09 Jun Navigating the change of season
Spring is one of my favorite seasons. More so since I moved to a location where the season change is so exuberant and seasons are so distinct from one another. Spring brings a promise of hope, new fresh air, more light into the world, softness, color back to the world.
But spring also means change. A transition from one thing to another. And as we know, separation anxiety dogs tend to have difficulties to handle change, no matter if it’s positive or negative. Adjusting to something new, to a different scenario, can often make things harder for the dog in general, and as a consequence also impact their separation anxiety training.
There are a lot of reasons why the change of season can be challenging for a separation anxiety dog:
CHANGE IS JUST HARD
Spring can often lead to changes in our routines. Perhaps we spend more time outside. Walking time is different as it gets hot during the day and is cooler, but still clear outside later in the day. We often engage in more activities outside, maybe bringing our dog to a restaurant patio or a concert in the park. The beach that we walked on during winter time now is crowded with people and kids playing. Sounds outside our house increase as people and their kids and dogs are out and about. We may take some days off work, changing what our routine usually looks like year round.
All of this may make the dog wonder what to expect, and it may require more energy to feel grounded, to adapt, to stay flexible.
WHEN WAS THAT SUPPOSE TO HAPPEN?
As the hours of light increase, noises outside that used to happen when it was dark outside now happen when it’s clear. Meal time happens when the outside world looks and sounds different than before, what’s even more pronounced by the beginning of daylight saving time. Why are we walking earlier? Why is breakfast time earlier? Why are you leaving for work earlier? Why our separation training is done at a different time than before?
It might take a while to grow used to these difference, and although we dismiss them as just parts of the year moving forward and normal things human do, for a dog who is tuned to nature cycles and not to the watches we wear in our wrists, these concepts and changes can be quite hard to reconcile.
IT’S HOT OUT THERE!
Some dogs can be very sensitive to heat. It can wipe them out during the day, leading to an outburst of energy when the day cools off. Your choice of training time might make a great difference in how that session goes, depending on how energetic the dog feels and how ready they are to finally go for a walk.
The lack of energy during the day due to the heat can also mask the performance of a training session by making it look great, when in fact it was all about the heat and not necessarily true relaxation.
Heat can also change preferences on where to hang out. A dog who used to always lie down on a specific bed when doing absence training might now start choosing a cooler spot, perhaps with no direct sight to the door that the guardian leaves through, which may trigger the dog to move more during training because of the lack of visual access.
MEDICAL CHALLENGES
Most of us have struggled with allergies during spring. Some of us are affected by the increase of humidity in the environment (if like me, you live in an area where summers are terribly humid). Dogs, similar to us can also struggle with medical conditions that spring from the change of season or are worsen by spring and its changes.
Discomfort can affect behavior. Being successful at a challenging training session when the dog has other things in their mind, such as their body feeling extremely uncomfortable won’t set things up for success. Oftentimes, training will be the last drop and go over the amount the dog can tolerate at this time, leading to regressions or inconsistencies in training.
MAKE THE UNSEEN BE SEEN
As you track the everyday flow of your training sessions as well as the dog’s daily preferences for food intake, level of activity and any important aspects of the dog’s daily life, you will be able to make connections. Previously unknown fluctuations throughout the year will become visible, and what seemed to not have made any sense before, will start making sense.
Maybe during the winter the dog will like to lie down in a cozy bed that allows them to see the door, but perhaps during the summer under the dining table will become their new favorite location, which doesn’t have clear sight to the door and prompts them to get up earlier during absences.
You may see that missions during the day go very smoothly because the dog is wiped out due to the heat, but evening missions don’t go well because at that time the dog is finally up and ready for their walk.
You may see a lack of appetite due to the heat, which may affect at some level how the dog performs during training sessions.
Even though these scenarios may not be perfect or what we would consider ideal, and even though they might affect our progress, seeing the information laid out in a tracking sheet will provide a real understanding of what’s going on. Rather than panicking by thinking that we are facing an unknown regression that we don’t know how to address, we will know that this is a normal season change and we will rely on the trend to stay calm and see this as a normal fluctuation that we know how it unfolds.
SUPPORT YOUR DOG MEDICALLY
Although seasonal behavioral changes are common and in many cases are fueled by the environment differences, that doesn’t mean that we should assume that this is the only possible root cause.
A medical checkup is advisable to make sure there aren’t any underlying medical conditions that might be aggravated by the change of season, or new medical struggles that have just arisen and that we are confusing for something else. From allergies to GI issues, pain and more, we know that physical discomfort will have an impact on behavior.
Adjusting behavior meds might be appropriate at a time like this, if we found that the season change affects the dog’s ability to make progress.
BE PROACTIVE
If you have already used your data tracking system to find out that the change of season is challenging for your dog, and you have learned your dog’s triggers, you can use that information to set things up for success ahead of time, before you even have to navigate the challenge itself. This can prevent your dog from feeling uncomfortable whatsoever and you can wade the waters of a potential regression without ending up soaking wet!
For example, if you know your dog will have challenges adjusting to the start of daylight saving times because in their mind you will be leaving earlier in the morning when you do your mission, you can move the time of your departure gradually, starting before the clocks change and easing them into the new time. If that’s not possible you can make the durations of those absences shorter for the first few weeks, so even though the time is earlier than what they are used to, the session is easier.
Another example would be that, knowing that the dog will start choosing a different place to lie down, maybe one that doesn’t help their cause, you can set up sessions in which the criteria is fluid and varies depending on where the dog chooses to rest that day. This way, no matter their choice of the day, they will have the opportunity to be successful.
Find a time of the day to do training when you know the dog will likely be more successful during this season, at least for a while and until the season has turned and the dog seems more comfortable about it.
The ultimate message is that we want our dog to succeed. We are not trying to “test” them. We want to set them up for success so they can feel rewarded and empowered, confident to then cross more challenging bridges. So whatever setting them up for success looks like at this stage is fair and needed to provide support and allow them to make progress. Easier training, geared to a specific time of the day only, med support, a break from training for a couple of weeks, the sky is the limit. And data tracking will provide the information you need to make that decision wisely.
BE PATIENT AND DANCE WITH THE CURVES OF PROGRESS
Ha! Patience. What a concept. We all know we need it but we all feel challenged, in one way or another, when we have to face it ourselves. Patience is hard, more so when it involves big sacrifices and not an instant return.
Separation anxiety training progress isn’t linear, which means that the reward ahead can escape our sight. It’s hard to keep hoping when things seem to become more and more difficult, and when nothing seems to be working.
Even though patience is still patience and always challenging, having an understanding of a dog’s trend, and an idea of the curvy nature of progress allows us to feel more at peace and confident with our approach, as well as to stay positive and hopeful. Knowing that this isn’t a sprint but a marathon and having awareness of the parts that are more challenging and the reasons behind will help us keep our pace steady and our hopes up. Because if we keep going we will get there. And when we look back we will see how strong we were, and how our fortitude allowed us to help our dog feel safe, healthy and loved.