Book Review: Treating Separation Anxiety in Dogs by Malena DeMartini-Price

Wow, what a read! Malena describes her work with separation anxiety clients as an emotional rollercoaster, and this book certainly reflects that beautifully whilst also giving the reader the confidence and motivation to get out there and help clients*. The book opens with an foreword by Sandi Thompson, author of the hugely honest and moving article - Living with dogs that suffer from severe separation anxiety. The first section covers diagnosis and the importance of assessing the behaviours and motivation to establish whether it is isolation distress, boredom/attention or mild/moderate/severe separation anxiety. Malena discusses getting owner buy-in by setting realistic expectations and timescales, how to assess the dog's behaviour (illustrated by videos in the appendix - see the heartbreaking Weston on YouTube) and introduces the 5 main components of the treatment program:

• Medication/supplements
• Management
• Technology
• Toys/games
• Behaviour modification.

The outward symptoms stop when the internal suffering ends, never the other way around.

Malena goes on to describe each of these components in more detail, with pages dedicated to one of my favourite tools; baby gates! For me, environmental management is key and fundamental to the success of any behaviour/training plan and I certainly picked up some new tips about how to successfully introduce a barrier such as a baby gate from this book. Attention is also paid to the importance of the dog not being left for longer than it can cope with at any stage, and how to help your client create a support network of dog sitters so that they can go about 'normal life' whilst they are undertaking the behaviour modification plan.

The only thing you can say is that getting to a better place won't happen unless the work is undertaken.

The treatment protocol section gives five phases to work through with your clients, with each phase covering the baby steps and gradual process required to make progress. Each phase has key achievements to aim for and there is an emphasis on journal keeping, monitoring progress and adjusting the plan to fit the reaction of the dog to ensure that he/she is able to cope before moving on. A revelation for me was the use of scent games and 'find it' in phase 2 as a way of building up the confidence of the dog and his/her ability to focus on a task when the owner is out of sight, albeit briefly. "Find it" is something I routinely teach to foster independence and confidence in my client's dogs, along with using their nose and giving owners options for games to play that aren't over-arousing. However, it hadn't really occurred to me that it is also a useful tool to directly treat hyper-attachment or separation anxiety and this is certainly something that I will with clients use in future. Malena also emphasizes the importance of dogs being taught to settle when the chew/food toy has 'run out' and this is also something that I want to develop with my own clients, particularly when crate training puppies.

Your success, both with the dog and the bottom line of your business, depends on your wise selection of clients.

Case study: Pumpkin

As a behaviourist that has taken on several separation cases in the past, I felt that I had some of the component parts in my toolbox to help my clients through a separation anxiety behaviour modification program. However, this book has made me realise that there is a lot more that I could be doing for my clients to make the process simpler to understand and implement. The way that the protocols are designed and the phased approach to the modification plan is brilliantly put together and break the required training down into manageable steps to work through at a pace that suits the client. Whilst separation anxiety is notoriously difficult to work through, this book empowers professionals to take on these cases and provide the support network that clients need to succeed and make progress with their dog's anxiety issues*. Malena summarises it perfectly with her final thoughts "I urge you to begin taking on these cases. Desperate owners and dogs need you - and helping them is more rewarding than you can imagine". So to all the UK behaviourists out there, get yourself a copy of this book so that we can all work together to create more success stories like the lovely Pumpkin.

Available from Positive Animal Solutions priced £13.50 (free P&P)

*Polite note: professionals should not practice outside their area of expertise and should refer cases on to a colleague or member of a reputable organisation if they are not sufficiently experienced or require further advice.