1 00:00:00,270 --> 00:00:01,300 Well, hi there, 2 00:00:01,300 --> 00:00:05,670 I'm Julie Naismith and you're listening to another episode of the 3 00:00:05,670 --> 00:00:08,130 Fixing Separation Anxiety podcast. 4 00:00:08,130 --> 00:00:11,150 Now I know you have tons and tons of options for 5 00:00:11,150 --> 00:00:14,560 listening to a huge variety of different podcasts. 6 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,340 So I can't tell you how grateful I am for you 7 00:00:17,340 --> 00:00:19,090 tuning into this episode. 8 00:00:19,090 --> 00:00:22,340 And today I'm going to be talking about how you can 9 00:00:22,340 --> 00:00:26,310 make your separation anxiety training go that much better. 10 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:28,940 And I saw a post in my Facebook group, 11 00:00:28,940 --> 00:00:31,780 which prompted me to raise this topic with you. 12 00:00:31,780 --> 00:00:35,060 It was by someone who said they tried everything to fix 13 00:00:35,060 --> 00:00:36,370 separation anxiety, 14 00:00:36,370 --> 00:00:37,900 and that's not uncommon. 15 00:00:37,900 --> 00:00:39,790 I hear that phrase all the time. 16 00:00:39,790 --> 00:00:43,510 I tried everything and nothing worked and I've been there too 17 00:00:43,510 --> 00:00:44,160 by the way. 18 00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:47,400 I was there with my dog 10 years ago trying everything 19 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,490 and finding nothing was working. 20 00:00:49,490 --> 00:00:53,300 But alongside the usual stuff that this poster had tried just 21 00:00:53,300 --> 00:00:54,500 like the rest of us. 22 00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:56,810 From anxiety raps to calming treats, 23 00:00:56,810 --> 00:00:57,940 to calming music, 24 00:00:57,940 --> 00:00:58,680 you name it, 25 00:00:58,680 --> 00:00:59,880 we've all tried it, 26 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:01,900 right? So alongside all of that, 27 00:01:01,900 --> 00:01:05,260 this poster had tried leaving the dog for a few minutes 28 00:01:05,260 --> 00:01:06,230 and returning. 29 00:01:06,230 --> 00:01:08,550 And she said that just hadn't worked. 30 00:01:08,850 --> 00:01:10,950 Now, if you follow what I teach, 31 00:01:10,950 --> 00:01:15,160 you'll know that the way we fix separation anxiety is actually 32 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:16,380 to leave your dog, 33 00:01:16,380 --> 00:01:19,850 to leave your dog for small increasing increments. 34 00:01:19,850 --> 00:01:23,580 So what's going on when people think they've tried to do 35 00:01:23,580 --> 00:01:25,110 this, the departures, 36 00:01:25,110 --> 00:01:26,650 this more departures, 37 00:01:26,650 --> 00:01:28,110 and it hasn't worked, 38 00:01:28,110 --> 00:01:29,240 what's going on? 39 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:30,050 Well today, 40 00:01:30,050 --> 00:01:34,500 I'm going to explain what separation anxiety training really is. 41 00:01:34,950 --> 00:01:39,100 And I'm going to give you three tips on how to 42 00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:40,370 make it work. 43 00:01:40,370 --> 00:01:45,330 Welcome to the fixing separation anxiety podcast, 44 00:01:45,330 --> 00:01:49,020 where it's all about healing your dog, 45 00:01:49,020 --> 00:01:54,790 regaining your freedom and getting your life back on track. 46 00:01:54,790 --> 00:01:55,600 And now, 47 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:57,330 here's your host, 48 00:01:57,330 --> 00:01:58,940 Julie Naismith. 