Episode 7 of the Believe in Your Dog Podcast
Did you catch my latest podcast episode with Jane Wolff on suspending absences? It's packed full of useful information on why it's so crucial in separation anxiety training and exactly how to do it.
Check out the link in my bio or head to https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/7 to listen! 🎙️
Suspending Absences
Episode 7 is live today! My special guest Jane Wolff of @goodwolfftraining and I are talking all about absence suspension–what it is, why we do it, and exactly how we do it. We'll give you some of the exact strategies that our clients (and Jane herself) have used to prevent their dogs from panicking when they have to be away.
We'll also explain why this is a such a crucial component of training and why we won't take a case unless the client is able to incorporate it into the plan.
Check out the link in my bio or head to https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/7 to listen! 🎙️
Episode 6 of The Believe in Your Dog Podcast
Episode 6 is live today! In it, I lay the framework for your separation anxiety training journey. Everyone's journey will look different, no doubt. But there is a common structure that creates the foundation upon which your trajectory is built. And that's what I'm sharing with you today!
This is one that you'll want to bookmark so you can come back to it in the future when you feel stuck. Chances are, if you take the time to think about each pillar and how it applies to your training journey, you'll have exactly what you need to get back on track.
Check out the link in my bio or head to https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/6 to listen! 🎙️
Y’all. It’s enrichment week. I promise you, if it’s okay with you, and it’s safe, and your dog enjoys it, it’s okay to let your dog engage in their species-specific behaviors.
Some of the behaviors in this reel are needs that you should encourage your dog to engage in on a regular basis. Others are extras that my own personal dog enjoys and that I’m perfectly okay with. Each individual gets to decide what they’re okay with. What “extras” does your dog love that you are okay with?
Meeting Your Dog's Needs
Another valuable mindset shift for your to consider: Pretty much everything that we humans view as behavior problems for dogs are actually species-typical behaviors that we need to provide outlets for.
Listen to the full episode at the link in my bio or head to https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/5 🎙️
Episode 5 is here: Meeting Your Dog's Needs with Allie Bender
Today, I'm releasing a very special episode of The Believe in Your Dog Podcast: Meeting Your Dog's Needs with Allie Bender. You might be wondering what meeting needs has to do with resolving separation anxiety. It wasn't entirely clear to me either, until I read the book Allie co-authored: Canine Enrichment for the Real World.
It's a super powerful mindset shift that will change the way you interact with your dog. And as Allie discusses, it's also a key piece of the puzzle in any behavior modification plan.
You can listen at https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/5 🎙️
Every Dog is a Study of One with Ally Verba
Every Dog is a Study of One
Episode 4 of The Believe in Your Dog Podcast is live today: Every Dog is a Study of One with Ally Verba. Ally and I could talk about this topic for hours, but we've condensed it down to make it as relevant as possible for our listeners.
It sounds esoteric, but it's actually super simple: Your dog is an individual. And because of that, you have to tailor your separation anxiety training to their specific circumstances. Ally and I give lots of practical examples of how we apply this principle with our clients and how you can start to approach your training with your dog through this lens.
You can listen at the link in my bio or head to https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/4 🎙️
Have you heard that you should completely ignore your dog when you return from an absence to help their separation anxiety? As @malenademartini points outs in my most recent podcast episode, that can actually make your dog *more* stressed.
It is confusing to suddenly pretend that your dog doesn't exist when they're used to being greeted by you.
Go ahead and acknowledge them!
This is just one of the many things we discuss in Episode 3. You can listen at the link in my bio or head to https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/3 🎙️
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.#separationanxietydog #dogsofinstagram #separationanxiety #anxiousdog #dogs #dogseparationanxiety #dogtraining #doganxiety #dog #dogsofinsta #dogowner #dogtrainingtips #anxiousdogs #canineanxiety #anxiousdogsofinstagram #anxiety #linkinbio #dogslife #dogtrainingadvice #dogsofig #canineseparationanxiety #dogswithseparationanxiety #podcast #podcastersofig
Did you miss my latest podcast with separation anxiety hero, Malena DeMartini?
We dig deep into what is arguably the most important step in a separation anxiety training protocol: the initial absence assessment. You'll learn exactly what we mean by that, and how to conduct one yourself, in this information-packed episode.
Check out the link in my bio or head to https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/3 to listen! 🎙️
I am beyoned honored to share Episode #3 of The Believe in Your Dog podcast: Conducting an Initial Assessment with Malena DeMartini.
Malena has been a mentor and friend to me since I began my separation anxiety journey, and I am so grateful to have her here to share her infinite wisdom with you today.
In this episode, we're talking all about the initial absence assessment: what it is, why it's important, and the specifics of exactly how to conduct one.
We also get down to the details: what equipment you need, how to set up the environment, camera positioning, when to return, how to return, and so much more.
Check out the link in my bio or head to https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/3 to listen! 🎙️
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#separationanxietydog #dogsofinstagram #separationanxiety #anxiousdog #dogs #dogseparationanxiety #dogtraining #doganxiety #dog #dogsofinsta #dogowner #dogtrainingtips #anxiousdogs #canineanxiety #anxiousdogsofinstagram #anxiety #linkinbio #dogslife #dogtrainingadvice #dogsofig #canineseparationanxiety #dogswithseparationanxiety #podcast #podcastersofig
In many ways, labels are useless and sometimes harmful in the world of behavior modification. But when it comes to discerning where your dog falls on the home alone spectrum, it’s helpful to distinguish between Clinical Separation Anxiety and isolation distress.
