A student emailed me recently saying that she and some colleagues were wondering how to help their dogs cope with home-alone time on holiday. Great question!

To avoid my answer being too long, I’m going to divide my answer into three parts:

• my first blog was about dogs with SA and can be accessed here,
• this second blog is about using the Promise wherever you are,
• and my third blog will be about dogs who don’t necessarily have SA at home, but may still struggle when suddenly in a new environment.

Using the Promise on Holiday

As home-alone training is very context-dependent, it’s usually better to take a break away from desensitization training when you travel to a different environment. However one thing you can always keep up wherever you go is the Promise.

The Promise is the hand and verbal signal we give our dogs before we stand up and go somewhere in the house for anything up to around 30 seconds. e.g. when you get a glass of water or a cup of coffee, just go briefly to the toilet, or get a pullover, that sort of thing.

You’ll find more details on the Promise in the Guides, but it is basically a signal to let your dog know in advance you’re going to move.  It takes the burden off them of guessing your intentions from your movements, which only makes them hyper-vigilant.

Make sure you give the hand signal (which the dog doesn’t associate with any sort of command) and the verbal signal e.g. ‘I promise I’ll be right back!’ (or anything your dog doesn’t associate with you leaving) a few seconds before you stand up, not simultaneously. This gives your dog the chance to process what you’re about to do.

Predictability is always very reassuring, and it is absolutely vital for dogs with fear issues. Knowing what will happen, and learning that your moving is nothing to worry about, is a game-changer for many dogs. We use it during the training, but these little moments in everyday life are extra learning opportunities.

I dubbed the signal the Promise, to distinguish it from a command. It is not a command to the dog to stay put. If the dog needs to follow you, then they will follow you. However if you use the Promise consistently, every time you stand up and do something for just a few seconds, then you’ll find your dog will quickly learn it’s not worth bothering to stand up because you’re practically on your way back already. I also called it the Promise to remind ourselves that we must always keep it.

That’s a courtesy we should really accord to all dogs, in fact, wherever we are. Just getting that little heads-up about what we’re about to do next, and that they needn’t get involved, is so reassuring and relaxing for them.

I will share more tips for holiday time with your SA dog in my next blog post! 

Stay tuned!