Should we worry about our dog’s happiness? Yes! Can we improve their lives and make them happier? Absolutely we can. And in this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Zazie Todd, Author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. Zazie explains why our dog’s happiness should matter to us. She explores what makes dogs happy, the role we play in that, how training methods can affect happiness. And she shows how science underpins all of this. Join me for this fascinating interview....
Jun 11, 2020•45 min
In this podcast, I interview Jen Sadler, the owner of Gus, the amazing Shih Tzu Tibetan Spaniel cross. Jen's hard work helped Gus triumph over his separation anxiety. Their journey was not a short one. But after the span of a year, and despite the adoption of another dog with separation anxiety (!), the whole family is now in a very happy place.
May 28, 2020•44 min
Fetch gets such bad press. It’s all too often billed as an activity that does nothing but gets dogs amped-up and stressed-out. As a result, dogs everywhere are being denied access to something that’s natural, normal, and hugely enriching. I really don’t know where this all started or why so many trainers and owners state “fetch is bad for anxious dogs as it makes it hard for them to calm down”. There is zero evidence to support this. In fact, we do have volumes of evidence that not providing ani...
May 15, 2020•26 min
It's almost impossible to avoid not having a read an article or seen something on the news telling you your dog will absolutely lose it when you go back to work. The thing is, this might not be the case. As ever with dogs, there's lots of misinformation and plenty of myths. That's why, this week, I bust the Big 5 Separation Anxiety Lockdown Myths.
May 09, 2020•13 min
Are you worried that being with your dog 24/7 will make his separation anxiety worse? Or is your previously non-clingy dog suddenly following you everywhere? If so then tune into this episode where I'll share with you the science of what exactly is going on with your dog's brain when he's got constant company. And I'll give you some tips and tricks to help you return to normality without your dog going into complete meltdown.
Apr 19, 2020•17 min
What do you do when you can’t leave your dog at home but his reactivity prevents you from leaving him somewhere else? Ugh! It’s the trickiest of tricky problems when your anxious home alone dog doesn’t like strangers or other dogs. But in this week’s episode, I’m going to share how — with a bit more work, admittedly — you can manage absences even if your dog is reactive.
Mar 06, 2020•16 min
In this episode, I chat with the amazing Julie McKinney Miller a canine physical therapist (physio to those of us outside the US) who educates and empowers dog parents about physical therapy, massage, exercise. Julie offers online courses and consulting to help owners help their dogs live their best lives! Julie spills the beans and busts some longstanding myths about physical conditioning, injury, exercise, and pain. Pain and anxiety are so often linked. Tune into this episode to find out how w...
Feb 27, 2020•44 min
"Separation anxiety training easy? Is she out of her mind?" Okay, to be clear I'm not saying that separation anxiety cases are easy – far from it! It's just that there are some unique aspects to separation anxiety training that are pluses, and which can make the training less daunting and more effective.
Feb 26, 2020•16 min
What if all the training we've been doing with departure cues and triggers could be simplified? What if we didn't have to worry about departure triggers at all? In this episode I'm going to explain why I think we can make things simpler, thus setting us and our dogs up for more success.
Feb 21, 2020•18 min
If you're a dog professional–a trainer, a behaviourist, behaviour consultant–do you feel that separation anxiety cases are hard to resolve? If you do, know that you're not alone. It seems that across our profession separation anxiety cases are seen this way. In this special bonus episode recorded for professionals like you, I want to dive into whether they are really any harder to resolve than other cases. And I'll set out what I think we can do to change this view....
Feb 18, 2020•37 min
What to do when you feel like giving up If you’re anything like any owner I’ve ever worked with (and hundreds have used my system now) you’ll have moments where you want to give up separation anxiety training. But if you feel like this then I'm here to talk you down from the ledge. Yes, it's hard. It's often boring. But it is doable and will be worth it. Listen to find out that 6 things that will help turn things around for you when you're at your lowest ebb....
Feb 14, 2020•13 min
If your dog has separation anxiety, has anyone ever told you that you caused it. That you're the problem? Of course they have. Frequently I bet! Seems like when it comes to separation anxiety it’s all our fault—or so we’re told. That’s why in this episode I’m going to bust that particular myth (yes, it’s a BIG myth!). And I’m going to dive into what you could have done to prevent separation anxiety.
Feb 06, 2020•16 min
Have you adopted a dog only to find that they aren’t settling in quite as you’d hoped? Is your rescue dog struggling every time you leave the house? Or maybe he’s freaking when you leave the room! If so, this episode is for you as I’m going to share my 5 recommended steps for getting a rescue dog over their fear of being alone in their new home.
Jan 31, 2020•13 min
In this episode, we're going to explore the one, big thing that's most crucial to getting your dog over separation anxiety – consistency. Interestingly though, most of us often overlook consistency, instead focusing on absolute duration. But duration is nothing without you being confident your dog can achieve that time after time. Learn more about why predictablity is so critical and how you can ensure your training delivers consistency.
Jan 24, 2020•17 min
There are plenty of solutions that claim to work for fixing separation anxiety. But in this episode, I explain why those so-called solutions might not be working for you, and why, if we asked your dog, your dog would say they definitely don't work for them. I'll also explain the kind, humane solution that does work and is dog-approved!
