Applying Learning Theory to Separation Anxiety

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My dog Cooper, a fluffy little Maltese Shih Tzu, has been struggling with something that’s honestly been tough on both of us: separation anxiety. For most of his life, I was home doing online school, so he got used to me being around 24/7. Now that I’m going out more to classes and just daily life, he’s having a hard time adjusting. I get it. Change is hard, even for dogs.

The moment I grab my keys or put on my shoes, Cooper starts to panic. He paces, whines, and scratches at the door. At first, I felt helpless but learning about operant conditioning in the psychology of learning class, and reading about it in Gibeault’s (2020) article for the American Kennel Club, gave me some tools to start helping him.

The article explains that positive reinforcement, rewarding a dog for calm behavior is one of the most effective ways to shape responses over time. I’ve been giving Cooper treats when he stays relaxed while I move around or step outside briefly. I also use classical conditioning by reworking the meaning of my "leaving cues." I pick up my keys without going anywhere and toss him a treat, so he starts associating that sound with something positive instead of panic.

It’s not an overnight fix. Some days are better than others but now I understand that, just like humans, dogs learn through patterns and emotional associations. Seeing how concepts like reinforcement and conditioning actually play out in real life has been eye-opening.

Cooper’s progress has been slow but meaningful and through helping him, psychology of learning isn’t just academic, it’s something I use every day with the beings I love most.

Source:
Gibeault, S. (2020, May 18). Positive Reinforcement Dog Training: The Science Behind Operant Conditioning. American Kennel Club. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/operant-conditioning-positive-reinforcement-dog-training/

Comments

  1. Annalise LacovaraJune 2, 2025 at 5:29 PM

    First of all, Cooper is adorable! Second of all, I think this is a great way to work on reducing his separation anxiety. Classical conditioning is such an interesting phenomenon and it's great to see how it can be beneficial for him.

    ReplyDelete

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