Anyone who's seen their dog suffer with separation anxiety knows all too well it can be deeply agonizing for your dog and painfully frustrating for you as you try everything to make it all okay for your pup.

While separation anxiety in dogs is a uniquely complex type of anxiety, it's also all too common. The good news - with the right behavior modification guidance, there is hope!

That's why we brought together expert, separation anxiety-specialist advice and step-by-step treatment plans in this series of guides from Certified Separation Anxiety Trainers and Dogly Training Advocates to give you what you need to know to overcome separation anxiety and help your dog be comfortable and calm alone.

In these 9 guides on treating your dog's separation anxiety in the Anxiety Channel on Dogly, you'll learn:

• How to Tell If It's Actually Separation Anxiety
• How to Use Desensitization to Help Your Dog with Separation Anxiety
• How to Understand Signs of Separation Anxiety & What to Do - There Is Hope!
• How to Set Your Home Up for Success
• How to Make Coming & Going No Big Deal - Part 1
• How to Make Coming & Going No Big Deal - Part 2
• How to Make Coming & Going No Big Deal - Part 3
• How to Make Coming & Going No Big Deal - Part 4
• 5 Myths About Separation Anxiety + the Facts You Should Know

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Here's a quick look at each of the 9 step-by-step guides to help you support your dog and treat separation anxiety successfully...

Separation Anxiety Guide 1: How to Tell If It's Actually Separation Anxiety

Have you arrived home to find a half-eaten chair, rearranged furniture, or an accident in the house courtesy of your dog? Unhappy surprises when a pup has been home alone sends many pet parents in search of how to help their dog cope with "separation anxiety."

But is it actually separation anxiety or some other more common, easily solved issue behind your pup's behavior? In this guide, certified positive reinforcement trainer and Dogly Training Advocate Ayelet Berger explains why knowing the root cause matters and how to go about figuring out what's happening with your dog so you can help your pup get beyond it.

What you'll learn in this guide on separation anxiety:

• Whether or not your dog's behavior is due to true separation anxiety (SA)
• Why correctly diagnosing your dog's anxiety matters
• 4 steps to rule out separation anxiety - the simplest, clearest way to know if your dog's behavior is due to true separation anxiety
• How to spot the signs of separation anxiety
• An exercise to do with your dog to rule in separation anxiety
• What to do next if you determine your dog is among the many dogs suffering from separation anxiety

Pro tip: You'll learn how to use a camera and take notes on key timing and behaviors to make working with a certified trainer more effective.

You can jump into the full guide and accompanying video here to know whether or not your dog is experiencing true separation anxiety. If you've determined your dog's anxiety is rooted in something else, you can learn about other causes of anxiety in Understanding Your Dog's Anxiety in the Anxiety Channel.

Or, continue to learn about separation anxiety with a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer in the next 8 guides starting with why and how to use desensitization to support your dog...

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Separation Anxiety Guide 2: How to Use Desensitization to Help Your Dog with Separation Anxiety

"What do I need to do to make everything all right and keep my dog comfortable and maybe even relaxed when home alone?"

That's the question we always hear from anxious dog parents looking for solutions to stop separation anxiety from making their dog miserable at being alone.

In this guide and the accompanying video, force-free, Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer and Dogly Training Advocate Melissa Dallier gives you the answer: the gold standard for how to treat separation anxiety in dogs is gradual systematic desensitization training.

Melissa takes you through why desensitization has been proved to work uniquely well with dog separation anxiety and the steps to putting it to work with your dog.

What you'll learn in this guide on separation anxiety:

• What is systematic desensitization with dogs
• How to get started - what are your "pre-departure cues"
• How to know your dog's anxiety stimulus hierarchy and timing
• How to know your dog's threshold - the amount of time/exposure to stressors your dog can currently handle
• Why to start FAR BELOW your dog's threshold as you practice the gradual desensitization steps
• As you practice the desensitization exercise, why and how you want to create easy wins for your dog
• 5 tips to set you and your dog up for success in your desensitization practice
• 5 things to look at as you observe/assess your anxious dog

Pro tip: Comfort is more important than duration during practice. Stay under threshold and keep your dog in the comfort zone - a key to forward progress!

Check out the full guide for the detailed how-to on managing separation anxiety with desensitization. Or, see ahead to what's next - important, useful background on understanding separation anxiety, its causes, signs, and what to do about it...

Separation Anxiety Guide 3: How to Understand Signs of Separation Anxiety & What to Do - There Is Hope!

If you and your dog are struggling with your dog's separation anxiety despite your many best efforts, Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT) and Dogly Training Advocate Melissa Dallier is here to tell you that you are not alone. And with all that separation anxiety specialists know now, there is hope!

In this guide, Melissa gives you a deeper understanding of separation anxiety and the complex roots underlying your dog's emotion-driven behavior. All to equip you to make the most of the guides and exercises in this separation anxiety series to successfully treat your dog.