49 00:01:58,940 --> 00:02:00,900 Okay, so back to the, 50 00:02:00,900 --> 00:02:05,290 I tried going out to the door and it didn't work 51 00:02:05,290 --> 00:02:09,840 statement. Let's unpack it and see what could be going on. 52 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:14,420 Well, separation anxiety training is all about showing your dog that 53 00:02:14,420 --> 00:02:16,010 being on its own is okay. 54 00:02:16,010 --> 00:02:19,250 And it's a process that we call desensitization. 55 00:02:19,250 --> 00:02:20,040 Fancy term, 56 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,210 but it just means we take a really small amount of 57 00:02:23,210 --> 00:02:27,320 what the dog is frightened of because we use desensitization, 58 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:29,530 not just for separation anxiety, 59 00:02:29,530 --> 00:02:31,670 we use it for lots of other fears. 60 00:02:31,790 --> 00:02:34,640 We take a really tiny amount of the thing that the 61 00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:35,690 dog is frightened of. 62 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,250 And we expose the dog to it at a level and 63 00:02:40,250 --> 00:02:42,410 intensity that the dog can handle. 64 00:02:42,860 --> 00:02:45,290 So if your dog is frightened of strangers, 65 00:02:45,290 --> 00:02:47,840 that might be seeing a stranger at a hundred meters, 66 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,020 that might be what your dog can currently handle without getting 67 00:02:51,020 --> 00:02:53,570 upset. And with separation anxiety, 68 00:02:53,750 --> 00:02:56,390 we're talking in terms of duration. 69 00:02:56,390 --> 00:02:59,390 How long can you be on the other side of the 70 00:02:59,390 --> 00:03:01,770 door before your dog gets upset? 71 00:03:01,770 --> 00:03:04,590 So it isn't going in and out of the door, 72 00:03:04,590 --> 00:03:07,590 cause we need to work out what intensity, 73 00:03:07,590 --> 00:03:11,020 what level of this scary thing I eat you being on 74 00:03:11,020 --> 00:03:12,960 the other side of the door. 75 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:17,810 What amount of that can your dog currently handle without getting 76 00:03:17,810 --> 00:03:19,730 upset? So can you see how, 77 00:03:19,730 --> 00:03:22,400 if you go online and you find a training plan that 78 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:24,070 says go out for three minutes, 79 00:03:24,070 --> 00:03:25,340 go out for five minute, 80 00:03:25,340 --> 00:03:28,280 that's not going to work for your dog because your dog 81 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,480 might not be able to handle two seconds. 82 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,150 I work with some dogs who can't even cope with you 83 00:03:33,150 --> 00:03:35,620 going out to the door without getting upset. 84 00:03:35,620 --> 00:03:38,630 And we have to take a whole different approach to start 85 00:03:38,630 --> 00:03:39,160 off with. 86 00:03:39,310 --> 00:03:41,170 So the key is precision. 87 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:44,710 The key is customized to your dog and the key is 88 00:03:44,830 --> 00:03:47,890 not taking a generic plan from the internet and trying to 89 00:03:47,890 --> 00:03:48,700 make it work. 90 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:50,620 So what my top three tips, 91 00:03:50,650 --> 00:03:53,110 well, first off I mentioned customized. 92 00:03:53,290 --> 00:03:56,860 So my first tip is your training has to be customized 93 00:03:57,100 --> 00:03:58,960 to what your dog can handle. 94 00:03:59,140 --> 00:04:02,170 So you first need to work out what that is. 95 00:04:02,500 --> 00:04:03,460 Is it three seconds? 96 00:04:03,490 --> 00:04:04,540 Is it three minutes? 97 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,420 You need to make an assessment of how long your dog 98 00:04:07,450 --> 00:04:09,730 can be on his own without any training. 