Don’t we need to see the behavior to know how to change it?Before I decided to specialize exclusively in separation anxiety, I fielded this question a lot. Many of my clients with aggressive dogs in particular strongly believed that I needed to see Fido snapping at visitors to successfully change the behavior. The case can certainly be made (as I did many times) that it isn’t necessary (or ethical) to put dogs and people in danger and risk a bite solely for the purpose of observation. Especially when we can safely and accurately surmise why Fido would do such a thing and what the best course of action would be without pushing a dog past their threshold. But what about for separation anxiety dogs? As my special guest and mentor Malena DeMartini and I discuss in this episode, we strongly believe in the importance of an initial absence assessment before embarking on a home alone protocol. We take a deep dive in all things initial assessments: what they are, why they are important, and how to conduct them. In this episode of the Believe in Your Dog Podcast, you will learn:  How we define an initial absence assessmentWhy we believe they are absolutely critical in establishing a baseline and understanding an individual dog’s suite of behaviorsWhat specific tools are needed to conduct an initial assessmentEnvironmental interventions to consider prior to the assessmentAll things camera set-up and positioning, including my personal favorite camera for separation anxiety trainingHow to know when it’s time to stop the assessmentWhat to look for and measure during and after the assessmentWhat to do and not do when you return homeAnd so much more! Resources mentioned in this episode:Malena’s websiteMalena on InstagramMalena on FacebookSchedule an initial assessment with a CSATLearn more about Mission Possible, Malena’s DIY online training course.  Use coupon code CSAT50 for $50 off.Malena’s bookWyze cam:https://www.wyze.com/How to watch and record your assessment using ZoomGreeting research that we talked about:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787820300460If your dog doesn’t have SA/something else happened in the assessment:https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2016/12/how-to-choose-dog-trainer.html