THE SEPARATION ANXIETY TOOL BOOK Sally A. Bushwaller, CPDT-KSA, ANWI

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Published by JustWeimaraners.com

© 2012 Sally Bushwaller, CPDT-KSA

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Other than one copy on the purchaser's computer or on a storage device, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted to another party without the author's permission.

Requests for reproduction or further information should be directed to Sally Bushwaller at sally@bushwaller.com.

The information and links contained in this ebook make no representation about the suitability, reliability or effectiveness of this training. Sally Bushwaller, Justweimaraners.com and their agents, employees, representatives, members, heirs, executors and assigns shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special, consequential damages or any damages whatsoever by using techniques contained within.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ i

Testimonials .................................................................................................................. ii

Introduction .................................................................................................................. iv

Separation Anxiety ....................................................................................................... v

Equipment ...................................................................................................................vi

Chapter 1. Marking Behavior ........................................................................................ 1

“Charging” the Marker .................................................................................................. 1

Testing the Marker ....................................................................................................... 2

Clicker Commandments .............................................................................................. 2

Switch to Marking Behavior ......................................................................................... 2

Chapter 2. Spontaneous Behavior Protocol ............................................................... 4

Key Concept ................................................................................................................ 5

What is a Resource? ................................................................................................... 5

Real Life Reinforcements ............................................................................................ 5

SPONTANEOUS SITS ............................................................................................. 6

SPONTANEOUS EYE CONTACT GAME ................................................................ 7

SPONTANEOUS DOWNS ....................................................................................... 8

ATTACHING YOUR DOG’S LEASH ........................................................................ 9

CONTROLLING DOOR DASHING .......................................................................... 9

GO AROUND ......................................................................................................... 10

ACCESS TO FURNITURE ..................................................................................... 10

CRATE RELEASE ................................................................................................. 11

PLAY ...................................................................................................................... 11

ATTENTION AND PETTING .................................................................................. 11

MEALS ................................................................................................................... 11

Chapter 3. Working for Meals ..................................................................................... 12

FOOD BOWL EXERCISE ...................................................................................... 12

TRAINING .............................................................................................................. 13

KONGS .................................................................................................................. 13

CASE STUDY ........................................................................................................ 14

Chapter 4. Physical Exercise – “A tired dog is a happy dog” ................................. 15

BIKING ................................................................................................................... 15

DOGGY STAIRMASTER ....................................................................................... 16

TREADMILL ........................................................................................................... 16

RETRIEVING ......................................................................................................... 17

TWO TOY GAME ................................................................................................... 17

TUG ....................................................................................................................... 17

TUG ENGAGEMENT PLAN ................................................................................... 19

DOG RUNNER ....................................................................................................... 20

AGILITY ................................................................................................................. 20

IN-LINE SKATING for the summer, SKIJORING for the winter .............................. 20

Chapter 5. Mental Exercise ......................................................................................... 21

FIND IT .................................................................................................................. 21

SPONTANEOUS BEHAVIOR ................................................................................ 22

SHAPE NEW AND UNIQUE BEHAVIORS ............................................................ 22

TRICK TRAINING .................................................................................................. 22

K9 NOSE WORK® ................................................................................................. 23

TRACKING ............................................................................................................ 23

Chapter 6. Sleeping Arrangements ............................................................................ 25

OFF ........................................................................................................................ 25

CRATES ................................................................................................................ 26

Chapter 7. Thundershirt .............................................................................................. 27

Chapter 8. Love Your Crate or Bed ............................................................................ 28

Chapter 9. Head Down or Lay on Your Side with Head Down ................................. 30

SHAPING THE HEAD DOWN BEHAVIOR ............................................................ 30

Chapter 10. Calming Signals ...................................................................................... 32

Chapter 11. Relaxation Protocol ................................................................................ 34

Troubleshooting ......................................................................................................... 35

Guidelines .................................................................................................................. 36

Troubleshooting: Controlling Behavior Such as Whining or Barking .......................... 37

Leave for Barking/Whining ......................................................................................... 37

Chapter 12. Going Out-of-Sight.................................................................................. 39

Manners Minder ......................................................................................................... 40

FADING THE USE OF THE MANNERS MINDER ................................................. 41

Chapter 13. Adding Departure Triggers to Relaxation Protocol ............................. 42

Chapter 14. Pacifiers ................................................................................................... 44

Chapter 15. Helpful Hints ............................................................................................ 46

Chapter 16. Leaving Your Dog Alone ........................................................................ 48

Chapter 17. If You Must Leave Your Dog Alone ....................................................... 49

