Hey all you puppy parents, and all youz guyz thinking about adopting a puppy of your own!
Mollie and I are doing well, for the past few days Mollie has been boarded at her daycare, which makes me feel like such a bad puppy parent. But for both our sakes I needed to have Mollie out of the house for a little while.
Mollie AND I are both experiencing separation anxiety....of course my anxiety of not being with my little lady doesnt lead to excessive barking, peeing, and pooping...and eating doors.
Leaving Mollie to be boarded these past three days have been so stressful and so wonderful at the same time. I worry that Mollie will be traumatized by these three nights away that by the time I pick her up she wont know who I am or worse she will know who i am and will walk right past me.
I have been doing some research to see what we can do to help out Mollie and her anxiety.
According to the book "Puppies for Dummies!" dummy thats me! Mollie is a passive puppy, "this puppy is sweet, but undirected and needy. no matter the amount of affection you offer her, it never seems to be enough. When you give her a direction or scold her she acts as though she's been shot..." sounds like me.
Here are some of their suggestions to help calm your pup.
*Never correct your puppy after the fact. Never. Corrections aren't connected to the destruction; they're connected to your arrival, which makes your puppy more anxious the next time you leave. (if you havent gathered what they are talking about, they are talking about if your puppy...say eats through two crates and a door while your out.)
*Avoid theatrical hellos and goodbyes. Lavishing your puppy with kisses, biscuits, and drawn-out declarations of devotion don't reassure her. Instead, they only stress her out.
*Leave a radio playing classical music (or in the case of Mollie, a harry potter audio book) to cover unfamiliar sounds.
*Place your puppy in a dimly lit area to encourage sleep.
*Leave a favorite chew toy. Rub it between your palms so that it smells like you...(or put a piece of your clothing that smells like you in her crate...this seems to be helpful for Mollie).
** they also suggest you get a kitten FOR YOUR PUP. Because they are great companions. hmmmm interesting.
-Hannah
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