Misha: Separation Anxiety Case Study 

It’s no secret that separation anxiety is a terrible behavioral problem. No dog or owner wants to experience this issue, as it can lead to very problematic situations. Many owners have had dogs frantically try to escape their crate when the dog is left alone. When an owner goes to work and comes home to shredded furniture or a scratched up door, it is never a fun situation. I have even had clients recount how neighbor’s have filed complaints with landlords or the police over the dog’s separation anxiety, as it includes incessant crying, howling, or barking all throughout the day or night.

Separation anxiety can be corrected with our training protocol 🙂

My most recent severe separation anxiety case was a dog named Misha. Her owner Taylor adopted her from the county shelter. At first, Misha showed great apprehension with Taylor, and overall nervousness. Because of this, Taylor did everything she could to spend time with Misha and shower her with attention and love. The trust was built very quickly after this, but unfortunately when it came time for Taylor to leave Misha alone at home for several hours, this was very difficult for Misha to handle.

The first time Taylor went back to work after bringing Misha into the home, she received a call on her lunch break from her next door neighbor, who was concerned that someone was hurting the dog, due to the high-pitched wailing and crying coming from the home. Upon returning home to check on Misha, Taylor discovered that Misha had nearly destroyed her entire bedroom, leaving waste on the floor and torn up shoes and furniture. It became a regular thing for Misha and Taylor, and it was nerve-wracking to even THINK about leaving poor Misha home alone, even for just a few minutes.

While it was right for Taylor to work on building a trusting relationship between her and Misha in the beginning, the problem was that she forgot about working on Misha’s own self-confidence. Misha became so used to Taylor being around that on the first day she was left alone, she panicked and become destructive, due to her anxiety levels shooting through the roof. When Taylor called me and scheduled an initial consultation, I came over and saw that there was a deep bond between owner and dog. However, Misha was still a nervous dog, in general, and we needed to help her become more independent and confident.

With Taylor, we devised a training plan that would work in baby steps, taking it slow so that Misha was not overwhelmed. We gave Misha a new structure where she could thrive and have places to feel safe and calm, such as her crate in the bedroom, or her bed in the living room for when Taylor watched television. Through this and having Taylor demonstrate impeccable leadership, Misha soon realized that being on her own in the house for an hour was not the most hellish thing to ever happen.

Separation anxiety is a tough case, but it can be overcome. Patience is EXTREMELY imperative to tackle this problem, as this is not a behavioral issue that can disappear overnight. With a consistent reward-based training protocol and working with the dog’s pace, success can be achieved in no time!

For any questions on separation anxiety or to train your dog how to be a confident pup, give me a call at 800-649-7297, or e-mail me at training@circlecitydogtraining.com!