Suspending Absences
The first strategy that must be implemented is a management technique known as suspending absences. This means the dog suffering from separation anxiety will not be left alone until training works (that is, the dog can comfortably be left at home alone for the duration that training has fixed his anxiety).
This means in the early parts of the program, your dog will need someone with him at almost all times. The typical plan involves building up from brief absences (seconds) into large alone times (hours).
Create a contract with your dog: you won’t leave him alone for more than he can handle during the training sessions, and your dog won’t vocalize, destroy things, or eliminate in the home.
If we leave the dog alone when he’s not built up (desensitized to) that amount of duration of alone time, we run the risk of sensitizing the dog (increasing his fear) and creating worse behavior. We can’t teach him to not be afraid by leaving him alone before he’s learned it’s safe. All this does is increase fear.
It also breaks the contract, making the dog distrustful of the whole process.
While this may sound challenging, it is possible and necessary for the dog to suspend absences. We will use a teamwork approach to accomplish this task.
Creating a team to take care of your dog (suspend absences):
Recruit people who can help watch your dog during times you are unable to. Some potential options include:
Dog daycares
Dog sitters
Dog walkers
Other positive reinforcement dog trainers who may offer these services
Friends
Family members
People who work from home, are retired, college students, teenagers, neighbors
Friends of friends - ask them to ask people they know
You can also take your dog with you more - some dogs are not anxious when waiting in vehicles (this only works during cooler weather); or you may go to an outdoor restaurant/cafe where you can sit with your dog
Take your dog to work if it’s a dog-friendly work environment (or use a friend who has access to this benefit)
Create listings on social media, such as Next Door, Facebook, or other types to ask for help with pet sitting
Make sure to only use trusted friends and family members. Everyone else should be vetted. Choosing the wrong type of person to help could ruin your progress - for example, if you hired a dog trainer to pet sit, who used forceful/aversive/punishment training methods and interactions with dogs, or you had a family member who doesn’t follow your request and leaves your dog alone for a period of time he cannot handle - these things could make your dog’s separation anxiety worse.
We want to emphasize that this management technique is not permanent. You will be training to increase the amount of time your separation anxiety dog can be left comfortably, and this will decrease the need to cover as many hours dedicated to having someone with your dog.