Are you desperate to be able to leave your dog without them falling apart?
You’ve come to the right place
Separation anxiety is a heart breaking syndrome of behaviours that causes profound distress to dogs and owners alike. It results in damaged furniture, indoor toileting, barking and howling, and can even lead to dogs hurting themselves in their panic at being left alone. It takes away freedom, and taints the otherwise joyful experience of owning a dog. But it can be fixed, and I would like to show you how.
But it can be fixed, and I would like to show you how.
Hi, my name is River McDonald. I appreciate your life is busy and your time is limited so I will keep this as brief as possible. I am a Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist with a master’s degree (MSc) and over 20 years’ experience working with dogs, and I am here to support you tirelessly to free yourself and your dog from the misery of separation anxiety. After helping hundreds of dog owners just like you, I am confident I can get you on the right track. So confident in fact, I even offer a money back guarantee.
Fixing separation anxiety isn’t easy. Like many owners, you have probably already spent an awful lot of time and money on your dog’s separation anxiety -trialling, training, and going back to the drawing board. You just want to help your dog, but with so much conflicting advice it is hard to know whether you are making any real progress.
This is why you need to work with an expert who can devise THE RIGHT PLAN FOR YOR DOG AND GIVE YOU A HIGH LEVEL OF FEEDBACK AND SUPPORT TO PUT THAT PLAN INTO ACTION! And that’s exactly what I promise to do.
With my 1 month separation anxiety package, you will enjoy the benefit of a programme individually tailored for you and your dog. You’ll get a professional assessment of your dog’s condition, weekly video calls and Whatsapp support, and most importantly, bespoke training exercises designed to progress your dog at a pace that sets them up for success! All of these benefits are included for the bargain price of £390.
Separation anxiety is a tough problem to solve, and whilst it is incredibly rare to fix the problem in just a few short weeks, in our month of working together I aim to give you and tools and the confidence you need to keep making progress and get back to the life you’ve been dreaming of!
Best of all, I work the package through video link and online support, so wherever you are in the world I can help. Simply click the button below and select your preferred date and time for your first consultation, or read on if you would like to know more!
YOU LOVE YOUR DOG BUT YOU FEEL LIKE THEY ARE RUINING YOUR LIFE
First of all, I would like to say I know where you are at right now. You love your dog but you feel like they are ruining your life: stressing you out, and costing you a small fortune in treatments and care for the times when you just can’t be around.
If they’ve got it really bad, going to the next room or taking a shower in peace have probably become distant memories – something other dog owners can do but not you.
Even pre-lockdown, you’d long since said goodbye to spontaneity, big nights out, and nipping to the shop for that missing ingredient or a pint of milk. And as the world starts to return to “normal” you are dreading leaving your dog more than ever. You know the past few months will have made things worse, not better.
You may even be amongst the large group of dog owners who didn’t see a problem before lockdown, but you know your dog and you know how much they have loved having you home these past weeks. You are desperate to get back to normal life – meeting friends, going to the pub or a café, even seeing work colleagues again. You need to make your dog understand everything is going to be okay – so how are you going to do this? And what if it doesn’t work?
BEFORE you waste any more time or money on quick fixes, books, herbal remedies or pheromone treatments, AND
BEFORE you spend another minute beating yourself up for not being able to solve this problem, I need you to know TWO things:
IT. IS. NOT. YOUR. FAULT.
The reasons why a dog develops separation anxiety can been many, and complex, but despite what your friends and family tell you it is not because you “love them too much” or “spoil them”. And it is definitely not because you are refusing to use a “tough love” approach and let them cry it out.
IT’S A REALLY TOUGH PROBLEM.
It would be dishonest of me to tell you there is an easy way out, BUT I do strongly believe that by being your ally and creating a tailored training experience for you and your dog, we can get you quickly and painlessly on the right track, Then all you need to do is keep going!
You’ve been putting in a great deal of effort to try and make things work so far, and that alone takes strength and courage. Separation anxiety owners tend to be some of the most dedicated owners and by applying that commitment in the right places, I will show you what progress really looks like.
HOW MY 1 MONTH SEPARATION ANXIETY PACKAGE WORKS
Book your video consult and assessment slot!
Give me an hour of your time. We’ll have a chat about what’s been happening, I will guide you through some simple but essential assessment exercises and then I’ll let you know where you need to start to get on the right path to help your dog.
