Abby is a beautiful 6 year old Weimaraner. Her owners called me in to help them learn the ins and outs of walking and crate training, and Abby responded very well to my methods and her owners reinforcement applied over a consistent period of time.

Many times I work with dogs whose backgrounds are somewhat known and somewhat unknown, and it's important during sessions with dogs who have an unknown background to observe any missing links. I noticed that Abby has some beginning signs of separation anxiety, most likely from being moved from one home to another recently.

Separation anxiety has numerous levels and it can be a tough topic to bring up, so this is why I always teach: 1) exercise 2) discipline 3) affection. When people see with their own eyes that their dog is happier to receive affection after exercise and discipline, it's much easier to discuss the necessary elements in dismantling separation anxiety.

Dogs respond to the environment in which they are put. This is amazing news because we are responsible for changing their environment and we can therefore change the way they behave. However, this needs to be a simultaneous reward and consequence based system. Dogs will always reproduce rewarded behaviors, which is why even separation anxiety can become a "self fulfilling prophecy" type behavior. Similarly, they will have ample incentive to discontinue behaviors that are corrected, so both are equally important.

Abby responded beautifully to my methods and her owners implementation of my suggestions. Great job, everyone!