Luna’s online consultation.How can a newly adopted puppy learn to feel safe alone when everything in her world has changed? There is a lot happening all at once for the couple. Three days ago they adopted 5-month-old Romanian pup Luna. Their baby is due in a couple of weeks. The Read more
Rocky, a 17-week-old Cocker Spaniel puppy, lives with a couple and their son, 9. While Rocky’s doing really well with toilet training and basic cues, their main concern is that they can’t leave him by himself. When someone leaves the room Whenever someone leaves the room, even if someone else Read more
Why was Kirie struggling to adjust to change?
It seems Kirie is finding adjusting to her new life a bit hard. They moved house two months ago.
The seven-year-old Springer Labrador is the sweetest, most gentle dog. It distresses them to see her worried.
One change she finds it hard adjusting to is no longer being able to follow the young couple and their toddler freely around the house. Previously they had lived on one floor. Now they don’t want her upstairs and have gated the stairs.
At the same time as they moved house a couple of months ago, the young lady went back to work. Now they leave Kirie alone for a few hours a couple of days a week.
Whether or not isolation distress is involved, it’s definitely and mainly fear of missing out.
Poppy is shut away from action and company that she would like to part of. She has been banished, so she barks.
Feeling insecure is at the root of little Jasper’s problems.
Outside, he barks and lunges at other dogs, rearing up on his hind legs with all his tiny weight.
When left alone, he cries and barks. It has got so bad the lady, who lives in a flat, even wondered whether she could keep him.
She has had the dear little Yorkie for six months now. His first owner had died, he ended up in a pound and then he spent time in a rescue before coming to the lovely home he now has. It’s little wonder he feels insecure. (more…)
Five-year-old Maggie was okay initially when they first adopted her eight months ago. The separation problems developed until they could no longer leave her without coming home to a wrecked carpet and damaged door.
In addition to being left alone, Jasper panics in busy places. Lots of things including the ironing board, the steam hissing from the iron and the vacuum cleaner terrify him. New people scare him.
Poo and peeing indoors.
Invariably during the night, alone downstairs in the kitchen, Meg has diarrhoea. When she is left alone during the day she is likely to do the same.
The challenge here is in separating facts from assumptions.
Meg is a twelve-year-old Dachshund – the longest sausage I have seen! She and her sibling Mini came to live with the couple at eight weeks old and had never been apart.
Six months ago, Mini died. (more…)
It’s not really surprising that newly adopted young greyhound Max panics when left alone.
It seems he was a useless racer – good for him because it’s given him such a great reprieve!
The two-year-old has spent all his life in kennels with other greyhounds. Now he lives in a house with a young couple. It’s quite amazing how well they have done in just six weeks, integrating him into life living with people in a home.
For the first weeks he paced and panted, showing anxiety in general as he became acclimatised. Now he has settled down beautifully….
…apart from one thing. (more…)
From what I observed of Hettie’s new careful, tail-down behaviour, something must have happened while they were away. She had come back a different puppy. Not to be too dramatic, it’s like something had broken her spirit. She had lost her joyfulness.