Your dog’s behavior is only one side of the story

A holistic approach is vital to make sure your dog is healthy and well in every aspect.

Behavior issues don’t exist in a vacuum. Neither do separation-related fears. So we need to look at all aspects affecting a dog’s ability to cope with life.

Bringing a holistic approach to separation anxiety really improves your chances of reaching your training goals!

The most common stressors are (often hidden) health and pain issues. There appears to be a correlation between separation-related problems and noise sensitivity, and also between noise sensitivity and pain. A sound-sensitive dog, or one who is in pain, will likely not get enough quality rest, either.

If your dog is in pain, sound sensitive, or just plain tired, that will be a challenge when you’re training to get them used to your departure.

The first thing any good behaviorist will tell you is to ask a vet to rule out possible causes of pain.

After a general check-up, it’s worth going for a second consultation with a canine physiotherapist, canine chiropractor, or someone trained in canine massage. They may be more experienced at locating musculoskeletal problems. I’ve never met a dog who didn’t have some kind of muscle tension or something which could do with realigning!

Once any causes of pain have been ruled out or are being treated, I help my clients reflect on the daily demands on the dog. For example, many dogs are under-exercised, while many more are over-exercised or are doing too many high-arousal activities.

Some dogs are challenged when visitors come to the house, and they need support with new strategies to cope with that. Some dogs are sensitive to other dogs on walks, so may be lunging and barking on the lead.

Many dogs don’t cope well with the (sadly often inappropriate) social life of the dog park or unstructured group walks. My clients and I see a lot of success replacing those times with sniffy walks – either alone to decompress, or sometimes with one, polite, kind dog friend at a time if your dog enjoys that.

A holistic approach addresses health, lifestyle, and your dog’s individual experiences and preferences, because we can’t cherry-pick needs.

To find out if your dog has unmet needs – anxiety issues, physical issues, or issues of another kind – book a free chat with me! You can tell me what behaviors you’ve noticed, and I’ll help you identify the most likely cause so that you can start taking steps to help your dog.

Wishing you and your dog all the very best,

Victoria 🐾