Happy Memorial Day

I salute you!

Pet Blogger Hop - Merengue Style

This weekend we plan to bust a move through lots of blogs for our weekly Pet Blogger Hop, only we thought with the holiday and nice weather here - let's do it in style!  Enjoy this cute video we found (thanks Dogster for the tip!)

Friday Friend in memoriam: Therapy Dog Gabe

A dear sweet grey Weimaraner friend, Gabriel passed away recently.  He was an Arizona buddy that personified all the qualities of our motto around here: Give Fearlessly and Influence Positively.

We got to know each other as @grouchypuppy and @TherapyDogGabe with his mama also sending us lots of woofwednesday wags each week.  We will miss Gabriel but we know he will live on through the work of Gabriel's Angels.

Please Don't Leave: Separation Anxiety in Dogs - Part 2

Editor: Don't judge a book, dog or blog by its cover. The reason I'm the muse behind Grouchy Puppy^TM is that I may look mellow and usually I am, but I also have a grouchy side.  This part of my nature makes me a real dog behind a cute name.  It also gives my pack real issues to deal with as responsible and loving pet parents.

My female met Deborah Flick of BoulderDog at Blog Paws in Columbus and bonded right away over stories and photos of their beloved pooches (Hi Sadie!).  This guest post from Deborah will run in two parts and addresses one of my issues, separation anxiety.

In case you missed part one, here's the link

Please Don't Leave: Separation Anxiety in Dogs - Part 2

But what if your dog's separation anxiety is severe? What if you feel you’ve tried everything and nothing has helped? What if it’s not possible to manage the situation so your dog doesn’t ever experience separation anxiety?

Then it’s desensitization time! The good news? When done properly, desensitization is very effective for alleviating separation anxiety. The bad news? Desensitization requires time, patience, and until the treatment has solved the problem, you must not allow your dog to experience any separation anxiety whatsoever. So, even with desensitization, some management is required temporarily.

Jean Donaldson offers one of the best explanations of desensitization I’ve read in Dogs Are From Neptune. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for relief.

In the mean time, here are some key points she makes:

1. “To fix separation anxiety, the dog has to experience the situation – being left alone – without the accompanying anxiety.”


2. The process of desensitization begins with identifying the precise conditions that initially set off the slightest sign of your dog’s anxiety, to your actual leaving and returning.


3. Desensitization involves doing a series of exercises in which you repeat, for example, brushing your teeth (if that’s when Samson starts to get edgy) and combing your hair, and then not leaving.


4. When (Samson) is relaxed when you brush your teeth and comb your hair - “no pacing, no worried look, etc. – start working on the next item in the sequence, making lunch.”


5. “When you’ve made it to the door (which may take several sessions), start off with very short absences, literally one second. Then come back in, put the keys back, then pick them up and leave again for one second. Do it over and over until it is clearly no big deal for the dog.”

Jean reassures: "You will spend much more time getting the dog to relax about…pre-departure cues than you will adding time increments later on. Once you’re out the door doing absences, the progress is much faster. You won’t always go up in one second increments either! The point is: don’t rush the early work – it’s essential. This is where you win the dog’s trust.”

Please Don't Leave: Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Editor: Don't judge a book, dog or blog by its cover. The reason I'm the muse behind Grouchy Puppy^TM is that I may look mellow and usually I am, but I also have a grouchy side.  This part of my nature makes me a real dog behind a cute name.  It also gives my pack real issues to deal with as responsible and loving pet parents.

My female met Deborah Flick of BoulderDog at Blog Paws in Columbus and bonded right away over stories and photos of their beloved pooches (Hi Sadie!).  This guest post from Deborah will run in two parts and addresses one of my issues, separation anxiety.

Please Don't Leave: Separation Anxiety in Dogs

(I'm embarrassed at how many I answered "yes")

1. Does Fido pace and pant or show other signs of anxiety when you are performing your preparing-to-leave-the-house rituals? (Getting dressed, putting on your coat, looking for your keys, checking to make sure the doors are locked, etc.)


2. Does Casey greet you as if you’ve been gone for months after a quick trip to the grocery store?


3. Does Missy attach herself to you like Velcro after you’ve come home?


4. Do your neighbors complain to you about Rover’s howling while you’re at work?


5. Did Mattie eviscerate your living room couch and chew your shoes to the consistency of gooey raw hide while you were out for dinner and a movie?


6. Is Max covered with self-inflicted wounds from licking or chewing on himself when he’s home alone?

If you answered yes to some of these questions then your dog is probably suffering from some degree of separation anxiety.