Chapter 18. Alternative Approaches and Supplements ........................................... 50

Chapter 19. A Trip to the Veterinarian ....................................................................... 51

Chapter 20. Keep a Training Log ............................................................................... 52

Chapter 21. Visit Cassie's Separation Anxiety Blog ................................................ 53

Chapter 22. Books, Websites and Other Resources ................................................ 54

Chapter 23. Glossary .................................................................................................. 55

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Acknowledgements

Thanks so much to the people who helped me with this book. To Anne Taguchi from JustWeimaraners.com for encouraging me to write the book. To the three people who edited this book, my husband, David E.B. Smith, my brother, Bob Bushwaller, and my good friend and fellow trainer, Amy Blum, CPDT-KSA.

The videos were done by Amy Blum, CPDT-KSA and Terri Needler. Thanks so much for helping me.

The book cover design and photograph were done by Sararenee.

I’d also like to thank my wonderful clients who stuck with the training, even though it took months. I thank you and I know your dogs thank you too!

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Testimonials

We sent a desperate heartbreaking plea…to Weimaraner Rescue! We were hopeless about keeping someone we'd grown to love dearly in the year we had him…Scrappy the Weimaraner aka Mr. Anxiety. He had on occasion shown signs of anxiety, especially separation anxiety, with barking, salivating, vomiting, and scratching. It all came to a head when he attempted to get out of his kennel area while we were at work by destroying a window frame, breaking the large Plexiglas window cover trying to get out the window, tearing the bolted kennel front away from the wall, slicing his paw and requiring stitches. We were willing to do anything to keep him and had tried classroom training, herbs, essential oils, and even drugs.

Fortunately, our plea was answered by Sally Bushwaller, who offered to come to our house to see what could be done. By the end of the first training hour, Sally became our "Dog Whisperer," as Scrappy began his transformation. It's been a long, challenging road with many hours of training, but we can now leave him alone, in a crate, for several hours at a time. Sally has taught Scrappy to offer relaxing behavior in all facets of life, especially when left alone…no small feat…and has engaged him in ways we never thought possible, all while having fun.

It's a different way of training than we've known from our last three dogs, but one we'll always use in the future...we've shaped him to offer and get rewarded, we don't ask for behavior! Scrappy knows what's expected of him…or certainly works hard to figure it out. We look forward to our training sessions. We were blessed to have found Sally and recommend her as she is truly an expert in separation anxiety and cares deeply about the dogs she works with. Her work with anxious dogs sets her apart from other trainers as she teaches us to be more patient and take baby steps. Her methods are successful if you're willing to learn and work by her. Scrappy can attest to Sally's success in that two years later he's still living with us and, most importantly, we can all feel safe and comfortable leaving him home alone.

- Joanna, Larry and Scrappy Haerle, Chicago, Illinois

At 9 months old, I discovered that my puppy Maizy seemed to be having behavior problems, which had not been displayed before. I didn’t see the early signs of anxiety and thought I was experiencing what I thought was a reversion to naughty behavior that sometimes happens when a previously well trained puppy reaches that age. Maizy had “earned” her way out of the crate because of great behavior. Then she had a dangerous “reversion”. After leaving to run a few quick errands, I came home about 90 minutes later to discover that Maizy had pulled the computer cord out of my lap top, out of the wall (thank goodness) and had chewed clear threw it. Out came the old crate and I thought, just a bit of reinforcement of the training we had already done

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Then the neighbors began to complain…Maizy was crate trained very successfully and never uttered a peep while she spent her allocated time there. Now, I was hearing from my neighbors about the persistent barking, whining, crying….so I knew now that this was not a simple reversion back to puppyhood. This was a bigger problem. And that was where Sally came in. After a thorough intake with me and also time spent observing Maizy, Sally created a full program that has included multiple exercise and tactics. At Sally’s advice, we have combined relaxation protocols and training with augments such as the Thundershirt, changing Maizy’s diet, adding in holistic supplements to create a more calm atmosphere and a more calm dog.

We have made a lot of progress! While Maizy still remains in her crate if I am gone for longer periods, she is a calmer dog altogether and we are letting her stay out for short stints (up to an hour) with no complaints from the neighbors and no destruction in the house. Anxiety is a challenging condition to treat but it can be managed. It takes a strong commitment from the owner though, and in my opinion, a very talented professional trainer like Sally in order to put a successful program together. One unexpected outcome? Because of the work I have done with Maizy, I have also created a much stronger bond with her and although her condition has occasionally exasperated me, I have come to truly appreciate ALL of her qualities and have seen what a special and truly amazing dog she is!

