Laurel & Taro (Chicago, IL)
When I brought my puppy home as a first time dog owner, I tried to do "everything right" when it came to training and early socialization. I did my best to follow guidelines that I had been told about leaving your dog alone, but I quickly noticed that Taro (my dog) seemed to struggle with this more than most. If I had to walk out of the house, even just briefly to throw the trash away, he would howl and bark the whole time. If I left the house to see my friends, even if my partner was home, Taro would panic until my partner would eventually be able to calm him down. I felt so guilty leaving him and I knew I needed to do something to help him.
I started looking for resources online and I learned about Certified Separation Anxiety Trainers (CSATs). I came across Jackie's Instagram page and I read everything she posted about separation anxiety. The information she presents on separation anxiety is so clear and helpful, and the gradual desensitization protocol she suggested made a lot of sense to me, but it was daunting to think about trying to implement it myself. For a while, I utilized low cost resources online to do training on my own, but it was really hard to tell if I was doing what was best for Taro's learning progress and I often took pauses in training because it was just overwhelming to plan everything by myself. I reached out to Jackie and set up a consultation call because I was ready to dedicate myself to this project and I wanted more individualized support.
After our first assessment, I felt so relieved, knowing that someone would be helping us along this journey. Jackie got to know Taro and she made recommendations that were not only based in her extensive experience working with separation anxiety cases but also tailored to Taro as an individual. She also prioritized our needs as humans and what was possible for our lifestyle. Even though we never met in person, Jackie was a regular name in our house because she was such a present support figure for us. Over the course of 9 months, we went through some ups and downs with training, including a move that reset our progress temporarily. But Jackie was always confident that we would reach our goals.
Now, Taro can be left home alone comfortably for 4 hours (and maybe more but we haven't tried!) This felt so unattainable when we first started--at that point Taro would start barking within 20 seconds of us leaving. But through Jackie's training plans, we slowly but steadily taught Taro that being alone was okay. We moved at a pace that was comfortable for Taro so we would never put him in a place of panic again. Jackie was amazing at tailoring the plan to what Taro needed to build trust in us. And from across the country, we could really tell that Jackie had a genuine love for Taro and was doing everything she could to help us succeed.
If your dog is experiencing separation-related distress, please reach out to Jackie, even if just for a consultation so you can learn more about how to help your dog. Working with Jackie has really improved my relationship with Taro and it's brought more peace to our home.