Separation anxiety

1What you’re seeing

…if we walked outside the door, she would really cry a lot.

He has serious separation anxiety and would always have panic attacks when left home alone.

She must be crated when home alone because she is destructive and also constantly barks.

2Why it happens

Left alone, an anxious dog spends the day waiting for you to come back. The stress often shows up as barking, chewing, pacing or licking. What helps is a calm day with other dogs and people who know how to settle them.

An anxious dog does best in a calm pack, with someone clearly in charge.

3What we do

• We bring each dog into the group at their own pace.
• Our team is on site around the clock, never watching remotely, so your dog always has people nearby who notice how they’re doing.
• Boarders sleep in the room they played in, never in a crate.
• At the door, you hand the leash to one of our pack leaders and go, and we take it from there. For many anxious dogs, a quick goodbye is easier than a long one.
• Check in on your dog on the live cams, open to close, from your phone or computer.
• Some dogs need a quieter setting than a room of other dogs. If we think that’s true of yours, we’ll tell you early.

4What changes

Not on the first day. Parents tell us it takes a week or two.

…within a few times he was already running in straight to the door with tail wagging.

…he gets a smile on his face and a wag in his tail…and pulls us down the street to their door in excitement.

…now we’re also able to leave her home because she doesn’t really have separation anxiety anymore.