7 Reasons you need an indoor camera for separation anxiety training

When it comes to overcoming separation anxiety, training can look a little bit different.

We’re not looking for perfect obedience or impressive heeling. All we’re looking for your dog to be completely relaxed when you leave the house.

To do this, an indoor camera is essential, because how else will you be able to monitor what your dog is doing when you’re not there?

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1 – It allows you to observe your dog’s behaviour when you’re not there

When training separation anxiety, we need to make sure that your dog isn’t having any stressful or fearful experiences while they’re home alone. The whole point of the training is that we’re building up “safe” experiences of being home alone so that they have bank of evidence that it’s not really that scary.

An indoor security camera allows you to monitor your dog’s body language and behaviour when you leave, so you’re able to see how they’re coping, end a training session if they’re signalling that they’re starting to feel uncomfortable, and identify any triggers or patterns that might be hindering their progress.

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2 – You can measure your dog’s progress over time

Having an indoor camera will help you to see how your dog’s behaviour changes and progresses over time. This not only provides you with useful information on your dog, but can also be incredibly motivating when you realise how far you’ve come!

Being able to compare footage will also help in evaluating the effectiveness of anything different that could be effecting your training. For example, seeing how your dog copes on various medications, or comparing their body language and behaviour when they are left with background sounds such as white noise vs without.

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3 – It gives immediate feedback

Being able to monitor your dog in realtime mean that as soon as you observe any signs that your dog is feeling uncomfortable, you can reenter and make sure that it doesn’t escalate ad adapt your training accordingly. This is important as every fearful experience where the dog goes over threshold strengthens a neural pathway that tells the dog being home alone is scary.

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4 – It can help when working with a separation anxiety trainer

Video footage can be invaluable when working with a separation anxiety dog trainer or veterinary behaviourist as they might be spot subtle things that you may have missed. Being able to share recordings with them will provide a clearer picture of your dog’s behaviour which allows them to offer more accurate advice and tailored strategies that work at your dog’s pace.

All that said, what we don’t want is your dog purposely put in a fearful state just so that we can see their response, it’s not necessary and much better for your dog and their learning if we can prevent any more bad experiences home alone!

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5 – It can reduce your separation anxiety!

Speaking from experience, leaving your dog with separation anxiety home alone can be stressful for you as an owner. Not only are you worried about your dog and how they’re coping, but you may also be worried about your flooring, doorways or furniture if they’ve displayed destructive or eliminating / vomiting behaviour in the past.

An indoor camera provides peace of mind, allowing you to check on your dog and make sure they’re calm and safe at all times.

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6 – You can more easily identify environmental stressors

Monitoring an indoor security camera for your dog’s separation anxiety will mean you can more easily spot any external factors that may be hindering your dog’s progress. Loud noises, bangs, unexpected visitors or deliveries or other pets or people in the street can all be triggers that unsettle and cause stress to your dog. By identifying them, we can take steps to mitigate against them and create a more calming environment that allows your dog to resettle if they’re disturbed.

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7 – It’s safer

If your dog does have a tendency to be destructive when left home alone, the indoor camera will help prevent any dangerous behaviour as you’re able to intervene before it escalates.

Furthermore, when you’re not training your dog, you’ll have a home CCTV system set up, and most offer motion detection and recording, giving you extra security and peace of mind when you and your dog go on holiday!

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In conclusion

Overall, an indoor camera is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your separation anxiety training toolbox. The realtime monitoring and recording of your dog’s body language and behaviour is invaluable in taking positive steps to overcome their separation anxiety, helping you to better plan your training sessions, make informed decisions and ultimately, help your dog to feel happier home alone.

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