- Tisha M. Teeluck and Maizy, Chicago, Illinois

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Introduction

I am a positive dog trainer, and I owe this to my first rescued Weimaraner, Tika. The only breed of dog I have ever had is the Weimaraner. I fell in love with the breed when I got Tika. She was my crossover dog -- a dog who was initially trained with compulsion (correction and punishment based training) and then switched to mostly positive reinforcement. I made a lot of mistakes with that first dog, and thankfully, in spite of the fact that I corrected her repeatedly with a choke collar for obedience, and a shock collar for hunting, she didn’t hold it against me. Instead, she worked harder and more joyously than she ever had before when I began the switch-over to positive training. That dog started me on the path to becoming a professional dog trainer.

Tika and the dogs that followed her taught me a lot. I was able to blend those experiences with nuggets of info gleaned from brilliant trainers and seminar speakers. The resulting techniques are presented here. I hope you realize as much pleasure and fun from training your dogs as I have had. I’ve tried to credit everyone’s ideas if I’ve included versions of them in this booklet, or to give links to their books, products or websites.

Weimaraners are very smart dogs, known for their versatility. Sadly, many Weim owners feel that because they are hunting dogs, they are tough and can take corrections. I have found the opposite to be true. Because Weims are so smart, corrections are unnecessary, or rarely necessary, as long as you are clear about what you want from them during training. If you work the SPONTANEOUS BEHAVIOR PROTOCOL outlined in this book, you won’t need corrections, because your Weim will understand the key concept. Your dog quickly learns that offering good behavior gets him what he wants. That’s what he really cares about!

I find that most hunting dogs, and Weimaraners in particular, don’t accept strong corrections well. Most Weims shut down and disengage with strong corrections. Try the SPONTANEOUS BEHAVIOR PROTOCOL if you want your Weim to be a true partner in the field, at play, in competition or just around your house. I promise that teaching your dog to sit spontaneously to earn resources in your home will not cause your dog to sit while pointing birds, while stacking in the breed ring, or during the “stand for exam” exercise in competitive obedience.

I view corrections as being the lazy way to solve a problem. Training with positive reinforcement might take longer, but you’ll end up with a dog who happily wants to work with you. Keep this in mind–positive trainers are not permissive. We are firm about our criteria and what we will accept. We break down behaviors and train them in steps that are small enough, and clear enough, for the dog to understand and be successful, yet still challenge them. Positive trainers’ work is based on years of proven science.

I extend a challenge to everyone who reads this book and begins the SPONTANEOUS BEHAVIOR PROTOCOL. How long can you go without saying NO to your dog? I can

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go months! Save your NO for when it really counts -- when your dog is about to run in front of a car or something similar.

When dogs are under-exercised mentally and physically, they will probably be over-energized. When that happens, they’ve got to do something with that energy. If there is no outlet, the dog internalizes it. It shows up in different and usually inappropriate ways. That’s where separation anxiety starts.

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is as rough on the owner as it is on the dog! I wanted to share the technique I have used with success, with people and their dogs with separation anxiety, because I know how overwhelming and stressful this problem can be for you and your dog.

Most dog owners focus on teaching their dogs obedience skills in an attempt to train their dogs to be better behaved. But separation anxiety is not about training obedience skills, it’s about anxiety. And unless you address your dog’s anxiety, you could train your dog 20 hours a day but your dog will still be anxious. First address the anxiety! Then the obedience skills will be a breeze for your dog to learn.

If you take the time to work through the process described in this book, your dog will at the least improve in his house behavior and at best get you off of lock-down. Owners of dogs with severe separation anxiety often times feel like they are in jail!

Separation anxiety commonly manifests itself in the following ways:

Extreme Vocalizing Destruction, especially around doorways Urinating or defecating in the house Shaking Panting Drooling Pacing

Separation anxiety seems to be common in “Velcro®” dogs, such as Weimaraners.

In some cases, your dog may benefit from a trip to a vet who specializes in behavioral issues. Medication alone will not be the miracle you want it to be. You must combine it with training. Tell the vet that you intend to add positive training to the regimen. Then you and your vet can discuss how long your dog needs to be on medication.

In many cases, the act of you leaving sets your dog off, but after a brief amount of time, they settle down. It’s really more separating anxiety rather than separation anxiety. Separating anxiety is easier to deal with than separation anxiety.

Many dogs with separating anxiety can be managed by giving them a wonderful stuffed KONG when you leave, and hiding another one for them to hunt and find.