Reviews are incredibly important to a small business, but every now and then somebody writes something that means considerably more than a five-star rating.
I recently received a review from Angela, who I’ve been supporting with her dog Peggy’s separation anxiety.
One line really stood out:
“Jamie hasn’t just helped Peggy, he’s helped me understand her.”
That is probably one of the best compliments I could receive as a dog trainer and behaviour consultant.
Because that’s exactly what I want my work to achieve.
Training Shouldn’t Leave You Dependent on the Trainer
Of course, when somebody comes to me for separation anxiety support, they want their dog to become more comfortable being left alone.
That’s important.
But I don’t want to simply give somebody instructions and tell them what to do each day.
I want them to understand why we’re doing it.
Why did we make today’s exercise easier?
Why did that bark concern us yesterday but not today?
What does their dog’s body language tell us?
Could their emotional bucket already be particularly full?
Why might something they managed yesterday feel harder today?
Those conversations matter because eventually our formal sessions finish.
The guardian still needs to feel confident making decisions for their dog.
Understanding Changes How We Respond
Separation anxiety can be incredibly difficult to live with.
When you’re exhausted, frustrated and organising your life around never leaving your dog alone, behaviour can easily be misunderstood.
A dog following you everywhere can look clingy.
Barking can look demanding.
A dog becoming distressed as you leave can look like they’re making a fuss.
But once we understand the emotion driving behaviour, our response changes.
We stop asking:
“How do I stop my dog doing this?”
and start asking:
“What is my dog telling me?”
That change in perspective can transform the relationship between dog and guardian.
It replaces frustration with understanding and gives us a much better foundation from which to change behaviour.
Progress for Both Ends of the Lead
Angela’s review also talked about feeling supported throughout the process and becoming more confident in understanding Peggy.
That matters enormously to me.
Yes, Peggy has made progress with being alone. There have been some wonderful milestones along the way.
But Angela has progressed too.
She has learnt more about Peggy’s body language, alert barking, anxiety, emotional capacity and when to progress or make something easier.
That knowledge doesn’t disappear because our programme has finished.
She gets to take it with her.
And that is exactly what I want for every person I work with.
Thank You
Angela, thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful review and, more importantly, for trusting me to support you and Peggy.
Helping a dog is incredibly rewarding.
Helping somebody understand their dog differently is something I’m particularly proud of.
Could I Help You Understand Your Dog?
If your dog struggles when left alone and you’re finding yourself increasingly organising your life around them, you don’t need another generic list of separation anxiety tips.
You need to understand your dog.
My separation anxiety programmes are delivered online and built around the individual dog, their behaviour and the person living alongside them.
We’ll work on the practical training, but I’ll also help you understand what your dog is communicating and why we make the decisions we do.
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