Regressions and plateaus are a reality when we are doing behaviour modification. They are frustrating and difficult when they happen, but they are a normal part of separation anxiety training.
Here you are working through your separation anxiety training program. Everything is going well. Your progress is slow, but you are making progress. You are starting to feel confident that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And then it happens! You hit a wall. Suddenly there is no forward movement. You can’t build any duration. You bounce up and down around the same level, or worse, you go backwards. You have hit the dreaded plateau or regression. These setbacks can be soul-destroying. You begin to question the process. You start to doubt that you will ever get there. Your mind starts to go to the dark place of ‘what-ifs.’ What if we can’t fix this? What if I can’t keep my dog? What if….?
Everything has fallen apart. Nothing’s working anymore, and you lose confidence – in your dog and the process. Your dog seemed to have been gaining some confidence, but now it appears they are just as worried and ‘needy’ as they were when you first started! ‘What’s going on here?? Ugh, we were doing so well!’ There seems to be this speed bump in the learning process that causes a hiccup when you reach a certain point. It’s like both dogs and humans lose oomph. Our motivation has left without a goodbye wave, and we have trouble convincing it to return.
Regression and plateaus happen. They can happen more than once through the training process. They can happen if the dog is on behaviour medication and when they are not. They can happen slowly, or they can happen without warning and fast. They can happen when you are doing everything right. They happen, and when they do, it is so frustrating.
What is a regression?
Regression is a setback in training. It is when your dog previously was doing great and now can’t be left for hardly any time at all. I don’t know what is more soul-destroying – hitting a regression early in training or after you have achieved some freedom. Early regressions are hard because you are slogging through the early stages of training, questioning whether you will ever be able to leave your dog alone, and a regression happens. You haven’t even gotten out of the gates and are already going backwards. A regression happening later is just as bad. By this time, you have built up some time and maybe cautiously optimistic that the worst is behind you and BAM!!!, now your dog can’t be left for a fraction of the time. Both types of regressions happen, and none of them are fun.
What is a plateau?
A plateau, while less dramatic, is no less hard to navigate. A plateau means you have hit a limit. No matter what you do, you have hit the ceiling of what your dog can achieve. You bounce up and down but just can’t seem to achieve a longer duration.
What does this all mean?
While frustrating, regressions are normal and honestly expected in this type of training. I get a little nervous if I get a long run without a regression. Blips in training happen and often more than once. Variation and volatility are expected and normal. If you don’t experience this, that’s wonderful! If you do, take heart: It’s perfectly normal.
How do you avoid regressions?
The short answer is we can’t altogether avoid them. It is part of the learning process. We can do things to reduce the chance of them occurring.
- Threshold1 is everything. From the first day I work with a client, it is all about understanding and knowing your dog’s threshold. Adjustments are needed if the dog can no longer achieve the duration or difficulty the dog is used to.
- We intentionally build in hard and easy days. I will build in easy wins a lot!! This helps to avoid sensitization2. An analogy is training for a marathon. Our training plan is not to do a long run every day. If we did that, we would get injured. The training plan includes hard and easy days, rest days, cross-training, and balancing everything with good nutrition and self-care such as massage. If you think of separation training the same way, we will focus on hard and easy days, rest days, good nutrition and overall wellness, enrichment and exercise.
- Follow the plan and TRUST THE PROCESS. Follow the instructions and resist the temptation to go longer because your dog is doing great. I always want to finish a training exercise knowing the dog could have gone just a little longer. It is a bit of dance finding the right balance but pushing the dog beyond their current threshold is a recipe for disaster.
- Going longer every day you train because your dog is doing great is a risky approach.
- Be honest in your notetaking. If you see your dog showing anxiety, take note. The training plan needs to be tweaked. Downplaying these concerns means we risk increasing the duration when the dog isn’t ready for it. Remember, if in doubt, record/video your sessions and watch the replay. Be honest with what you are observing.
- Track the data. Know the situations that are easier for them. Is the time of day a factor? Or is it who leaves? What stressors is the dog experiencing that day? In sudden regression situations, we do need to dig deeper.
- Consider behaviour medications. If we can help the dog remain relaxed by using medications, then they are relaxed enough to learn. Being anxious all the time is no way to live. Putting your dog on medication can be a big deal, but the calm dog you see after medications is what your dog should be like when they aren’t anxious. Behaviour medications should not be considered a last resort. If your dog is already on meds, it may be necessary to do a medical recheck and make an adjustment. Getting the right medication dose and type right the first time is rare. It is a unicorn scenario.
- Ensure that the dog’s needs are being met. This means they are getting breed-appropriate exercise, enrichment that is actually enriching, and appropriate rest and sleep. Dogs need more quality sleep than they actually get, particularly in busy homes.
What does normal separation anxiety training look like?
That’s the million-dollar question. Dog training is very much the ‘study of one’3. Every dog is different; every family is different; every household is different; every schedule is different, and everyone has different lifestyles, commitments, budgets, and timelines. The charts below pictorially reflect the difference between how we think it will go and what the messy reality looks like.
And to see what the messy reality looks like, check out the chart of some of my actual clients from a couple of years ago. This chart reflects actual clients at the time and their stage in the behaviour modification process. It includes clients who had just started and those who had worked at it for a while. It is a mix of clients on medications and not. The intent of showing you this is to show you that:
- Volatility is part of the process.
- No dog is the same.
It is important to remember that separation anxiety takes time to resolve. A general rule of thumb based on the average of hundreds of cases is that you can expect it to take six months to achieve 2-3 hours of absence.
So, when the regression happens, I want you to repeat to yourself – ‘This is normal. This is expected. This is good because it means my dog is learning. We’ve got this!’ Trust the process and have patience. The fog will lift, and you and your dog will be on track again. Going in with the expectation that regressions will happen and to expect it helps soften the blow when they do.
Definitions:
1 Threshold – What difficulty and duration your dog can currently do…comfortably!
2 Sensitization – Your dog beginning to predict that everything time you leave, it is going to be harder and more challenging. The dog’s progress stalls because they predict they will be pushed beyond what they are currently able to do.
3 Dr. Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology at Utah State University. Dr. Friedman explains that when we are looking at behaviour, it is a ‘study of one’. Only the animal in front of you matters, and the key to changing behaviour is changing the conditions for that animal.