Dog with separation anxiety

This review is long overdue as I sent my dog to train with Blair of Primal Needs in January. As we’re now in August, I can say that it was absolutely worth it. I adopted my dog in December last year knowing that she had separation anxiety. I didn’t realize however, that she would keep me hostage at home because if I left, she would howl, bark, tear through the trash, scratch the cabinets, and basically lose her mind with fear. If I tried to crate her, she would get so worked up I’d come home to a bloody mess. After researching for several months on how to handle a dog with separation anxiety, the results I found online were not promising; many sites stated that it was a condition which could not be helped without pharmaceutical therapy. Not wanting to jump straight to meds, I decided to at least give training a shot to see if the behavior could be addressed at all. After reaching out to a handful of trainers in the area, I decided to go with Primal Needs for several reasons. I liked not only the 3-week board and train aspect of it, but more importantly, the weekend training that I could attend to learn how to handle my dog in a direct and personalized manner.

Blair taught me that my dog needed to know she was not in charge; A lot of her anxiety had to do with the fact that she thought she had to make the decisions. With an e-collar, very strict rules, and consistency, she started to get the ease and confidence she was missing. Blair was patient during our weekend training and took the time to adapt his training techniques specifically to the personality and needs of my dog and her home environment. She’s now great on the leash, I can take her on hikes off leash, and she responds well to my commands. One aspect that surprised me the most was driving. This was not a specific area that I worked on with her, but I think because of the new stricter rules, and her knowledge that I will make the decisions, she no longer whines and paces the entire time we’re in the car. She can sit quietly, though a few corrections are still required, and I can finally drive safely again.

Though my dog doesn’t love her crate (she was not properly crate trained as a puppy), the training with Blair has taught her to at least tolerate it without throwing a fit. I can now leave the house and know that she is safe, I’ve even been able to leave her out of the crate at home alone for several hours without any harm. While I still have more work to do with my dog and her anxiety, I feel like Blair gave me the tools to do so, and my dog the confidence to make it work. I would absolutely without hesitation recommend Primal Needs training to anyone looking to train their dog, and more specifically, a dog with separation anxiety.