What you'll learn in this guide on separation anxiety:

• That separation anxiety is a panic disorder in dogs - like panic attacks in humans, it's complex, not based in logic, and the fear and panic are very, very real to those experiencing it
• What's happening when your dog's emotional state has taken over and your pup's system is flooded with cortisol and adrenaline
• How to know whether what your dog is experiencing is separation anxiety or something else - includes how to use a camera for observation and the signs to watch for
• What to do next if your dog does have separation anxiety
• The good news - many dogs with separation anxiety can feel comfortable with someone else there when you're away - a family member, dog sitter, or other familiar person.
• Why you want to minimize alone time until you're ready to start your training - the less stress and anxiety your dog is feeling daily about being alone, the better!
• Why you want to get help specifically trained in separation anxiety - a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer or veterinary behaviorist.
• Why to talk with your vet - ruling out medical issues as the cause and in some cases of severe separation anxiety, discussing considerations for behavioral medications along with training treatment plan.
• Why separation anxiety happens - some common links. Spoiler alert: it's probably not what you think. And it's not your fault!
• What doesn't cause your dog's separation anxiety
• Why there's hope for treating your dog's separation anxiety successfully, who can help, and how to do it

To get all the detail on understanding separation anxiety and helping your dog, you can jump into this full guide here. Or, continue to see what's next in this series - setting up your home base (and you and your dog) for success as you start your separation anxiety work...

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Separation Anxiety Guide 4: How to Set Your Home Up for Success

As you begin to work on alleviating your dog's separation anxiety, how you set up your home can in turn set you and your pup up for a smoother route to success.

In this guide and the accompanying video, Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer and Dogly Advocate Melissa Dallier continues her series on helping your dog overcome separation anxiety with a look at your home environment. Melissa takes you step by step through how and why your home layout can support your dog and you in the process.

What you'll learn in this guide on separation anxiety:

• Why a CSAT's assessment with you of your situation always includes how your home environment is laid out
• 7 key questions and tips for knowing how to make your environment supportive (& not distracting) for your dog

1. Where are your dog's favorite resting places in your home?
2. Are your dog's favorite spots in view of the exit point?
3. Is your dog reactive/sensitive to outside noises?
4. What can you put in place to make management & training easier?
5. How can you adjust your alone-time training sessions to reduce stress?
6. Can you see your dog when you leave?
7. To crate or not to crate?

Bonus pro tip: Learn why Melissa does NOT use or recommend a food stuffed toy or puzzle toy for dogs with separation anxiety.

With each question, Melissa details what you can do based on your answers, tips to make everything as smooth as possible, and considerations to keep in mind (as in more complex instances such as crate training questions, for example).

Jump into the full guide on setting up your home environment. Or, continue on to see the exercises you can do with your dog to transform your coming and going from traumatic to boring...

Separation Anxiety Guide 5: How to Make Coming & Going No Big Deal - Part 1

In the next 4 guides, CSAT and Dogly Training Advocate Melissa takes you step by incremental step through a gradual systematic desensitization exercise you can do with your dog to make your coming and going a non-event for your dog.

In this first guide, you will begin using very simple moves that relate to your door and gradually removing the importance of your door and the signals leading up to it in your dog's mind.

What you'll learn in this guide on separation anxiety:

• Why your door is so important symbolically and practically in your separation anxiety work with your dog
• A 5-step training exercise to do with your dog to "make the door a bore"
• How to practice your training exercise - baby step by baby step, with timing and frequency guidelines with your individual dog in mind
• What to do if your dog shows signs of stress at any point
• The what & why of your dual training goal - make the door a bore + always keep it positive
• When to take a break & start fresh another day

If you're ready to dive into Part 1 of your separation anxiety training with your dog, you can find the full guide here. Or, take a look at what's next in Part 2...

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Separation Anxiety Guide 6: How to Make Coming & Going No Big Deal - Part 2

Building on your desensitization exercise in Part 1 to make the door and your moves around it less connected to being left alone for your dog, this Part 2 guide begins to introduce pre-departure cues. In this case, we add putting on your shoes.

As in Part 1, you won't actually be leaving. You're getting your dog used to the idea that your actions around the door don't necessarily equal your leaving, gradually taking away its meaning and making it uninteresting for your dog.

You'll want to make sure your dog is comfortable with the steps in Part 1 before moving into this Part 2 guide.

What you'll learn in this guide on separation anxiety:

• Why & how to repeat the 5 steps in Part 1
• How to introduce putting on/taking off your shoes into the mix
• What to watch for in your dog
• Why & how to break it up and keep the practice time short (a few minutes) each day

If you're ready to get into Part 2 with your dog, you can see the full guide here. Or, take a look at what's coming next in your exercise sequence with Part 3 of making the door uninteresting to your pup...

