Certified separation anxiety training and dog behavior consultations
When your dog’s anxiety is running your life — panicking when you leave, destroying the house, reacting on walks, or showing aggression that keeps escalating — generic training often isn’t enough. I’m Maria Carini, a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT) and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), and I look beyond the visible behavior to understand what’s actually driving it, using science-based methods that don’t rely on fear or punishment. Remote sessions in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
*Available online worldwide and in person in Europe.
Certified & Recognized By
Complex canine anxiety, addressed two ways
Whether your dog panics the moment you leave, or the fear shows up as reactivity, aggression, or trouble adapting, it’s the same underlying specialty.
Before I recommend a plan, I look at the whole picture — behavior, body, environment, and routine. An anxious or reactive dog is rarely explained by one simple cause.
Separation Anxiety
- Why does my dog cry when I leave the house?
- How do I stop my dog from destroying things when I’m gone?
- My dog panics when I leave, is this separation anxiety?
- Why does my dog follow me everywhere before I leave?
As a certified separation anxiety trainer, I focus on gradual confidence building and settling support. I help you guide your dog to feel safe and confident when home alone. Through step-by-step, science-based techniques, we reduce your dog’s anxiety and build emotional security, so you can leave the house knowing they’re calm and relaxed.
Complex Anxiety & Reactive Behavior
- Why is my dog scared of everything all of a sudden?
- Why does my dog bark and lunge at other dogs?
- Why is my dog reactive on walks but fine at home?
- How do I know if my dog needs professional help vs. just training?
A dog can show leash reactivity, fear-based aggression, or signs of a traumatic past, but we look at what’s beyond the surface. I combine behavior assessments, underlying factors, and cognitive enrichment to give you and your dog long-lasting results, so your dog can thrive in the real world.
Which kind of support fits your dog?
Anxiety can show up in different ways. See which situation sounds most familiar.
| Separation Anxiety |
Complex Anxiety & Reactive Behavior |
|
|---|---|---|
| It may look like… | Your dog’s biggest struggle happens when you leave or prepare to leave. | Fear or anxiety shows up across everyday situations such as walks, visitors, dogs, people or new environments. |
| Common signs |
|
|
| The goal | Build your dog’s ability to cope with being alone without pushing them into panic. | Understand what may be driving the behavior, reduce escalation and make everyday life easier. |
| How we approach it | Gradual, individualized desensitization with regular review and support. | Look at the whole picture: behavior, history, emotional state, environment, routine and relevant physical context. |
Not sure which sounds like your dog? That’s okay.
A call where we will talk through what’s going on with your dog, what you’ve already tried, and which path, if Separation Anxiety or Complex Anxiety Coaching, fits best with you
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes — and remote training is actually the best practice for separation anxiety.
Training and medication aren’t either/or, they often work best together. I’m not a veterinarian and can’t prescribe medication, but I can help you recognize when a vet or veterinary behaviorist consult may be worth exploring alongside training.
Yes — it is aboslutely important that we suspend absences and that your pup is not left alone until we have built a good amount of comfort around alone time. Training sessions are short and easy (no more than 20 minutes each time) to fit into daily life. But do not worry! As long as your pup is not left alone, it can be you or anyone else you trust staying with him or her. I can brainstorm different options and help you with this key part of the process.
Every dog is different, so giving a potential timeframe would be outward lying. We usually offer to start with a 4 week package in which we deploy a protocol that includes 4 trainings per week and one reassessment. After this initial 4 weeks, we usually take a call with the client to see how to move forward. At the end, the idea is to make sure your dog learns to be comfortable alone, not to put up with it.
Yes, when there’s a clear plan in place. Part of the initial assessment is understanding exactly what happened and building safety measures, like management strategies, muzzle training if needed, around that specific history.
No. Dogs of any age can benefit from training; puppies that start early may avoid long-term anxiety, and older dogs can still learn new patterns
All dogs are different so we can’t say they will display the same behaviors but some common ones are barking/howling, destruction (chewing, scratching), house-soiling, pacing, drooling, and attempts to escape when they are left alone. But this is not the only way to determine this. We will start with an initial assessment where I will watch your dog live after you leave your house to determine if they are uncomfortable alone.
Absolutely no! There was nothing you did or did not do as a dog owner/dog parent to cause separation distress in your dog. Rest assure of this. What we know from science is that mammals have types of attachment – these can be secure or insecure, and we know that they can be based on past traumas and life experiences. We know that separation anxiety is deeply related to the type of attachment your dog may have which is not a reflection of your love and care for them.
What people are saying about Fluent Fido:
Great
Trustpilot
about 8 months ago
Maria: un supporto eccezionale
Maria è un'ottima professionista, competente e preparata. Non si ferma alla risoluzione di un problema, ma si impegna per capirne al meglio la causa. Noi e il nostro Lagotto Ugo la ringraziamo molto per il supporto.
about 7 months ago
Fluent Fido es la mejor!
Fluent Fido es la mejor!! Tuve problemas de comportamiento con mi pastor alemán. Los paseos se tornaban una tortura porque tiraba todo el tiempo de su correa y ladraba a los autos. Dependiendo del día muchas veces ladraba a los perros también y era muy díficil disfrutar un paseo. Luego de educarlo con refuerzos positivos, gracias a Fluent Fido, logramos tener paseos muchísimo más tranquilos, sin tirones de correa, ni ladridos. Gracias por todo!!! Recomiendo 100% sus servicios
about 4 months ago
Helping Dolly with seperation anxiety
We've been working with Maria since we adopted our cocker spaniel Dolly. She came from a home with four dogs and has initially struggled to be left alone for even the shortest period of time. Maria is clearly very knowledgeable and has worked closely with us to build Dolly's confidence and give us the tools to build on what we have achieved so far. Her friendly and structured approach has made it a pleasure to work with her and we would highly recommend her services.
about 4 months ago
Excellent Dogcare
I was on holiday near Mailand and decided to bring my rescue puppy to Maria and her husband. My puppy has some issues due to being a rescue and Maria handeled her super. She also gave me really good tips which I am now trying to do at home. She also made the cutest pictures of my dog. I felt very relaxed leaving my puppy with her, so I was able to enjoy my weekend without any worries.
about 4 months ago
Maria is very Passionate and Knowledgeable
Maria is very passionate, knowledgeable and understanding in everything she does. I have a Romanian rescue who is very reactive and a very sensitive boy. Maria has really helped me understand what is going through his mind in certain situations and how I can help him be more confident. If you want help understanding your furry friends then defiantly contact Fluent Fido!
about 7 months ago
Amazing service
María is simply the best! We adopted our chihuahua Lola and she had few issues that we needed to work on and María was the best support ever. I was very worried and with her knowledge and advice things started to get much better. Not only us but also Lola is much happier now.
GET IN TOUCH
Ready to unleash a happier, more harmonious relationship with your furry friend? Contact Fluent Fido today and let’s start wagging tails together!