12/12/2024
(Belated) Thanksgiving Weekend Report: Neah did great meeting her Grandparents for the first time* AND briefly being in a hotel room solo while Mom got breakfast at the lobby's buffet.
Bagheera, our cat, is coming with us on our next road trip adventure. To help set him up for success we're giving him treats in his carrier everyday, have anxiety meds ready, and his packing list prepared, including comfort blankets for familiar smells and "places" in the new environment.
*They weren't our first (overnight) guests, but our longest in this new space. She's a nervous but friendly dog with humans, so we communicated her need for space, separation anxiety, etc. prior to their arrival
During their visit there were a few times Neah felt uncomfortable with their proximity, motions, etc., and she'd back up and/or walk away and because they knew her tendencies, they respected her actions (aka be your dog's advocate!). We talked about what caused her response (often something was on the floor that they didn't want her to get, which of course is absolutely an important thing to avoid, but being hovered over is threatening to dogs, hence the nervous response), and how we could work together to avoid similar situations again.
If needed we would have integrated more management tools (hands free leash, etc.), but we would NEVER punish Neah for being scared/her response.
It's impossible to avoid any stressors, but it's important to recognize her signals, and respond so she doesn't feel she has to escalate her feelings to be heard. Instead when she was stressed I gave her something fun to do away from all the "action", in this case a chew stick 🥰.
Puppy & Dog Training