Jan 03, 2020•17 min
There are so many ways in which owners whose dogs have separation anxiety have to deal with guilt. And in this week’s episode of the Fixing Separation Anxiety podcast, we’re going to look at those guilty feelings and I’ll going to share my tips for helping you feel less guilty (even though that might seem hard!).
Dec 06, 2019•14 min
This month my new book, Be Right Back! came out. It's been a labour of love and it comes from the heart. With Be Right Back! I'm trying to help make the world even just a tiny bit better for dogs and owners. I want to share with you the story of how the book came about, and how the book get help you get your dog over separation anxiety.
Nov 26, 2019•12 min
Moving house is hard enough but when your dog has separation anxiety it becomes a whole new level of difficult. In this episode I’ll help you make your move go smoothly, whether you’ve already moved or are thinking about moving.
Sep 20, 2019•14 min
Puppies don't get separation anxiety...do they? Yes! They can, and do. Instead of just assuming that your puppy is going to be okay when you leave, you need to teach your puppy home alone skills, just as you would teach them house training or leash walking. If you have a new puppy, or are thinking about getting one, tune in to find out how to help him or her to be happy on when left.
Sep 06, 2019•19 min•Ep. 26
“You just need to let your dog get over it.” I’m pretty sure you’ve heard this one: But does that actually work? Well, some people swear it does. That’s why in this episode we’re looking at whether dogs can “just get over” their separation anxiety. And for those situations where owners swear their dogs did get over this without any intervention, what exactly might be going on.
Aug 15, 2019•16 min•Ep. 25
In the second part of our focus on separation anxiety training, what works, and why, we’re diving deep into the exact steps you need to follow if you want to get your dog over separation anxiety. We look at how training is modeled on the phobia treatment we use for humans. And we talk about why using a training plan and being clear about criteria are critical to success.
Aug 06, 2019•18 min•Ep. 24
Today’s episode is part 1 of a 2 part series looking at why everything you’ve tried to fix separation anxiety hasn’t worked (this week), and what you need to do instead if you want to get your dog over separation anxiety (next week).
Jul 23, 2019•26 min•Ep. 23
We all adore dogs because of the unconditional love they give us. But when that love turns into a focus on you, when it’s all about you and no one else will do, that love becomes a freedom-limiting problem for you and your dog. In this episode, I’m going to talk about how you know when you’ve got one of these hyper-attached dogs. And I’m going to share my top 3 tips for how to handle it.
Jul 16, 2019•19 min•Ep. 22
In this episode, we look at what it really means to get a dog over separation anxiety, how we answer the question “how long will it take, and what the stages of recovery involves.
Jul 09, 2019•17 min•Ep. 21
On this week's episode, I'm going to talk about why separation anxiety training can be so hard, and why so many of us give up before we’ve given it a chance. I’ll also look at why it’s not just owners that find it hard, that trainers do too. And how standards in dog training would help everyone achieve successful separation anxiety training.
Jun 11, 2019•17 min•Ep. 20
If you think you’ve tried separation anxiety training and it didn’t work, you need to listen to this episode. I’m going to explain what separation anxiety training is (and what it’s not) and I’m going to share my top tips for acing your training. Topics: [02:10] Separation anxiety training is all about showing your dog that being on it's own is okay. [02:21] Desensitization means we take a really small amount of what the dog is frightened of and we expose the dog to it at an intensity that the d...
Jun 04, 2019•13 min•Ep. 19
In this episode, we discuss the 3 main types of problem barking, what causes problem barking, and how can tackle it. Topics: [00:36] How you can tackle home alone barking and different types of problem barking [01:08] Watch-dog barking: a common form of barking [02:05] Responds to management: blocking out sounds and sights [04:38] How to train your dog to a behaviour that’s incompatible with barking [07:56] How spooky barking is different from watch-dog barking [09:22] Changing how the dog feels...
May 28, 2019•22 min•Ep. 18
Owning a senior dog is both a responsibility and a privilege. And if you care for a senior dog you’ll know to expect all sorts of changes. One change that we can see in older dogs is that they can start to develop anxiety at being left, even if they’ve been fine all their lives. In today’s episode, I’m going to explain what to look for, what might be going on with your senior dog and what actions to take. Topics: [01:11] Big 3 signs that your senior dog might be starting to feel anxious at home ...
May 21, 2019•15 min•Ep. 17
In this week’s episode, I’m going to give you my top tips for finding the right separation anxiety trainer for you and your dog. Separation anxiety training isn’t easy but it does have a high success rate. With the right method, lots of time, and plenty of patience there’s a really good chance you can get your dog over separation anxiety. If you are looking for help in the form of trainer here are my top 5 tips. Topics: [0:43] Separation anxiety training is not easy but it does have a high succe...
May 14, 2019•19 min•Ep. 16
Today we’re talking about a different type of anxiety, but one that many separation anxiety dogs have: anxiety over car journeys. For the most part cars predict good things for dogs. So why do so many dogs seem to have issues with car rides? Why do some dogs find cars journeys so scary. And if your dog whines, cries or barks in the car what can you can do about it? Dogs can seem to have a love hate relationship with cars. Some dogs love the car for getting to the park or the beach, but find the ...
May 07, 2019•19 min•Ep. 15