Separation Anxiety Guide 7: How to Make Coming & Going No Big Deal - Part 3

Once your dog is totally comfortable with the first and second levels of this exercise to make your leaving a non-event, you can take your training to the next level in Part 3. In this guide, you'll be going through the steps of Part 1 & 2 and adding the step of actually going out the door and immediately coming back.

What you'll learn in this guide on separation anxiety:

• How to know/signs to watch for to make sure your dog is comfortable moving to level 3
• What to do if you see any signs of stress in your dog
• How to take it step by step and add going out the door for a nanosecond
• How to practice - with timing (short & with breaks) and frequency guidelines with an eye on your dog's comfort
• How to know if your dog is ready to move to the next level (or better to return to practicing earlier comfort zone steps)

If you and your dog are ready to move into Part 3, you can see the full guide here. Or, continue on in the overviews to see what's next in Part 4...

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Separation Anxiety Guide 8: How to Make Coming & Going No Big Deal - Part 4

If you and your dog have practiced Parts 1,2, & 3 of this desensitization training with no signs of separation anxiety stress from your dog, you're ready to level up a bit in this Part 4 guide.

Once again, Melissa guides you step by step as you build on your previous steps by introducing a bit of duration - increasing the time you stay outside the door to a couple seconds for now. With each step in this 4-part exercise series, you're helping your dog get used to the idea that the door and actions around it are no big deal.

What you'll learn in this guide on separation anxiety:

• How & why desensitization teaches your dog to feel safe and stay calm around comings and goings
• Why to review Parts 1-3 with your dog first
• How to introduce next-level duration - 2 seconds on the other side of the door
• What to do if your dog had any kind of panic response to your 2-second exit
• How to practice - timing, frequency - & why to mix it up on some days by doing only level 1
• Bonus level training: If your pup does well, a few days later add a few more seconds gradually until you can get up to 1 minute.

Remember, this is a gradual process for very good reason. Savor the incremental wins with your dog - this is about getting your dog used to being alone for short periods of time as you build a sense of comfort and security over time from there.

If you and your pup are ready for Part 4, you'll find the full guide here. Or, continue to the final guide in this series - replacing the distracting myths around canine separation anxiety with the facts...

Separation Anxiety Guide 9: 5 Myths About Separation Anxiety + the Facts You Need to Know Instead

With so many myths and misconceptions about separation anxiety swirling around, it's hard for dog parents to sort out what's true and helpful for our dogs struggling to be alone comfortably.

That's why CSAT and Dogly Training Advocate Melissa wraps up this series by tackling 5 of the most harmful myths about separation anxiety and replaces them with the facts that can support your progress against separation anxiety.

What you'll learn in this guide on separation anxiety:

5 myths many pet parents dealing with separation anxiety have heard disguised as advice - and the facts to know instead:

1. Let your dog bark it out. The facts: separation anxiety is a panic disorder. You'll learn what that means and why this "advice" is harmful.
2. You NEED to crate your dog and put your crate training to work to control your dog's behavior when your dog is alone. The facts: Crates are not the solution. You'll learn why, for most dogs, crates increase underlying anxiety.
3. Allowing your dog on furniture and on your bed can cause your dog to develop separation anxiety when left home alone. The facts: Studies show otherwise, and in the full guide you'll learn how the opposite has shown to be true.
4. Physical contact or acknowledging your dog when you come home makes separation anxiety worse. The facts: Simply not the case. You'll learn why ignoring your dog is confusing, cruel, and actually increases separation anxiety tendencies.
5. You need to be the "leader" or "alpha" in your dog's mind because your dog is trying to "be in charge." The facts: dominance and alpha theory has been debunked for 25+ years. You'll learn why positive training with an emphasis on building a trusting relationship is key in successfully addressing your dog's anxiety.

You can find the full guide here for all the details on these facts and how you can put this knowledge to good use in helping your dog. Or, if you haven't already jumped into the other 8 guides on separation anxiety in dogs, you can begin at the top with How to Tell If It's Actually Separation Anxiety and continue through the whole series including the exercises for working together with your pup on treating separation anxiety.

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Check out the Anxiety Channel on Dogly

Now that you've got a solid base on how to treat separation anxiety in dogs, check out the rest of the step-by-step guides to help you and your dog in the Anxiety Channel if you haven't already: from How to Build Confidence in Your Fearful Dog to How to Get Ahead of Noise Anxiety (for all the dogs afraid of thunder, fireworks, or other stressful noises).

If you want to keep learning about how to help your anxious dog, you can continue in the Anxiety Channel to Separation Anxiety, Crate Anxiety, or Noise Sensitivity. Enjoy building your pup's confidence and comfort as you create a stronger bond with each other!

And if you need help, you can ask the Dogly Advocates in any channel or work with them one-on-one through Dogly.