Separation Anxiety: I finally took this sub's advice and met with Malena deMartini.

[u/DogofManyColors]

If you own a dog with separation anxiety and are wondering whether she's worth all the hype... the answer is yes!! She. is. amazing!

I ignored the advice for so long because her website quotes upwards of $800 for training AND she has a team of people working under her, so there's no guarantee who you will get. So, I purchased three separate ebooks from qualified trainers and started DIYing the problem.

After months of training, I was still running in to a few issues that weren't addressed in the books... That's when I remembered that Malena's website advertises a one-time, ad hoc consultation. Yesterday, my husband and I met with Malena on Zoom, and she was so helpful!

If I could go back in time and start my training program with her instead of DIYing it, I would. One of the reasons I didn't was that it's also hard to find posts from people who have actually met with her, not just heard of her or read her book. So, I figured I would share my experience here for future SA owners.

For those of you on the fence about her program, here's some points to consider:

• Yes, it is pricey... but the costs of daycare, dogwalkers, etc. add up. Not to mention the price of "escape-proof crates", chew-proof dog beds, calming aids, and/or repairing any damage your dog may do while you're away. In the long run, managing separation anxiety without properly treating it is more expensive.
• Rehabbing a dog with SA is naturally a slow process. But it will be even slower if, like me, you DIY it. That's more frustration, more months of needing daycare or a sitter, more time for you to give up...
• If I read the book, don't I already know what she'll say? I was worried about this, but I don't think anything we discussed was mentioned in her book. The feedback was extremely personalized and customized to my situation and my dog.
• The level of support I received was much more than I was expecting for a one-time meeting, and that alone made it worth the price. She answered questions for me before we met, looked at video of my dog and read her body language to assess the situation, and has offered some follow-up support for after we implement the changes she suggested. The price covers far more than you probably realize.

That said... I was often frustrated by the glib advice to "look up Malena" when that is not a financially-viable option for many people. If you realistically can't afford those training fees right now, don't give up.

• Read my favorite three ebooks on SA by Malena de Martini, Nicole Wilde, and Julie Naismith. Reading all three will give you a more in-depth understanding of the issue and help you determine what plan is going to work best for your dog. I knew nothing about SA before reading these books, and when I met with Malena, she complimented how informed I was and said that contributed to a lot of the success we were seeing with our dog. So, read the books!
• Consider what online resources you can participate in. Julia Naismith has a free Facebook support group that is super helpful. Fenzi Dog Sports Academy and Malena's website both offer self-study courses. Compare and contrast and see if either one fits your needs and budget.
• When things get tough, remember that a lot of trainers do offer a one-time behavioral consultations. That's more affordable and can often get you started in the right direction.

[u/arbydallas]

What did she even do for you? This huge post with no information just looks like an advertisement

[u/DogofManyColors → u/arbydallas]

Sorry this looks like an ad? I’m not affiliated with her (or any of the competing trainers I also recommend in the post)... I’m just passionate about anything that helps my dog’s SA and wanted other people to know what resources are out there.

She went over the training plan we had created and discussed the pros and cons of everything with us, like when and how we were using food, improving our variable departure schedule, identifying departure cues we had overlooked and how to desensitize to them, etc. as well as brainstormed which management options (daycare, dog walkers, friend visits , staggering our lunches) would work for our budget and schedule.

Pretty sure I also say this in the post but we emailed back and forth a few times with video of my dog during our separation training and she analyzed her body language to break down what was going on, which has helped me be able to read my dog’s body language better moving forward.