Wag Wisdom ~ Separation Anxiety Solutions for Dogs

Lorrie Harris
Jun 16
2 min read

Updated: Sep 1

Theme: Separation Anxiety – Healing the Howl of Absence

Separation Anxiety

🧠 SCIENCE & BRAIN

🧠 Headline: Owner Cues Can Soften Anxiety at the Survival Level

Tip: Leave your scent or a calm voice recording. It tells their nervous system: “I’ll see you later.”

📚 Source: nature.com/articles/s41598-017-08536-3

🐾 TRAINING & BEHAVIOR

🐾 Headline: Micro‑Desensitization Heals Macro‑Fear

Tip: Use a “departure ladder,” starting with 10-second absences. Reward calm.

📚 Source: purdue.edu/

🌞 MINDSET & WELL-BEING

🌞 Headline: Rituals Build Neural Peace

Tip: Exit the same way each time: shared breath, soft touch, repeated phrase.

📚 Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8861872

🌀 PSYCHOLOGY & SELF-DISCOVERY

🌀 Headline: Loss Feels Ancestral

Tip: Say, “I’ll see you later,” aloud. It repairs the grief written before you.

📚 Source: psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2020-85482-001.html

🌟 ENERGY & CONNECTION

🌟 Headline: Synchronized Systems Heal Aloneness

Tip: Co-regulate before leaving: 2 minutes of calm breathing and presence.

📚 Source: heartmath.org/

🧰 Wags Wisdom Tool Pack

🎯 Tool	What to Do	Why It Works
Scent Anchor	Leave a worn shirt or blanket	Activates calming scent memory
Voice Message	Short playback: “I love you”	Simulates social presence
30-sec Successes	Train tiny departures	Builds trust through micro-reps
Departure Ritual	3 shared breaths + phrase	Signals predictability & calm
Return Reset	Greet only after calm	Teaches safe, non-hyper reunion

🪶 Trainer's Note from Lorrie J. Harris

If you're always home—retired, caregiving, working remote—create intentional distance. Weekly, place your pup in a quiet space (crate or room) for 20–30 minutes while you step away. This helps them practice self-trust.

You’re not teaching absence. You’re affirming their strength in solitude.

Let it become ritual. Let it become their own rhythm of resilience.

🎉 Parting Tail‑Thump

“When you go, I wait. When you come, I remember: love that lasts.”

💌 Your Closing Whisper

Where science meets soul… and every leash leads to love.

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With heart,Lorrie J. Harris

Founder, Coaching Canine Companions 🐾