Technology in Separation Anxiety Training
When working with Separation Anxiety we rely heavily on technology, in order to monitor your dog and their progress. We are going to dive into different options for viewing your dog, where to set up a camera for best viewing and spreadsheets for tracking data.
First thing we need to do is decide what device we would like to use for viewing your dog. Here are some we commonly use:
Wyze Cam: I am biased to the Wyze camera, it is truly my favorite. It's the easiest I have found to set up, connect an app on your phone and share access to anyone who needs to view your dog. It is priced at $45 CAD on Amazon and ships fairly quickly. There is no subscription fee to using the Wyze camera. They have an option to pay for storage but you can super easily take photos and videos that save to your phone so there is no need to pay for storage.
Zoom/Laptop: You can use your laptop connected to your Zoom personal meeting room and your phone also connected in the same room (yes you can Zoom with yourself) works as well. Although using this method is easy we have to be mindful about the laptop being set up becoming a pre departure cue for the dog. With a stand alone camera you basically set it up somewhere once and never move it again, whereas with your laptop you’ll only set it up before a session and move it after you’re finished. The trick to this is you have to set up the laptop 5-20 mins before you begin the session and not touch it again, this way your dog will be less likely to associate laptop equals a session is about to happen. It works just fine but it adds more time to you getting the session done.
Furbo: Way too expensive for what you get and we will not use the treat tosser ever, unless you already have one I wouldn’t suggest it.
Little Elf Camera: I have found many issues with this camera cutting out and shutting down on clients. It is so important our tech is reliable so this is another I don’t suggest.
In summary of cameras, I love the Wyze camera and haven’t found any issues or found a stand alone camera that works anywhere near as well. The Zoom/Laptop method works just as well but you will be adding time to your protocol being sure it doesn’t become a pre departure cue.
Next, we want to touch on what view we are looking for. When we start I often find clients stressing about this because they aren’t sure how to set it up so we can see every area of the home. Don’t worry if we can’t see your dog at all times. Typically separation anxiety dogs will go to the door if they are anxious so that's usually the best place to view. You’ll need the camera facing closer to the floor so we can see what your dog is doing at the door. If your dog goes out of view from the camera don’t fret. You can always come back early if you hear them vocalizing or pacing, in my experience I find if they are anxious they are usually at the door but that's not always the case.
Lastly, and my personal favorite benefit of technology and separation anxiety training is keeping data. As soon as you begin any protocol with your dog we highly suggest keeping data on their progress from the start. Google Sheets is a free service where you can create spreadsheets and update them in real time. The sheet we use for our program is quite complex and in depth but to get started you just need to create something simple. The most important sheet I would suggest creating what we call a “data tracking” sheet where you can add in details about the session you conducted. Across the top of the sheet you will want to create columns for details like the date, day of week, time you conducted your session, who was part of the session, how long was the longest duration, how much exercise your dog had and a rating scale of 1-3 on how well your dog did. There are lots of other variables you can add in, these are just the basic ones we suggest. Fill in one row each day you do a session. Once you have some data you can start creating charts and sorting your data to look for trends on when your dog does best and what areas you need to work on more.
I truly don’t know how anyone worked with separation anxiety before we had technology. It is a vice in many senses but I am sure glad we can utilize it to help dogs with separation anxiety recover.