I hear many dog owners concerned that their dogs can tell the difference between separation anxiety training and real-life departures. I understand how that makes you worried that you’re never going to be able to leave your dog for real.   In this episode, I explain what exactly is going on with training versus real life and why it's not really a problem. I will also share some tips on how you can get out of the door for real. Topics: [01:22] On not knowing what dogs are thinking [01:34] Modern dog training does not revolve around assuming what dogs know and think [02:00] How modern dog training is all about going with what we observe [02:31] On body language giving us an idea of the dog's emotional state [02:43] Modern dog training is all about outcomes, evidence, and observation [05:27] What our dogs are probably thinking if we were to know what's going on inside their heads [06:15] How to gauge if training is working and if the dog is learning [07:52] Why your differentiating the scary absences from the good ones is vital [08:36] How being in control of the thing that scares your dog when doing separation anxiety training in empowering [10:32] Translating training into real life [11:30] Managing the training set-up and environment [13:06] About what dog trainers call “cold trials” and how these help with real-life absences