The importance of data tracking when beginning separation anxiety training with your dog.
Just like us dogs naturally have good and bad days which can impact training. Separation anxiety training can also be impacted by multiple factors that occur during your dog’s day. By keeping track of antecedents alongside the success of a training session we can analyse the data and look for patterns. For example, you may find your dog always has a great training session on sunny mornings, after a long walk and time to decompress. But training sessions are often less successfully on days where your routine is different to usual, and your dog has experienced additional stresses throughout the day. This allows us to set your dog up for success by actively aiming to carry out training on days that your dog will find training much easier, and by following an easier training plan with shorter durations on the days that you think your dog may struggle more.
Factors that I would advise you to include in your data tracking include:
The time of day you carry out your training – many dogs find certain times of the day much easier
Day of the week – training may be impacted by changes in your routine during the week. For example, you may find your dog finds separation anxiety training more challenging during the weekend when your routine is less predictable. Alternatively, you may find that your dog in fact finds training much easier on a weekend due to spending more time with you, and increased exercise levels.
Who is carrying out the training – a dog that lives with multiple family members may find training easier when just one member of the family carries out the training, or if a certain family member is carrying out the training
The dogs activity levels that day and the kind of exercise completed – You may find that your dog finds separation anxiety training much easier after a slow walk in familiar surroundings when compared to an adrenaline inducing game of fetch. Every dog will be different so it can be beneficial to not only keep track of the type and duration of the exercise, but also the time that the dog has to decompress between their exercise and separation anxiety training session.
Any additional stresses the dog may have experienced – this will be dog dependant but may include negative interactions with another dog, being exposed to something they are fearful of, a delivery or a trip to the groomers. I would strongly advise against attempting a training session when your dog has been exposed to a highly stressful event, such as a visit to the vets.
The weather – some dogs may find training easier on sunny or rainy days. Temperature is also a consideration as some dogs may experience discomfort on cold days.
Although variability in training is normal, it is possible that pain and discomfort are contributing to your dogs variability in training. For this reason I would always advise consulting with a vet before beginning training.
If you would benefit from guidance in data tracking or in analysing data you have collected, then I would advise joining one of my separation anxiety programmes, or signing up for a one off phone call.