Receive your first bespoke exercise the very same day.
Get cracking with your exercise and then feedback the results.
Receive your next bespoke exercise and continue your path to freedom! Every week we will have an additional half hour catch up chat, and I will give you my Whatsapp number for any questions you might have during the course of your training.
After your initial month I will give you the option to continue unsupported, with full support for an additional month, or to book the odd catch up here and there, whichever route suits you best!
When you’re dealing with destroyed furniture, pee or poop on your carpet, or upset neighbours who are threatening to call the council over your poor pooch’s howling, it can easily seem like there is no possible way out of the situation you are in. But I can promises there are MANY, we just have to find the one that is right for your dog.
It may not seem like it, but all of these behaviours show just how much your dog needs your help. They are suffering just as much as you and research has shown us time and again just how damaging it can be when an animal (or human!) suffers chronic stress. It is very rare for separation anxiety to cure itself, and sadly many dogs not receiving the right treatment deteriorate and start showing cracks in their behaviour outside the home too.
With my help, in the first month Cleo achieved enough home alone time for Claire to pop out to the local corner shop. By month two they were well on their way to an hour of stress free, relaxed time apart!
“Cleo had lots of issues when she arrived from Cyprus, including separation anxiety. I started to do some of the training on my own but found I was guessing a little and struggling to keep motivated. I felt a bit hopeless to be honest, and it was hard to see how my little shadow would ever be left alone, given she initially couldn’t cope well even for short periods of time like taking a shower!
The best bit about River’s method for treating separation anxiety is her patience she is very sympathetic and always reminding me of the end goal and giving me lots of confidence it is achievable. River brings the discipline I was lacking without putting me off. She loves Cleo even though she hasn’t met her and she wants to see us succeed as much as I want to be able to get out long enough to go to the shops!”
Claire & Cleo, Edinburgh 2020.
Is it really possible to “Cure” Separation anxiety?
The first thing I need you to know about Separation Anxiety:
Separation anxiety, also known as “separation distress” or “separation related behaviours” is an umbrella term, meaning it is used to describe a wide range of symptoms but does not provide a definitive “diagnosis” as to the source of your dog’s problem. Because separation anxiety talks about symptoms and not any one underlying condition, we don’t focus on a “cure” as it were, but rather on measurable improvements in behaviour over time.
Every dog’s journey is different, however for the greatest success we want to focus on your dog becoming confident, independent and able to handle your absence.
The best way to do this is to gradually expose them to being alone for as long as they can cope with, working in tiny steps to ensure we do not trigger their fear and re-affirm their certainty that being alone = bad news.
It is a tough ask for a social creature that has undergone many thousands of years of evolution seeking out comfort and companionship with humans. But learning to be alone is an essential part of the pet dog’s job description, and being able to manage even small absences can massively improve quality of life both for your dog and you.
TREATING SEPARATION ANXIETY: WHAT WORKS?
If you have spent any time on the internet, or asking friends and family you will probably have come across many of these treatments for separation anxiety. You may even have tried some but feel less than confident about the results. THE TRUTH IS: SOME OF THESE ARE GOOD TACTICS, AND SOME ARE GOING TO CAUSE YOU TO FAIL. Some will work for other dogs, but not yours. Some will make the job harder and others easier.
Crating your dog?
Leaving them with food or treats?
Wearing your jacket and shoes
around the house
Putting on the radio or TV when you leave so they have“company”?
Shutting them in a separate room so they can learn to handle time away from you?
Popping out for short spells, hoping they will
learn to relax and trust you will be back?
Herbal remedies or anti-anxiety medications?
Picking up your keys a hundred times a day?
PROGRAMME BENEFITS
Work with someone who is experienced and qualified (I hold a masters in Animal Behaviour and have treated hundreds of dogs for behaviour issues!).
Work with kindness and confidence, knowing you are getting the very best for your dog and yourself;
Use ONLY tried and tested techniques based on scientific evidence
Full coaching and support via Whatsapp, 5 days per week
Work at your own pace – receive as many or as few exercises as you want over the course of the month;
Enjoy weekly video catch ups where we can run exercises together, trouble shoot or discuss future plans and targets;
No confusing or lengthy training plans just simple to follow exercises.
Learn my methods so you can run with it after the first month!