Why suspending absences is such a crucial part of a separation anxiety protocol.
- thepoochiepeople
- Jun 18
- 2 min read
Most dogs who are beginning their separation protocol with me cannot cope with any alone time at all. One of the first discussions I have with a guardian is the need to ensure their dog is not left alone for longer than they can cope with. This often means not at all in the early days. But why is this so important?
Firstly, a dog cannot learn that being alone is safe if they are still occasionally being exposed to 'scary' alone time. They could have days and days of learning alone time is safe only to be left alone for longer than they can handle and undoing all of that hard work. Quite aside from the fact that a frightened, anxious dog is in no fit state to learn anything, if they have learned 10 minutes is safe and we then leave them for an hour, the panic will set in once again and the 10 minutes we've worked so hard to achieve can be unlearned immediately. Because they were frightened. So next time you try to leave for a few minutes (which previously was OK) they remember the time you left for an hour and how that made them feel. We must always be working below the threshold that this particular dog can handle. This will be different for every dog.
Remember, separation anxiety is a phobia.
Before people contact me, they have often seen a dog's separation anxiety spiral, for this very reason. Every time you leave and they experience that awful feeling of panic it reinforces their fear that being alone is scary. The mental and physical impact on their stress levels day in and day out means that even if they really wanted to feel less stressed when they're alone, they simply can't. So by suspending absences and allowing their nervous system to calm, we are then able to teach the dog at their own pace that being alone is not scary.
Managing absences won't be forever, as your dog begins to learn alone time is safe, the amount of time they can be left alone will increase. Don't forget, as part of my package I offer you help with managing your absences so you are not alone trying to work out your schedule.
Suspending absences is a mandatory ask of my separation clients but hopefully this helps you to understand why it is not an arbitrary ask.
Written by Nicola Cook VSPDT, CSAT.
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