99 00:04:09,730 --> 00:04:10,630 So right now, 100 00:04:10,780 --> 00:04:12,670 without getting upset, 101 00:04:12,850 --> 00:04:14,320 going over threshold, 102 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:19,180 and then you are going to craft your training around that, 103 00:04:19,570 --> 00:04:21,820 around what your dog can handle. 104 00:04:22,030 --> 00:04:27,460 And you're going to make decisions about progression through training based 105 00:04:27,460 --> 00:04:30,310 on how your dog is dealing with the departures. 106 00:04:30,490 --> 00:04:33,270 So maybe what was going on with the poster, 107 00:04:33,270 --> 00:04:36,530 the three minutes was too much for the dog to start 108 00:04:36,530 --> 00:04:37,160 off with. 109 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:39,070 And maybe the three minutes, 110 00:04:39,070 --> 00:04:41,130 even if the dog could handle it, 111 00:04:41,130 --> 00:04:41,690 the dog, 112 00:04:41,690 --> 00:04:44,950 then couldn't handle five minutes or 10 minutes. 113 00:04:44,950 --> 00:04:48,120 So we really need to be careful about what can the 114 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,170 dog currently do and how much progression can the dog handle. 115 00:04:52,170 --> 00:04:55,270 Now, that I know probably sounds a bit complex. 116 00:04:55,510 --> 00:04:59,590 And I developed custom plans for my clients because that gets 117 00:04:59,590 --> 00:05:03,550 dogs through the training in the most efficient and effective way. 118 00:05:03,550 --> 00:05:04,930 And that's why people work with me. 119 00:05:05,170 --> 00:05:07,000 And I know it's hard and I know it can be 120 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:07,780 difficult to do. 121 00:05:07,780 --> 00:05:10,930 Now when Jackie started working with me, 122 00:05:11,050 --> 00:05:15,610 she too had tried the depart to exercise the three minutes. 123 00:05:15,610 --> 00:05:16,750 It wasn't three minutes for Jackie, 124 00:05:16,750 --> 00:05:19,540 but she'd tried the kind of standard I'll go out and 125 00:05:19,540 --> 00:05:20,410 I'll come back. 126 00:05:20,410 --> 00:05:22,270 And she wasn't getting anywhere. 127 00:05:22,270 --> 00:05:23,730 Her dog wasn't improving, 128 00:05:23,730 --> 00:05:25,000 she felt really stuck. 129 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,330 And then when she started working with me, 130 00:05:27,330 --> 00:05:30,120 she saw my plans and how my plans differed from what 131 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:31,780 she'd been previously using. 132 00:05:31,780 --> 00:05:32,580 She said to me, 133 00:05:32,580 --> 00:05:33,050 I get it. 134 00:05:33,050 --> 00:05:33,710 I get it now. 135 00:05:33,710 --> 00:05:34,970 And now a few months on, 136 00:05:34,970 --> 00:05:36,970 Boots can be left for over two hours. 137 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,450 Yay. So Jackie and Boots went from no progress trying to 138 00:05:40,450 --> 00:05:44,130 do this training to amazing progress by sticking to a plan. 139 00:05:44,130 --> 00:05:44,960 Yeah, I know. 140 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:46,080 You're thinking, 141 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:47,580 how the heck do I do that? 142 00:05:47,580 --> 00:05:50,590 And I know that writing a training plan like a pro 143 00:05:50,590 --> 00:05:52,010 is going to be a big ass. 144 00:05:52,010 --> 00:05:56,740 You don't spend your entire week immersed in separation anxiety training. 145 00:05:56,740 --> 00:05:57,290 like I do. 146 00:05:57,290 --> 00:06:00,030 You haven't spent a ton of time learning how to do 147 00:06:00,030 --> 00:06:00,710 this stuff. 148 00:06:00,710 --> 00:06:03,110 You haven't worked with hundreds of dogs, 149 00:06:03,110 --> 00:06:05,570 getting them through separation anxiety. 