In The Doghouse

✨Proud Trainer Announcement ✨ Three months ago I started on a separation anxiety journey with Harris. The signs of separation distress (slightly different from separation anxiety) have been around for many years but they got more intense thanks to Covid and it was finally time to address the issue. Before we started our training, the sound of me or @mlibbss getting ready to leave the house (our pre-departure cues) would send him into a bit of a panic. He would follow us around the house, getting under our feet. Or, he would sit on the couch and shake like a leaf. If he heard Mark even touch the bike pump or his bike, he would stop whatever he was doing (even sleeping) to worry and get underfoot. We are now three months into our training and, even though we can't yet leave the house for more than 7min, he is dramatically changed in his response to our pre-departure cues. Just look at this video! Some days the separation anxiety journey feels very long and isolating, but seeing these positive changes tells me we are on the right track and we just have to stick to the plan. Tbh, I feel proud of myself and my dog training skills for getting Harris to this point by myself as a novice trainer. And of course I am so grateful for all of Mark's support because he has listened to me obsess over this aspect of our lives every day. For anyone who is on a separation anxiety journey with their dog, I feel you! It sucks. It sucks so bad. But it's fixable. It IS fixable.