Papillon Kisses

Many people who work full time leave their dogs that long, but there are also a lot of bored, frustrated, lonely dogs in suburbia, howling mournfully and causing destruction. So what do you do? - First of all, as you have considered, you select the right breed but perhaps more specifically the right dog for you. - Secondly, from the get go you train the dog to be ok without you for those hours. - Thirdly, you get up early every morning to walk your dog before you leave and/or take it out again when you get home. Even when it's raining. Even when you're tired. - Fourthly, you give your dog mental stimulation which will tire it out far more quickly than excessive exercise, which can create a cardio junkie. Think dog training, food dispenser toys and puzzle games. - And finally, you provide enrichment activities for your dog to do while you are out. Normal, healthy dogs sleep at times throughout the day, but they need to have a life, too. You can take the dog to doggy daycare or hire a dog walker to take it out (the cost of a dog walker is cheap when you consider what you'd happily spend on other things for yourself), leave the dog with a stuffed Kong, hang a tyre from a tree, have a fun garden with lots of plants to sniff and wander through, hide treats or their regular meal throughout the garden for them to hunt out. Lots of ideas available online. One option would be to adopt a senior from rescue, who I'm sure would love to spend their retirement years with you. For example, take a look at gorgeous Grace: http://saveadog.org.au/animals-adoptions/dog/all/1410/ http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/261854-saturday-senior/page__st__300 (Last two posts)

Since you know you want to see it.... Here's the Leaning Tower of Malcolm

Yeah Malcolm had trouble at first with the 15sec sit and then the 20 count. Since I'm training relaxation and not a sit/stay as such I don't mind if he goes and lies down or something, but I was initially getting a Jack in the Box, sit-stand-wiggle-scootch, am I sitting good enough? will raising a paw earn me a treat? do you want a high 5? shall I lean like the Tower of Pisa? (seriously :laugh: ). Then it twigged that he didn't have to DO anything, he only had to be still, calm and attentive. We did task 2 today. My goodness the kid is hilarious. We got all the way through but he huffed impatiently on a few occasions. :laugh: I think he thought we were going for a walk when I put on my shoes (can't jog without them due to injuries). So we'll be repeating it again tomorrow, unless our VB says otherwise. How's Thistle going?

Scottie is so sweet. Yesterday it was 27 degrees in Sydney!

It just occurred to me... Malcolm has started napping through the afternoon dog parade — aka the witching hour when dogs stream past our fence/gate, with some of them trying to attack him as they are dog unfriendly themselves. He used to spend the entire time racing out to do his bark and mark and spring bok around the garden. I haven't even been playing his calming music.

Dominance Theory Debunked: http://www.dogwelfarecampaign.org

Whoop! ???? Zero shaking or fidgeting today, just a calm attentive expression. Moving up to Task 2 tomorrow!

Thanks for the update. :) The sookiness is possibly just him feeling a little thrown about internally by side effects from the new medication. Did your vet say what side effects might be seen? If vivotonin doesn't have sleepiness as a side effect, then it's probably potentiating the Ami. If it is a side effect, then it may be one that wears off as his body adjusts. Good luck on the bone hunt. :D

A Greyhound and an Iggy would look adorable walking together. :D I once saw someone out and about with the full set: an Iggy, Whippet and Greyhound. :D

I don't. Thanks Raineth. :)

Another enrichment thing which might help? I suppose it depends whether Scottie still has his sense of smell or forgets what he's doing and wanders off. If he's not at that stage though, it might help calm him and promote better sleep. https://www.dog-games.co.uk/sprinkles-tm/

Fifth go at Day 1 today. I'm not sure if my criteria to move on is too high, but there was zero shaking today and only maybe 5 or 6 instances of getting up (some were my fault). I want to see less breaking and a little more of a relaxed expression before going up a level. He's feeling a little heavy, lol. I think I need to cut back on kibble.

I predict a Corgi explosion if there hasn't been one already. Like Frenchies and Doxies, they are all over Facebook and Instagram. Oh and Sandgrubber, you have forgotten all the toy breeds that are not necessarily white and/or fluffy. Just saying ????

Truth. We have a snooza bed that is still around and kicking after 2 dogs and at least 15 years. It does need a replacement insert, except they no longer make the style of bed. That's how old it is.

How did the vet appointment go? I'm glad to hear that you have found some ways to help manage the CCD, like the before bed training, and finding a cheaper pharmacy is awesome! The Aktivate sounds very interesting, too: it seems to have a number of the same ingredients that are in Hills B/D. Good find. x

Oh, would you look at that. Gorgeous, Kirty. :)

And Malcolm. :D I love the picture of Lola manding. Which puppy was it who manded to the speaker? That cracked me up.

We did it! We completed Task/Day 1. It took three attempts — I wasn't able to do it yesterday due to business. I am going to repeat it again tomorrow as I'd like him more relaxed before challenging him further. He was not quite as relaxed today as we were out of good-but-not-overly-exciting treats, and I was using the best treat in the world.

It was absolutely a win!! YOU GOT STAND FOR EXAM — AND NOT ONCE BUT TWICE!! And you got in some excellent behaviour modification with the trainer! Well done Thistle and mum! You're both doing so well. You might be the last in your group to advance, but you've probably come the furthest with your dog. Thistle has achieved the 10m drop before, right? I bet you'll be in advanced very soon. Either way, she overcame a huge hurdle today with her fear of people, and did not react negatively in a tricky situation with the heeler. She also did not get stung by a bee! That's a huge cause for celebration! That said, you've both been through quite a bit this weekend, so perhaps the celebration can be with ice cream, treats from the Dog Lovers Show, and a nice long cuddle on the lounge. :)

How's your little Buddy, Swain?

I just saw the picture above. Your Danny is such a darling little man! I'm so sorry to hear that he is unwell, losing weight and not eating well. Your description of him reminds me of our late papillon who passed on his 17th birthday. I too used to carry him downstairs for a "turn about the garden" (a little potter and sniff) and then back up again. He'd wait at the stairs for his chariot. Your dear little red man knows he is loved. :) It hurts. It feels like your heart has been ripped out. But when you feel like you can't cope you carry on, because they loved you fiercely and it's what they would have wanted.

:cheer:

If anyone wants to join the Facebook group for anxious dogs just PM me with your full name and I'll send a request to the mods for you. It's just become a secret group. Many many pages back there was comments about favourite blogs. A couple I like are Paws4udogs / Paws Abilities https://paws4udogs.wordpress.com which is written by a trainer who has a dog with Generalised Anxiety Disorder; and Mutt About Town. And it's not a blog as such, but Suzanne Clothier's articles: http://suzanneclothier.com/content/articles/ Thistle, here's a recent article which probably links into what I assume is said in Bar 2.0 about labeling dogs: https://muttabouttown.com/2016/05/09/fearful-dogs-are-not-broken/ You might also like to read up on "people-first language". There are pros and cons to person-first language, but I think the intention of it is good: to recognise that we are more than our diagnoses, that illnesses or physical or mental limitations are only one part of who we are, and to shift the focus from disability to ability.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

We've done a bit better today. To start he was a bit jack in the boxy, but then he got so bored he went and sat in his bed and then laid down. :laugh: He only started trembling at the stage of counting out loud to 20, so I back tracked, did some easy things and stopped. I need to re-read the handout another 5 times so so. It's a lot to take in and remember, and my brain is a little foggy as it is. I'm also a bit confused because it says if your dog is laying down that's a good thing, but if you're telling him to sit doesn't that confuse the dog about what the word sit means? I substituted 'stay'. But that's probably doing it wrong. I guess it's time to re-read the handout again, lol.