150 00:06:05,570 --> 00:06:08,110 So how do you know what a good plan looks like? 151 00:06:08,110 --> 00:06:09,470 Well, here's the thing, 152 00:06:09,470 --> 00:06:12,420 I've made it easier for people by developing an app. 153 00:06:12,420 --> 00:06:15,230 So I have an app which creates the custom plans for 154 00:06:15,230 --> 00:06:17,690 you. It takes out all of the hard work out and 155 00:06:17,690 --> 00:06:20,480 it's kind of like having me on your phone while you 156 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:22,530 train. And I was kind of a bit spooky, 157 00:06:22,530 --> 00:06:23,080 isn't it? 158 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:23,630 But yeah, 159 00:06:23,630 --> 00:06:26,700 I'm there with you cause you've got your custom plans. 160 00:06:26,700 --> 00:06:28,410 How can you get hold of the app? 161 00:06:28,410 --> 00:06:29,570 Well, from July 1st, 162 00:06:29,570 --> 00:06:32,570 you can get the app free when you joined my separation 163 00:06:32,570 --> 00:06:33,800 anxiety hero's club, 164 00:06:34,010 --> 00:06:35,470 my monthly membership, 165 00:06:35,470 --> 00:06:37,070 more to come on that later. 166 00:06:37,070 --> 00:06:39,180 So let's get back to those top tips, 167 00:06:39,180 --> 00:06:40,420 though. Number two, 168 00:06:40,420 --> 00:06:44,140 you need to be prepared to make exercises easiest sometimes. 169 00:06:44,140 --> 00:06:46,610 It's not always a case of pushing the dog. 170 00:06:46,610 --> 00:06:47,560 What my mentor, 171 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:48,950 Jean Donaldson calls, 172 00:06:48,950 --> 00:06:51,640 pushities. We want to push and push our dogs. 173 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,430 And sometimes that means we push them when they're not capable 174 00:06:55,430 --> 00:06:56,450 of progressing, 175 00:06:56,450 --> 00:06:57,960 when they're not ready. 176 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:01,040 A really good analogy is to think about a track and 177 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:02,020 field athlete, 178 00:07:02,020 --> 00:07:04,060 maybe a sprinter or high jumper. 179 00:07:04,060 --> 00:07:07,440 If you think about how they train and how they compete, 180 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:11,140 they will have a progression in terms of that performance, 181 00:07:11,140 --> 00:07:14,370 which will sometimes mean they get a personal best. 182 00:07:14,370 --> 00:07:16,410 So they get their best over time, 183 00:07:16,410 --> 00:07:18,440 they get their best over height, 184 00:07:18,770 --> 00:07:22,110 but they don't expect to get a personal best every time 185 00:07:22,110 --> 00:07:24,490 they train or every time they compete. 186 00:07:24,490 --> 00:07:28,570 They know that progress is about getting personal best or pushing 187 00:07:28,570 --> 00:07:30,650 their personal best up over time. 188 00:07:30,650 --> 00:07:33,240 But accepting that not every single jump, 189 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,580 not every single sprint is going to be a personal best. 190 00:07:36,580 --> 00:07:38,660 So think about that with your dog. 191 00:07:38,660 --> 00:07:41,850 If your dog is progressing and you can leave them for 192 00:07:41,850 --> 00:07:43,190 increasing amounts, 193 00:07:43,550 --> 00:07:46,860 don't think that every single time they're going to be able 194 00:07:46,860 --> 00:07:49,220 to increase the time that they can be left, 195 00:07:49,220 --> 00:07:50,170 they just won't. 196 00:07:50,170 --> 00:07:53,540 Dogs will sometimes get personal best and then you'll go out 197 00:07:53,540 --> 00:07:56,040 and train the next day and then nowhere near. 198 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,950 But just remember that progress isn't about smashing a personal best 199 00:07:59,950 --> 00:08:01,030 every single time. 200 00:08:01,030 --> 00:08:01,980 It's about slow, 201 00:08:01,980 --> 00:08:04,140 steady progress that trends upwards. 