Separation Anxiety
Practice comfort in solitude for happier homecomings
Separation Anxiety is a heart-wrenching and distressing challenge for dogs and their guardians. It can leave even experienced guardians feeling trapped and helpless.
Although there’s no “quick fix” for dogs with Separation Anxiety, the research is clear: Separation Anxiety can be resolved with patient and dedicated practice.
“When we first started Separation Anxiety training, Beau couldn’t be alone for one second without panicking, but recently he napped through almost 90 minutes of solo time. On the toughest of days, Stephanie has always been there with her support and encouragement. She’s a dog guardian lifesaver!”
—Tracy & Beau
Our intensive Separation Anxiety program is designed to help your dog gradually grow more comfortable with being alone without causing undue anxiety. We train using a carefully crafted program of systematic desensitization—the gold standard treatment for Separation Anxiety, backed by years of scientific research. Each program is unique, tailored specifically to your family, your dog, and your routine.
What You’ll Learn:
An in-depth understanding of Separation Anxiety, its symptoms, and its effects
The science and research behind Separation Anxiety in dogs, dispelling common myths and misunderstandings
Personalized techniques for gradual desensitization to help your dog take tiny steps toward managing anxiety when left alone
Ways to interpret your dog’s behavior and reactions during training
Techniques for slowly building your dog’s confidence
How to support your own mental health, even on the toughest of days
Effective ways to assess your dog’s progress and adapt accordingly over time
What our students are saying
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“Stephanie is a dog guardian lifesaver! Prior to working with her for my dog Beau’s Separation Anxiety, I was at a heartbreaking point where I thought I might have no other option but to re-home him. I couldn’t leave my home and didn’t know if resolving the issue was possible. I’d already worked with two other trainers who had a one-size-fits-all approach that simply worsened Beau’s anxiety. Stephanie came to us not only with her science-based expertise, but with compassion, flexibility, professionalism, empathy, humor, understanding, and a positive outlook. From day one, she empowered me with invaluable skills and never stopped believing in Beau’s and my ability to overcome a very challenging and distressing problem.”
— Tracy & Beau
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“When we started working with DBI, Mazi was very scared when left alone in the house. She would howl and cry at the window as soon as we closed the door. Over the past few months, we have been working with Stephanie to increase her tolerance for alone time through an individualized desensitization program. Mazi has been making steady and measurable progress, and we’ve learned a lot from Stephanie! While we are still taking things slowly in increasing time away from Mazi, she is getting braver and more confident with every session.”
— Kendra, John, & Mazi
How it Works:
Training Program Details
You’ll conduct training missions with your dog 4 days per week for 20-30 minutes per day. We’ll also meet once a week to do a live reassessment. Each program runs for four weeks, giving us the opportunity to see how your dog responds to their desensitization protocol.
Uniquely Designed for Your Dog
No part of this program is pre-designed or generic. We review your dog’s data every day you run a mission, using that information to design the next day’s mission. This structure enables us to be as efficient as possible, ensuring that we never expose your dog to more alone time than they can handle. We let your dog set the pace!
Fully Virtual Programming
Our Separation Anxiety programs are always remote. We do this because your dog will be working on learning that time alone is safe, so we don’t need to add an extra person to the environment! With the help of technology, we can be incredibly efficient and effective in implementing your dog’s SA protocol from the other side of a screen.
What’s Included:
Initial Month
Customized live assessment of your dog’s separation-related challenges (1 initial assessment)
Training missions tailored to your dog, designed daily 4 days/week for 4 weeks (16 total missions)
Weekly live reassessment of your dog’s progress (4 live reassessments)
Investment: $1200
Follow-up month
(for dogs who have completed their initial month)
Training missions tailored to your dog, designed daily 4 days/week for 4 weeks (16 total missions)
Weekly live reassessment of your dog’s progress (4 live reassessments)
Investment: $950
Sliding scale spots are also available for those who need them.
Common Separation Anxiety Myths
There’s a lot of bad information out there about what causes Separation Anxiety and what drives your dog’s behavior.
Let’s dispel some of the most common (and harmful) myths:
It’s not your fault: There is nothing you did to create or cause your dog’s Separation Anxiety. Letting them sleep in your bed, eat table scraps, or engage in any other behaviors in your presence does not cause Separation Anxiety.
Your dog is not punishing you: Your dog is not vocalizing, eliminating indoors, or destroying your home because they are angry or trying to “punish” you for leaving them. Separation Anxiety is akin to a panic disorder in dogs; it happens because they are truly distressed.
It’s not about you: In some cases, a dog gets anxiety only if one specific person leaves. But more often, fear and anxiety arise when they are left alone at all, with no humans in the home.
It is treatable: Separation Anxiety is absolutely treatable. We can help you and your dog recover from this upsetting challenge.
Meet Your Behavior Analyst
This program is taught by Stephanie Keesey-Phelan, a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT) who brings years of expertise to the development of your dog’s Separation Anxiety training protocol.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Separation Anxiety?
Separation Anxiety is like a panic disorder in dogs. A dog suffering from separation-related anxiety panics when left home alone. Sometimes the dog may be upset if one specific person leaves, but more often, the fear and anxiety arise when they are left alone at all. The most common behaviors that dogs with SA engage in are: vocalization (crying, whining), elimination (urinating or defecating in the house), and destruction, though every dog is different.
What causes Separation Anxiety in dogs?
There is nothing that you did to cause your dog’s Separation Anxiety! If you let your dog sleep in your bed, feed them table scraps, or buy them birthday gifts, none of this is responsible for your dog’s suffering—the research is clear on this! Similarly, your dog is not vocalizing, eliminating, or destroying your home because they are mad at you or trying to get back at you for leaving them. If your dog has separation-related problems, these things are happening because your dog is truly distressed. The good news is that Separation Anxiety is absolutely treatable! We can help your dog recover from this issue.
How do we treat Separation Anxiety?
Although Separation Anxiety is a common challenge, each dog’s experience of anxiety is different. As with all of our services at DBI, we will create a customized program specifically for you and your dog. We treat Separation Anxiety using a carefully crafted desensitization program tailored to your family, your dog, and your routine. Systematic desensitization is the gold standard treatment for Separation Anxiety and is backed by years of scientific research.
We’ve got your back.
The pressures of living with a dog with Separation Anxiety can feel crushing. Whether you’re dealing with distress and destruction or can’t leave your home, the science is clear: Separation Anxiety can be resolved with patient, dedicated training.
