01/10/2026
Meet Albie 🐾
Albie’s separation struggles when he had just moved from the home he knew and within a week, he sustained a cruciate ligament injury that required surgery, overnight stays and three changes of veterinary practice. This involved him having to be crated and 'caged in' in places that he had never been before.
Understandably, all of that took its toll.
Albie developed a fear of closed doors and became extremely distressed when separated from his human. Before we could even begin working on the separation itself, we had to wait for him to physically recover from surgery while also making sure he was being supported mentally and emotionally.
Albie is now on behaviour modification medication, which is working wonderfully alongside the training and behaviour work we are doing.
And the progress has been huge. 💛
We have gone from Albie becoming distressed simply because the front door was closed, pacing, panting and whining, to being able to have that same door closed and actually lie down and rest.
His mum can now also leave him alone for around 30 minutes without distress.
We are not finished yet. There is still plenty of work ahead, but separation-related work often needs to be painfully slow and incredibly gradual.
Albie’s mum has done an amazing job of dialling everything right back and working at a snail’s pace because, at the time, that was all Albie could cope with.
Sometimes progress isn’t about pushing for the next big milestone. It’s about making things small enough that the dog feels safe enough to succeed. 🐌💛
If your dog struggles with being left alone, anxiety or fear-related behaviour, please get in touch.
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📱 WhatsApp: 07703 973656