be seeing signs of behavior issues as your dogs age.
These video’s will feature River as my demo dog. He had some issues in his previous home. He was peeing in the house at both Sue and Courtney’s homes. He was whining constantly. He was barking like crazy when he wasn’t right under foot. He knew obedience in a ‘formal’ setting, but had no real idea how to translate that into his home life. If you visit me here now, you would never believe any of those things of this dog. Pee in my house? No way. Whining? Not a peep. Barking like crazy? I don’t think so! Here he is thriving and I would hazard to say he is the best behaved dog I have ever owned. How can this happen? River suffered from separation anxiety because he is not a confident dog. It wasn’t extreme, but it was causing issues with his previous placement. How could I fix these issues so quickly and completely? Two things. 1. I let him know I expected him to be responsible for his actions. 2. I taught him it was OK to be alone.
You might be thinking “Ok, that’s fine for people, but he’s just a dog. How can I get those points across to a dog?”
This video series will give you the tools you need to start to create your own calm, assured, well behaved, family member. When you create calm, everything falls into place. When you create communication, the dog will understand what you want and eagerly oblige. River’s middle name is “Food”. Because he loves food so much, I had his number from the start. I could get him to do anything, because of his love of food. There is nothing better than watching a dog go “OH MAN, what does she want!?! I want that cheese!! How can I get it? Let’s try this”. In the video’s below I do not use food. He is past that point. He now does what I ask, because he and I have a relationship built on trust and understanding. I have taught him the house rules using food. I have reminded him of those house rules using body placement, either his or mine. Example would be: I asked you to sit, you didn’t sit, I know you understand what sit means, so now I make you sit by placing your body into that position. I asked you to back up, you know what back up means, you didn’t backup, so I walk into you until you back up because it is uncomfortable having me stand right on top of you.
You won’t see much ‘training’ in these videos. These are more information and some examples to show you what is possible with training. Get ready, even if you don’t have a dog with anxiety issues, someday you might end up with a less confident OR extremely smart pup who could become a problem. If you start your puppies out with these techniques and continue to use them throughout their life, you will never see separation anxiety. If you implement these techniques on an older dog, I am sure you will see improvement. Will these videos fix every dog without needing professional help? NO NO NO. If your dog suffers from true separation anxiety you need to think really hard about enrolling the dog in a week or two long ‘board and train’, where the dog stay’s with a trainer and they first fix the major issues like barking, fear of a crate, walking nicely on a leash, lunging at other dogs, resource guarding, etc. Once those things are in hand, you can utilize the video’s to go to the next level. I wish now I had videoed some of River’s progress earlier this year, but because his training was during the summer I was in Arkansas, that was pretty far down the priority list.
Video One: INTRODUCTION
Video two: Set Boundaries
Video Three: Go for walks with rules
Video Four: Use a Crate
Video Five: Use “Place”
Video Six: Play Outside not Inside
This is a lot of information to chew through. I’m hoping you all post some thoughts and even some suggestions on other things you would like me to address, even if it is “How exactly do I train my dog to lay on the mat for so long and so calmly?”.
~Becky