202 00:08:04,140 --> 00:08:07,240 And how you'll know that progress is trending up with is 203 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:08,930 you're going to keep records. 204 00:08:08,990 --> 00:08:11,870 So make sure you keep a record of your training and 205 00:08:11,870 --> 00:08:12,860 then over time, 206 00:08:12,860 --> 00:08:14,060 keep looking back. 207 00:08:14,270 --> 00:08:16,100 And even if your dog's having dips, 208 00:08:16,130 --> 00:08:18,500 even if the duration goes up and down, 209 00:08:18,500 --> 00:08:21,950 you should see a steady increase of just like the high 210 00:08:21,950 --> 00:08:24,920 jumper who doesn't set a personal best every single time, 211 00:08:25,010 --> 00:08:28,850 but who might be pushing that personal best on occasion. 212 00:08:29,090 --> 00:08:30,350 You're going to see that with your dog. 213 00:08:30,350 --> 00:08:34,070 So don't expect a personal best every single time. 214 00:08:34,070 --> 00:08:36,820 Just look for progression over time. 215 00:08:36,820 --> 00:08:37,620 All right. 216 00:08:37,620 --> 00:08:38,330 So three, 217 00:08:38,330 --> 00:08:42,850 you have to become an expert in your dog's anxiety threshold, 218 00:08:42,850 --> 00:08:46,670 and the more you train the better you're going to get 219 00:08:46,670 --> 00:08:47,290 at this. 220 00:08:47,290 --> 00:08:50,740 What I encourage my owner clients to do though, 221 00:08:50,740 --> 00:08:54,380 is not so much know when your dog is over threshold 222 00:08:54,380 --> 00:08:55,370 cause remember, 223 00:08:55,370 --> 00:08:58,550 we're always trying to keep our dogs under threshold. 224 00:08:58,550 --> 00:09:00,320 So it's not so much about that, 225 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:00,950 what it is? 226 00:09:00,950 --> 00:09:03,710 And this is when you become a real expert on your 227 00:09:03,710 --> 00:09:07,030 dog. Spotting the things that your dog does when they are 228 00:09:07,030 --> 00:09:09,920 just starting to feel a teeny bit uncomfortable. 229 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:11,550 So then not ever threshold, 230 00:09:11,550 --> 00:09:12,330 but you know, 231 00:09:12,330 --> 00:09:13,740 when they do that thing, 232 00:09:13,980 --> 00:09:16,330 it's time to end that exercise. 233 00:09:16,330 --> 00:09:18,510 And that could be a pull race, 234 00:09:18,510 --> 00:09:20,410 it might be an ear Twitch. 235 00:09:20,410 --> 00:09:24,030 It might be a bit more movement around the house. 236 00:09:24,030 --> 00:09:28,460 Julie who's working with Reba and Julie is an absolute rock 237 00:09:28,460 --> 00:09:31,990 star and a real expert in Reba's body language. 238 00:09:31,990 --> 00:09:35,070 Julie is in one of my online programs too. 239 00:09:35,070 --> 00:09:39,050 Julie and I spotted that Reba does a head flick before 240 00:09:39,050 --> 00:09:40,230 she gets upset. 241 00:09:40,350 --> 00:09:43,450 And she does this thing Reba cause she's a bouncy, 242 00:09:43,450 --> 00:09:45,340 energetic Brittany spaniel. 243 00:09:45,340 --> 00:09:48,290 She does this thing where she does jump up at the 244 00:09:48,290 --> 00:09:48,970 door a lot, 245 00:09:48,970 --> 00:09:52,910 but Julie was able to decipher the difference between a normal 246 00:09:52,910 --> 00:09:55,860 Reba just checking things out jump at the door, 247 00:09:55,860 --> 00:09:57,820 and an anxious jump at the door. 248 00:09:57,820 --> 00:10:01,910 So Julie became a complete expert in Reba's anxiety behavior and 249 00:10:01,910 --> 00:10:03,120 Reba's threshold, 250 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:05,270 and it makes all the difference. 