Polite Paws - separation anxiety specialist

Polite Paws - separation anxiety specialist Associate Clinical Animal Behaviourist, Separation anxiety specialist and Dynamic Dog Practitioner (specialising in recognising signs of pain in dogs)

Polite Paws specialises in Separation Anxiety (CSAT) and provides qualified, friendly, professional and effective dog training and behaviour services in Surrey. We use only modern, kind and science based methods.www.politepawsdogtraining.co.uk

04/06/2026

How a dog moves is SO important, tells us SO much and can have a considerable knock on effect, potentially resulting in more issues. Not only does it tell us whether there is potentially any pain or restriction, but if a dog IS moving in an unusual way, extra strain will be placed on other areas of the musculoskeltal system.

Take me....I've recently been to see an amazing podiatrist who assessed the entire way I move. My feet turn out when I walk, which causes my knees to twist in, my calves are extremely tight which has a knock on effect on my hamstrings and lower back, meaning my left hip is lower than my right hip and my lower back is impacted, which is why I have sciatica on the right hand side. It's all connected!

And quite frankly, although I'd still have had knee issues because part is due to how they developed, I can't have wish I knew about this guy (or even that this kind of thing existed) 20 or more years ago as I've no doubt I could have minimised the damage to my knees. It's now going to be a long process to gradually address the issues but will result in much better movement and less strain on my knees, hopefully meaning knee replacements are pushed further back (they terrifying the bejeezus out of me!!)

This got me thinking (again) about dogs....the same applies. To often "quirky" or "unusual" movement is shrugged off or ignored....but the movement of my feet when I walk looks so subtle, but has a huge impact. And if your dog is moving in an unusual way, the impact on other areas of their musculoskeltal system could be huge!

If your dog also has behaviour concerns, this is even MORE important too ....remember that any discomfort impacts behaviour.

So once again this is your PSA to get your dog's movement and posture assessed!! If you're local I have someone I can highly recommend so get in touch!

01/06/2026

One of the things I often hear is that people think, or are told, that their dog will "grow out of" their separation anxiety, or "get used to it" if they're left enough times.

But separation anxiety (or more accurately, isolation distress) is an emotional response to a stimuli that that dog finds scary (being alone). Exposing them to that scary thing over and over, at a level that induces that fear and anxiety, is NOT going to "get them over it", and it is not something a dog will "grow out of".

If your dog is distressed every time you leave them alone, MORE alone time at that level is NOT the answer......we need to be following a structured plan, set for that dog which aims to slowly show them being alone is safe....which also means NOT leaving them long enough for them to feel worried at all.

So stop waiting for your dog to grow out of their separation anxiety. They won't. Instead focus on helping them work through it in the right way.

Comment "Separation Anxiety" and I'll send you my free guide. Follow for more tips that will actually help!

🤴It's been an absolute true pleasure working with Martin and Kate with adorable little Duke! A genuinely lovely couple w...
29/05/2026

🤴It's been an absolute true pleasure working with Martin and Kate with adorable little Duke! A genuinely lovely couple who could not adore there cute little dog any more than they do!

🐶As the review says, early on I noticed some gait and postural adaptations that could indicate potential pain, and on looking at the evidence and my observations, Duke's lovely vet agreed and he was put on pain medication.

That not only improved some of the postural adaptations considerably, but it also led to Duke being (in the words of Kate) "more sprightly" and making more progress in his separation anxiety training.

❗THIS is why I am SO passionate about the role pain plays in behaviour. Nobody wants their dog to be in pain, but pain is so often missed and it is often a key contributing factor to behavioural concerns.

I can't wait to see Duke progress even further! 👑

✍️Lovely review from Catherine with Maisie the Cockapoo! I've loved helping this lovely lady get her life back!Catherine...
26/05/2026

✍️Lovely review from Catherine with Maisie the Cockapoo! I've loved helping this lovely lady get her life back!

Catherine lives in Spain 🇪🇸....and she was really struggling with being unable to leave the house. In the cooler months it was OK because she would take Maisie with her in the car to do things like the school run (with 3 kids at different schools), but coming into summer it is illegal (rightly so!) to leave dogs in cars. Catherine was really struggling with logistics of doing the school runs because she also couldn't take Maisie out of the car TO the school due to school regulations.

Temperatures in Spain recently have been mid 30's and Catherine is now able to do the school runs while Maisie sleeps at home! In fact Maisie is now consistently able to remain home alone for around an hour and a half....meaning the family's life is opened up so much more!

Like 👍this post if you'd like to get to where Catherine is now....and book a FREE call with me via the link in my bio to find how I can help you and your dog.

23/05/2026

It happens all the time.....the weather heats up and all of a sudden your dog struggles more with their separation anxiety.

And you're left confused and not understanding WHY things have taken a step back...you're tracking variables like time of day, amount of exercise etc, but haven't considered the impact of the weather.

But there are multiple reasons why increase in temperatures can massive variation in their separation anxiety training

1️⃣ The heat makes a lot of dogs really uncomfortable (and humans! I hate it unless I'm on holiday!)...this raises their overall stress level, making it much harder to cope with stressors such as alone time.

2️⃣ The heat often mean dogs don't get as much sleep (think about how much harder sleep is for us in the heat). Sleep is essential for physical and mental wellbeing, and lack of sleep can result in an increase in anxiety.

3️⃣ During the hot weather exercise is usually restricted (rightly so).....and some dogs struggle more with their separation anxiety training if they haven't had a certain amount of exercise/mental enrichment. Walks often happen very early before the day heats up, leaving a lot of the day "relaxing". So sometimes it may not specially be the heat causing variation, but the change of routine.

So with the current high temperatures be sure to expect potential "ups and downs" with your separation anxiety dog, and try not to let it get you down. Reduce criteria to allow for it and to optimise chances of success......or have a break! Sometimes a few more days off than is normal is far more beneficial than forging on with the protocol when you're dog isn't coping.

Are any of you finding your dog's behaviour has changed in the hot weather? Comment in the comments and like and save this post!

Address

Dorking
RH41

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 12pm

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+447834167376

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