Did you know that separation anxiety affects about 20%-40% of dogs that are brought to veterinary behavioral specialists?
In fact, according to Malena DeMartini, a dog training world-renowned author and Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer,
“This isn’t new, not at all. As a matter of fact, it’s interesting because separation anxiety in dogs has been rather prevalent, more so than I think people realize. And then we’ve had a tremendous push in an increase in its prevalence just since the pandemic began. So, we’re looking at about 50% of the pet dog population suffering with some sort of separation-related problem. And I always tell people, ‘Well, yeah, that sounds like a big number. But, just to even take that further: in the U.S. alone, that would be 44 million pet dogs.’”
It made Malena realize that there is a tremendous need for appropriate and valuable information about separation anxiety. This is particularly true for those who can’t afford or don’t have the means for a one-on-one trainer.
This encouraged her to develop Mission: Possible, a digital, self-paced course that people can walk through to learn how to put together their own separation anxiety protocol for their dogs.
Developing the Mission: Possible Course
Drawing from her over two decades of experience in the field, Malena outlined the Mission: Possible course lessons in a way that will help dogs with separation anxiety learn to be alone successfully.
“Many dog guardians are challenged by this behavior. And the Mission: Possible course allows them to create their own protocol to gain successful alone time with their dog. We monitor student progress regularly to see the incredible progress that the dogs are making,”
Malena said.
The course has lifetime access, with over 30 lessons to learn from. She also makes it a point to answer all questions and comments daily, which has led to a very interactive and supportive community.
Malena shared,
“You know, it’s interesting because one of the reasons that I think increased numbers in separation anxiety is the advent of technology… People get surprised to see that their dog is experiencing tremendous anxiety when alone, and they may not have been aware of it prior to having this ability to monitor alone-time activity.”
Adding to that is the fact that many of the pets acquired post-pandemic may have little to no exposure to being left alone. Because of this, Malena believes that it is the pet parents’ responsibility to help their animals acclimate slowly and positively to being on their own.
This is also one of the reasons why they designed Mission: Possible – to give the best information to pet parents who need it.
About Mission: Possible
As per Malena, separation anxiety may manifest differently for each and every pet. For instance, some dogs may bark incessantly, while others may lean towards the path of destruction.
Consequently, the Mission: Possible course provides solid instruction and a detailed training roadmap to help modify the anxious dog’s behavior.
“So, the course walks them through, sort of start to finish, every little detail of how to put together a protocol… We use the same process as in the 1950s to treat human fears and phobia – which is gradual and incremental exposure… We expose the dog to increments of alone time that are still within that dog’s ability to handle… So, it starts pretty slow. But then it starts to accelerate rather quickly. We have to go at these dogs’ pace so they really can get better over time.”
Despite this, Malena and her team were straightforward in saying that results may still vary for each dog’s case.
As with any other behavior modification program, several factors may affect the results of each dog. These factors include lifestyle considerations, compliance with the training plan, general anxiety, and medical conditions, among others.
Still, Malena remarked,
“It’s been a really exciting time because now, it’s not just me…it’s a collective group of smart, smart people. And we’re having a really exciting and powerful impact on the industry so that people are now taking separation anxiety very, very seriously. And knowing that there is indeed hope.”
To get lifetime access to the Mission: Possible course at 50% off, visit their website at https://courses.malenademartini.com/customer-cart/ and use the code “Doobert50” to redeem your discount.
Learn more about the Mission: Possible course:
Visit https://malenademartini.com/ to know more.