251 00:10:05,270 --> 00:10:07,660 Okay. So those are my three top tips. 252 00:10:07,660 --> 00:10:08,610 Just to recap, 253 00:10:08,610 --> 00:10:09,410 number one, 254 00:10:09,410 --> 00:10:12,430 the training has to be customized to your dog. 255 00:10:12,430 --> 00:10:13,230 Number two, 256 00:10:13,230 --> 00:10:17,850 you need to be prepared to make training exercises easier sometimes. 257 00:10:17,850 --> 00:10:19,680 It's not always about push, 258 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:20,470 push, push. 259 00:10:20,470 --> 00:10:21,430 Number three, 260 00:10:21,430 --> 00:10:25,090 you have to become an expert in your dog's threshold and 261 00:10:25,090 --> 00:10:26,760 their anxiety behavior. 262 00:10:27,150 --> 00:10:30,750 Now I know because I know that separation anxiety training can 263 00:10:30,750 --> 00:10:33,110 seem overwhelming when you're new to it, 264 00:10:33,110 --> 00:10:34,150 and let's face it, 265 00:10:34,150 --> 00:10:36,500 it can be hard even if you're not new to it. 266 00:10:36,500 --> 00:10:38,990 And so for those of you who are ready to start 267 00:10:38,990 --> 00:10:42,660 training, or if you've already trained and you feel like you're 268 00:10:42,660 --> 00:10:43,980 not getting anywhere, 269 00:10:43,980 --> 00:10:46,890 I've got my brand new five day challenge coming up. 270 00:10:46,980 --> 00:10:48,790 Now, thousands of people, 271 00:10:48,790 --> 00:10:52,900 thousands of dogs have been through my five-day challenge. 272 00:10:52,900 --> 00:10:55,280 And if you haven't been through it, 273 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:56,510 you got to sign up. 274 00:10:56,510 --> 00:10:58,730 The next one starts on June 17th, 275 00:10:58,730 --> 00:11:04,650 and you can register by going to this link subthresholdtraining.com/freechallenge 276 00:11:04,650 --> 00:11:08,020 at subthreshold training.com/freechallenge. 277 00:11:08,020 --> 00:11:10,650 So you have to sign up before it starts. 278 00:11:10,650 --> 00:11:12,180 It starts on June 17th. 279 00:11:12,180 --> 00:11:14,020 So what you're waiting for? 280 00:11:14,020 --> 00:11:17,720 Anyway, thank you so so much for joining me again today. 281 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,770 And I hope to see you again next week when we're 282 00:11:20,770 --> 00:11:24,460 going to be talking about habits and how habits can help 283 00:11:24,460 --> 00:11:27,350 you ACE your separation anxiety training. 284 00:11:27,350 --> 00:11:28,640 Now, before you go, 285 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:30,240 I just like to ask a huge, 286 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:31,040 huge favor. 287 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:32,490 If you liked the show, 288 00:11:32,490 --> 00:11:35,470 if you found this episode useful, 289 00:11:35,470 --> 00:11:36,960 please, please, 290 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:40,690 please go to iTunes and rate and review it. 291 00:11:40,690 --> 00:11:44,100 I'd be so grateful if you could do that. 292 00:11:44,100 --> 00:11:45,060 All right, 293 00:11:45,060 --> 00:11:48,890 thanks again for listening and bye for now. 294 00:11:48,890 --> 00:11:55,600 Thanks for listening to the fixing separation anxiety podcast with Julie. 295 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:57,620 For more information, 296 00:11:57,620 --> 00:12:02,520 visit the website at www.subthresholdtraining.com. 297 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:04,220 If you haven't yet, 298 00:12:04,220 --> 00:12:07,420 go to Apple podcasts and subscribe, 299 00:12:07,420 --> 00:12:10,080 rate and review this podcast. 300 00:12:11,010 --> 00:12:12,180 Thank you for joining us. 301 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:13,710 We'll see you again soon..