Take a listen to last week’s podcast to understand the difference. You can submit questions on this topic in the comments, via email, or DM, and I’ll answer them on a future Q&A episode.
You can find the link to last week’s episode at the link below or search your favorite platform for “the believe in your dog podcast.” 🎙
https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/2
If you missed Episode #2 of the podcast last week, now's your chance to get caught up!
It's a short and sweet little primer about the way we categorize different types of home-alone challenges. I also talk a bit about labels: what they are, how I use them, how they can be problematic, and how they can be helpful.
I will give you a good foundation in preparation for the more in depth content that is to come starting next week. Check out the link in my bio or head to https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/2 to listen! 🎙️
#separationanxietydog #dogsofinstagram #separationanxiety #anxiousdog #dogs #dogseparationanxiety #dogtraining #doganxiety #dog #dogsofinsta #dogtrainingtips #anxiousdogs #canineanxiety #anxiousdogsofinstagram #anxiety #linkinbio #dogslife #dogtrainingadvice #dogsofig #canineseparationanxiety #dogswithseparationanxiety #podcastersofinstagram
We know that chronic stress wreaks havoc on human bodies and minds. The same is true for your dog. Chronic stress has even been shown to shorten lifespan.
If your dog struggles with alone time, it’s likely that you’re both experiencing chronic stress.
Separation anxiety is resolvable. Your dog can learn that alone time is safe. 💌
Sora is knocking it out of the park. We have a long way to go and a move to a new house coming up, but the foundation is strong. In the third clip, we get that reminder that going to the door is not always a bad thing. If you’re going to side plop at the door, then have at it, girl. 👑
Introducing the Believe in Your Dog Podcast
It's here! I am so excited to finally be bringing this project to life.
To kick things off in the intro episode, I'll share my journey to becoming a separation anxiety specialist and discuss why I am so passionate about helping separation anxiety dogs and their people.
You'll also learn about my goals for the show and what to expect going forward. Listen here: https://www.believeinyour.dog/podcast/1 🎙️
Separation anxiety training is hard. It’s grueling. It’s messy. It’s a roller coaster. It’s going to feel like it will never work.
There’s a mantra that I try to lean on and that mantra is “feelings aren’t facts.” Feelings are important. I’m not saying they aren’t. But we need to feel them and then move our perspective toward the data when we are making training decisions.
Lu’s human went out and got a separation anxiety training credential in order to better help her make these objective training decisions. That’s dedication. But you know what? It’s still HARD when it’s your own dog. And that’s okay. It’s okay to ask for help.
I’m loving working with this team. They laid a really solid foundation for me which we’ve been able to build upon beautifully. We still have a long way to go. Every session isn’t as perfect as the one you see here and that’s normal. Really looking forward to seeing how Lu’s journey unfolds. ❤️🩹
Big win of the week #2 - you ever sit on the edge of your seat for weeks waiting for a dog to give up waiting at the door then say, “today is the day. I can feel it” to the client to which they reply, “we can feel it to” then watch this unfold?
DISCLAIMER: allowing going to/waiting at the door is on a case by case basis and I do all I can to completely stay under it for the first 8-12 weeks (depending on the dog) all dogs are individuals and there’s no “one size fits all” rule that you should be following, aside from Go At Their Pace. 🎁
I want to share not one, but two magic moments with you all today. This first one is all about “change the environment, change the behavior.”
I’ve been working with Hudson since September. We haven’t been able to achieve much consistent and predictable duration. We have been trialing a new medication and we’re playing with having one guardian train at a time, and while we are making slow progress, it’s still pretty unpredictable.
Hudson’s behavior when he goes to the door, from my perspective, looks very much like a ‘habit’ rather than ‘I’m doing this because I’m stressed/freaking out.’ I recently listened to a talk by Dr. Kristina Spaulding on habit-directed vs goal-directed behaviors. I won’t go too into depth about it, so if you want to access the short talk, you’ll get a link to it if you sign up for her newsletter. Her website is www.smartdogtrainingandbehavior.com.
My takeaway from this talk was that with habit-directed behavior, there’s an environmental stimulus that ‘sets off’ the behavior. It’s like the animal has no control or choice in the matter. And that is what Hudson’s behavior was looking like to me. He would start the inevitable ‘circle’ and regardless of how beautiful his recovery was or the absence of any other ‘stress’ behaviors, it would happen anytime he would get near the door. So, we can drop duration to always stay below going to the door, right? We’ve been doing this for MONTHS and making very little progress.
With Dr. Spaulding’s voice in my head, I thought, ‘let’s do something ridiculous - put the gate up so that he can’t access or see the door. I have no idea what will happen but we are going to try it.’
Here’s what we saw. In the 8 months we have worked together, Hudson has not once laid down after getting up post-departure. This is major. And while we need to keep appropriate expectations that this may have been a fluke and it may never happen again, it happened. A
