After I received a few complaints from my neighbors in my building about my dog, Cuddles, barking all day long I was in disbelief that he could bark all day. I videotaped him while I was away, and sure enough it was true. He didn’t just bark a little but truly from the moment I left till the end of the videotape. While I was concerned that my neighbors would be annoyed, I was more concerned for my dog’s own happiness. My dog trainer recommended Companion Animal Solutions to help me with my problem

I met with Christine and she educated me on dog behavior, human behavior, and the steps I needed to take to help Cuddles with his separation anxiety and the adventure I was about to embark on to help my dog relax while I was away. My goal was to manage my dog’s anxiety without medication so he can be home all day when I am working and my neighbors can be happy too.

I began conditioning Cuddles by putting my coat on and watching TV or jingling my keys and then cooking dinner. I would put my shoes on and then take them off, or put my bike helmet on and then put it back into the closet. I continued this ’till Cuddles stopped freaking out when I would do the things that I would normally do right before I left the house.

After that, I armed myself with Kongs and treats. I began leaving the house for one minute several times- leaving those smelly treats that Cuddles loves. Then I started stretching the time: two minutes-several times, five minutes, ten minutes- each time leaving tasty treats. At first it was weird and fun all at the same time. As the time Cuddles was alone got longer I found that I had time to sit on my steps and knit. So I started to really enjoy my time while Cuddles seemed to be enjoying his time alone.

When Cuddles was at an hour alone I had to repeat the process ten times. I wanted to speed the process up so I would wake up an hour early and leave the house for a walk or a cup of coffee and then come back home to take Cuddles to a friend’s house till I got back home from work. I continued this for the hour-and-a-half time and two-hour time. Those were tough weeks. Waking up early is not easy for me but I love my dog and I would do it for him. After two hours time I was unable to continue to do it before work. I hired a dog walker to take Cuddles from my house to a friend’s house. After work I would swing by and pick Cuddles up.

My friends questioned why I was doing all this work for the sake of my neighbors… I wasn’t. While I don’t want them upset with my true motives are for Cuddles. I want my dog to be happy and stress free.

While doing this I would e-mail Christine with questions and updates to let her know what was going on. Christine always got back to me promptly with answers and encouragement to help me keep going. Cuddles is currently able to be alone for seven hours! I am so proud of my little buddy! I still have more to go, but I could have never gotten this far without the help of Christine. She understands dog behavior and has been able to explain it to me in a simple and understandable way. So now I can modify my dogs behavior in a smart and kind way without medication.

I am getting closer to my goal of being able to leave Cuddles alone all day while I am at work. I am so happy! From the video tapes of Cuddles I can tell he is happy too. Christine has been so great in helping me with Cuddles’ anxiety problem. I would absolutely recommend Christine at Companion Animal Solutions to anyone needing help with their dog’s separation anxiety. Jimmie, owned by Cuddles