Separation Anxiety & Reactivity: Which Should I Work On First?
Help! Which Should I Work On First? The overwhelm when a dog has multiple challenges is real! I frequently encourage guardians to pick one to manage (prevent/avoid) and one to focus on so they do not burn out with too much training on their plate at once. The answer is.... It depends. Every situation is a little different! Luckily, there are some questions you can ask yourself to determine which issue to address first. Can my dog stay with other people comfortably enough to manage absences? During separation anxiety training it's crucial to suspend scary absences in order to make progress. It is very difficult to teach a dog that being alone is safe if they continue to have unsafe alone time. Your dog will need to be comfortable with the people who will be caring for them when you do have to leave them. If your dog needs a lot of time to warm up to people and doesn't currently have people they can stay with, I recommend building their inner circle of caretakers first and