You are a few steps away from getting support for you and your dog as you return to work. Let us change your lives and reduce your dog's emotional agony of being apart.
It is heart-wrenching to hear your dog howl as you leave. Frustrating to come back home, hearing the dog barking madly as you pull in. Maddening to see your furniture destroyed. And, then there’s the awful worry of seeing your dog’s paws bleeding where they scratch the door to get to you.
A dog comes into our home as a puppy, a rescue, or from a breeder. We think we know them, using our experience of our past dogs, or our perception of what a dog ‘should’ be. What they know of us is that we are significant to them. This a predisposition in all dogs based on their genetic evolution. Arguably, over millions of years, the dog has evolved to need humans to survive. So, when a dog who has these deep instincts for companionship and care becomes separated from the thing they crave, alarm bells can go off.
For rescue dogs or puppies from poor/unknown origins, these hard-wired yearning can be disrupted with abusive experiences, conflicting with the want and need for gentle and kind human caregivers. Their past may be riddled with experiences were being on their own and under threat, required them to fight or run away. Regardless of their choice, it still resulted in painful consequences, psychologically and perhaps, even at times physically.
Relationships the come together from hardship (like rescues), is usually hinged with an emotional teeter-totter, with dogs moving between panic and survival. You need to become their super-hero, as well as their advocate, caregiver, coach, enricher, protector and teacher (ACCEPT© Model). It is why we recommend rescues stay at home with you at the beginning to first learn to relax and find some balance, before working on being confident alone.
In all dogs, every action and every word brings about a complex ritual, routine and relationship which brings an understanding of who you are, what you will do for them to help them, what you need and how they can help you, they tell you to give when you are thinking about dinner, about to tune out into your device, and of course, leave for the day.
We work hard to create an attachment with our dog, a permanent bond of peace, love, companionship and cooperation. And, we believe we have shown them we care and want them to be happy and confident, even when alone.
Separation Anxiety comes with a complicated set of emotions, both in you and your dog. It requires knowledge and skill. And, most importantly, not old-fashion notions that the dog is trying to get back at you. In fact, the newest research in 2020 has challenged even the way some professional Behaviourist and Psychologist are working with the syndrome. New breakthrough studies requires a more expansive plan including the caregivers’ own personality and emotional expression, to support effectively resolving a dog’s anxiety. So, in short, it may require you to change too.
Our "Staying Solo" program is especially designed for you. Our difference is in our reach and experience. Our carefully science-backed program delivery and exceptional training content. We work together as a team on your case and every case we have, sharing insights and delivering results.
Why a 4-month program? Four months is an agreed upon industry standard for helping a dog overcome separation anxiety but every dog is different. What we can promise you is progress towards staying alone comfortably. You will gain the skills to speak to your dog skillfully, signal accurately, set up practice sessions to build your dog's solo-time tolerance, learn more about the syndrome and what is known today about the best ways to overcome this challenging condition. Together you will invest in the time, energy and patience to develop a dog who understands sometimes you have to leave, but you will be back.
Unlike other Separation Anxiety Services, our "Staying Solo" program pulls on current science and internationally known best practices. For example, our program is flexible and adaptive. We ensure you don't waste hard-earn dollars by sticking to a set 30 minute session. It is a far better plan to have adaptive session time tailored to what you and your dog can manage. It is why we work on a package of hours over four months, not a rigidly set session time. We partner with you, explain our approach, how we measure progress, teach you how to guide your dog to think and feel differently. You will know what you can expect and how our program adapts with you and your dog's specific capabilities.
Need medication support?
If deemed required, we speak Vet and are experienced with Vets all around the city who love our clinical behaviour reports. They become super-charged in in-depth insight on the brain-body-behaviour connections.