A lot of dogs want to be with their owner every waking hour of the day. When these type of dogs is left alone, they can go into a full-blown panic attack. Professional dog trainer Victoria Stilwell is working with a couple whose dog has caused immeasurable damage inside their house.
Laura and Greg got their dog Scooby from a shelter. He is a good dog most of the time except when his owners are gone for work. Scooby has a history of breaking windows and safety bars. He has stitches on his head and arms from the times he went through broken glass.
The damages have caused tension between Laura and Greg’s relationship. The couple also found out, due to Victoria pointing out, that their attempts to control the situation have worsened Scooby’s behavior. The trainer explained that whenever their dog is stressed, he has panic attacks.
Victoria set up cameras inside the house to see how Scooby behaved when the owners aren’t around. After a few minutes, she had to go back inside the house when she noticed Scooby trying to climb the second-floor window. Scooby separation anxiety is one of the worst cases that Victoria has ever seen.
Victoria asked Greg and Laura to do an activity that is aimed to desensitize Scooby. The couple had to pretend they were leaving even when they were not. The goal is to confuse Scooby until he sat down and stopped caring. With enough repetition, the plan worked.
The next step was to leave the house for a short period and return. Each trip becomes longer. Laura was able to leave for 15 seconds before Scooby started whining. Victoria asked her to return once the dog calmed down.
Victoria brought lots of toys for Scooby. They are not just ordinary chew toys. They are filled with treats and designed to keep dogs occupied.
The trainer put Scooby and Laura to the test once more. Laura left the house while Scooby was busy with his toy. The goal was to keep Scooby occupied for two minutes without inducing panic. The experiment was successful, and Scooby remained calm for three minutes.
Video courtesy of It’s Me or The Dog via YouTube.
