Re: [PyrNet-L] Kane update part 2

[Michaelene Sullivan <innerpuppie@30below.com>]

Tracy Bassett wrote:

> Some good advice from Barb here.  Another thing you can do to help with the
> anxiety while you are gone - Get a large Kong toy and fill it with treats
> (dry kibble, biscuits, dried liver etc - stuff that will come out fairly
> easily and won't get too stuck) stop the end up with peanut butter or cream
> cheese.

<snip>

> Another good one is to get a paper bag and put a few things in it such as
> treats, toys (the filled kong), twist the top tightly closed and give it to
> your dog when you leave - he will have fun ripping the bag to get at his
> selection (only thing with this one is you have to clean up the bits of bag
> later!).

<snip>

I love this idea...gotta try it!

> Halley has a problem with anxiety sometimes when I leave.  she has a
> 'special' bear to help her :-D  I rub my scent on it with my hands etc
> before I leave and leave it out for her - she holds it in her mouth when she
> has a 'turn' and it helps her a lot.

Awww, this one is so sweet...

> Another thing to remember is that if you come home and find he has made a
> big mess, dont scold or growl at him - just ignore it (sigh resignedly
> :-) ).

Good advice, wonderful advice.

> Realise too that anything you do is going to take time.  Be patient
> persistent and consistent and you will get there eventually.

Something that I do, which was found out by hit and miss...Willow loves to get
into the wastebaskets in the bathrooms and my office. This is the first place
she begins when I leave the house or she is bored. So...when I know I am going
to be away from home for an extended period of time...more than a few minutes or
so...I fill the baskets with things that she likes to shred (empty paper towel
rolls, kleenex and some toys, etc.) She goes from basket to basket keeping
herself busy and having the best time of her life! When I come home the dogs are
let out immediately and I clean up the paper and toys...sure there's paper all
over the place but my things, the important stuff, is left intact...she doesn't
know that I "trick her"...so don't tell  :)


--
Michaelene & Savannah Leigh, neighborhood busy body,
Tony III, my companion, my protector, and
Willow, Pyrenean Princess of the Heart.
Michigan, USA

To a dog..."If there is no God for thee, then there is no God for me." A.H.
Branch

The puppers: http://www.30below.com/~innerpuppie/puppers
Tony II at the Bridge: http://www.bargraph.com/tony
Michigan Great Pyrenees Rescue: http://mail.globalbiz.net/~pyr4u/index.htm
German Shepherd Dog Rescue:
http://www.gsd-rescue.com/library/rescue_usa.html