Episode #3: Conducting an Initial Assessment With Malena DeMartini

Written By Jackie Johnston
Separation Anxiety dog

Don’t we need to see the behavior to know how to change it?

Before I decided to specialize exclusively in separation anxiety, I fielded this question a lot. Many of my clients with aggressive dogs in particular strongly believed that I needed to see Fido snapping at visitors to successfully change the behavior. The case can certainly be made (as I did many times) that it isn’t necessary (or ethical) to put dogs and people in danger and risk a bite solely for the purpose of observation. Especially when we can safely and accurately surmise why Fido would do such a thing and what the best course of action would be without pushing a dog past their threshold.

But what about for separation anxiety dogs?

As my special guest and mentor Malena DeMartini and I discuss in this episode, we strongly believe in the importance of an initial absence assessment before embarking on a home alone protocol. We take a deep dive in all things initial assessments: what they are, why they are important, and how to conduct them.

In this episode of the Believe in Your Dog Podcast, you will learn:

  • How we define an initial absence assessment

  • Why we believe they are absolutely critical in establishing a baseline and understanding an individual dog’s suite of behaviors

  • What specific tools are needed to conduct an initial assessment

  • Environmental interventions to consider prior to the assessment

  • All things camera set-up and positioning, including my personal favorite camera for separation anxiety training

  • How to know when it’s time to stop the assessment

  • What to look for and measure during and after the assessment

  • What to do and not do when you return home

  • And so much more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Jackie Johnston
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Episode #4: Every Dog is a Study of One with Ally Verba
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Episode #2: What is Separation Anxiety?