Don’t we need to see the behavior to know how to change it?

Before I decided to specialize exclusively in separation anxiety, I fielded this question a lot. Many of my clients with aggressive dogs in particular strongly believed that I needed to see Fido snapping at visitors to successfully change the behavior. The case can certainly be made (as I did many times) that it isn’t necessary (or ethical) to put dogs and people in danger and risk a bite solely for the purpose of observation. Especially when we can safely and accurately surmise why Fido would do such a thing and what the best course of action would be without pushing a dog past their threshold.

But what about for separation anxiety dogs?

As my special guest and mentor Malena DeMartini and I discuss in this episode, we strongly believe in the importance of an initial absence assessment before embarking on a home alone protocol. We take a deep dive in all things initial assessments: what they are, why they are important, and how to conduct them.

In this episode of the Believe in Your Dog Podcast, you will learn:

• How we define an initial absence assessment
• Why we believe they are absolutely critical in establishing a baseline and understanding an individual dog’s suite of behaviors
• What specific tools are needed to conduct an initial assessment
• Environmental interventions to consider prior to the assessment
• All things camera set-up and positioning, including my personal favorite camera for separation anxiety training
• How to know when it’s time to stop the assessment
• What to look for and measure during and after the assessment
• What to do and not do when you return home
• And so much more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Malena’s website
• Malena on Instagram
• Malena on Facebook
• Schedule an initial assessment with a CSAT
• Learn more about Mission Possible, Malena’s DIY online training course. Use coupon code CSAT50 for $50 off.
• Malena’s book
• Wyze cam:https://www.wyze.com/
• How to watch and record your assessment using Zoom
• Greeting research that we talked about:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787820300460
• If your dog doesn’t have SA/something else happened in the assessment:https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2016/12/how-to-choose-dog-trainer.html