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 I
was so excited to have a new home and instantly
became really attached to my mom. I followed her
everywhere and never left her side.
Unfortunately, she has to go to work every day
so she doesn't get to stay home and play with
me. When she first started to leave, I
absolutely panicked that I was left alone. Mom
learned really fast that I did not like to be
locked up and I have managed to escape from
anywhere she put me in the house (I can open
every door handle and unlock deadbolts too!).
She was really getting frustrated with me and
concerned that I was going to hurt myself.
After talking to several people
and working with a trainer/behaviorist that
specializes in this type of training, my mom
found out that I have separation anxiety and was
going to have to change some things at our
house. Many times I have heard "Logan, I love
you to pieces, but you are a lot of work." Mom
learned many things about dealing with my
separation anxiety and I wanted to share some of
them with you.
I am only 10 months old and have
a ton of energy, so the first thing is to be
sure I get plenty of exercise every day. If I go
running with my mom or fetch the tennis ball for
a while, then I am tired and ready to take a
nap. She gets me calmed down and ready for a
nap, then sneaks out the garage door. I can't
sleep forever, so here are some things my mom
leaves me to do while she is gone:
• I love peanut butter, so
sometimes she will freeze some peanut butter in
a Kong toy and leave it for me somewhere in the
house. It is so exciting when I find it and I am
usually ready for a snack after my nap.
• I also have my very own toy
box. It is mostly full of tennis balls, but I
have some other toys mixed in there too and my
mom will hide some treats in the toy box for me
to find. I don't know if she thought I was going
to pull my toys out one at a time (seriously,
that would take all day!), so I usually just
stand on it and knock it over to see what is
hiding in there for me.
• I have this toy called the
Buster Cube which helps keep me from getting too
bored. My mom puts a few pieces of food in it
and then I have to kick the cube around to get
the food to come out of the little hole. It is
quite a bit of work but it really keeps me busy.
My mom prefers me to play with the Buster Cube
while she is gone because she says it is really
loud on the wood floors.
• My mom plays some music for me
every day that is supposed to help with my
anxiety. It is called "Through A Dog's Ear -
Music to Calm Your Canine Companion". The music
is kind of boring and it eventually puts me to
sleep. Please don't tell my mom, but after three
months, I am kind of tired of listening to
Mozart.
The second I hear the garage door
I get up and anxiously wait for my mom to come
in and play with me. Most days she comes in and
says "Logan, thank you for being good and not
chewing our house up today", gives me a big hug
and kiss and assures me that everything is okay.
It has taken me quite a while to get used to my
mom leaving, but I finally know that she always
comes home to me.
If you get stressed out when your
mom leaves too, tell her to try some of these
things to help you out. Mom learned from the
trainer that positive reinforcement is the best
way to get results and harsh punishment only
makes the situation worse. That's why AZGRC
recommends trainers like Shannon Holstein at
Kokopelli Dog & Puppy Training (480-839-3118).
In severe cases there are medications to help,
but please discuss this with your vet and a
trainer as medication is not a substitute for
training.
LOGAN
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