Hi friends! Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

Lately we’ve made lots of new buddies on Facebook. Our pal Sebastian Cabot helped us out by sharing our page. He’s a really cool pup! If you haven't already liked us on Facebook, you can follow my baby brother Chio and me, Charger the Guide Dog. You’ll find lots of tips for dealing with anxious pets and have some laughs too :)

As you may know, I’m very afraid of thunder. It cost me my career as a seeing eye dog. Instead, I like to see myself as a kind of pet therapist, helping others to deal with their anxiety. It’s been great getting to know all about my new friends and what turns them from proud pup into a scared dog. One thing that keeps popping up is separation anxiety. Lots of my friends are struggling with this so I have dedicated this week’s blog post to pets with separation anxiety.

Have you ever come home to total chaos - destroyed furniture, claw marks on doors and window still, blood stains and angry neighbors bothered by hours of howling or barking? These can be signs of separation anxiety. It’s a very serious disorder which can be very distressing for your dog and damaging to your home.

This is a complex condition that might need to involve the help of a behavioral specialist. But don’t despair, there are ways that you can try to reduce this.

1. Take a long walk with your dog before you leave - this is my personal favorite! Dad also brings me for a swim to tire me out.
2. Give your dog something to keep him busy right before you leave - a toy stuffed with food works really well.
3. Mix up your routine. If picking up your keys triggers the reaction, try picking up your keys and then sitting down to relax. Put on your outside clothes and tidy the house. Make these triggers less threatening.
4. Let your dog know that you’ll be home soon by telling them “I’ll be back”.
5. Try using aromatherapy - relaxing oils and plugins can help calm your pooch.
6. Calming music can help a dog to relax. Just make sure it’s his idea of calming music though, not yours! We hear music different to humans. Classical music or similar soothing music works great.
7. Before adopting a second dog to keep your dog company, try borrowing a neighbor’s dog to see if their presence helps. A calm, relaxed dog might relieve your dog’s stress.
8. Remove any stressful things from your dogs surroundings when they are left alone - no choke chains, shock collars, or scolding. These things don’t tend to make a happy dog anyway and dad wouldn’t allow them in our house.
9. Create a safe haven for your dog. My dad made me a ZenCrate which makes me feel safe and secure while he’s gone. It also plays soothing music and blocks out sound so I can hide during a thunder storm.
10. If all else fails, getting help from a behavioral specialist might be the best thing to do.

Check out Harrison’s story on the Florida Veterinary Behavior Service website. You can also find more info on The Whole Dog Journal’s article on Canine Separation Anxiety.

Please comment below if your dog suffers with separation anxiety or any other distressing emotional behavior issue. If you think this article would help someone, please do share it. You can also sign up to my mailing list for more tips.

Come say hi on my Facebook page!

Charger

Hello everyone! Well, I’m glad you stopped by today because I have some huge news. We have a new puppy! His name is Chio and he’s a Rhodesian Ridgeback. I’m not really sure what that means, just that he might grow to be bigger than me. Right now he’s 20 lbs which is big for a puppy, but small enough for me to show him who’s boss.

Having a new puppy is really fun and exciting. Buuuut, he gets on my nerves sometimes. Chio acts wild and bothers me to play when I just want to chill. Dad takes me out on my own for swims to get some peace.

Lucky for me, my dad Jonathan and mom Cortney did their homework before introducing us. They gathered lots of tips and advice before taking Chio home. To help others in the same situation, we put together the best tips to share with you.

Best Tips for Introducing a Puppy to your Dog

1. Before bringing the puppy home, make sure both pets are fully up to date on their vaccinations, and have been treated for worms and parasites. This is really important as puppies, especially those that come from shelters, can carry contagious conditions that may spread to your other pets. Children can also be at risk.
2. Buy the puppy his own bowls, toys and a bed. This is a trying time for your older dog and you can’t expect them to share.
3. Set up the first meeting in a neutral area. A neighbor’s garden or a park is a good place. Neither dog will feel threatened and will have lots to distract them. It’s best to have a person supervising each dog. Let them greet and sniff each other, holding their leashes loosely. Don’t hold the puppy in your arms for this meeting as s/he might feel threatened and trapped. The main thing is to act as relaxed as possible. If the puppy acts submissive and the older dog snaps or grows, don’t worry, this is normal behavior. It’s just their way of teaching the puppy some manners! Only remove the older dog if he continues to act aggressively.
4. Walk home from the park together. Keep the puppy on a leash and let them explore every room in the house. If the older dog is acting friendly, you can let the puppy off the leash.
5. Always monitor their interactions, especially for the first two weeks. It’s best not to leave them alone during this time, while they get to know each other.
6. Stick to the regular routines of walking and meals. The puppy needs to fit into the routine of the older dog.
7. Meal times, walk times, visits from guests and playtimes may trigger aggression or jealousy. Give each dog their own time alone with you so the older dog feels that they are getting attention and the new puppy has time to bond with you.
8. It’s best to keep their food bowls apart at meal times and discourage any bullying behavior.
9. It’s natural for the older dog to try to teach the puppy new manners. Let the older dog correct the puppy from time to time. It’s important for the puppy not to continually harass the older dog. Intervene if they are developing aggressive behavior towards each other.
10. The best tip of all - give it time and have patience. Both dogs will learn to accept each other with time. Taking the steps above will ensure your puppy fits into the family routine with as little fuss as possible.

These tips are working really well with us so far. As long as he stays away from my ZenCrate I think we’ll get along just fine. There’s no way I’m sharing that!

If you want to follow the adventures of me and my brother Chio, register for our mailing list right on this page. Until next week.

Charger

Hi everyone! Did you ever see a jester with a lion cut before? I’m Charger and I have a special message this week for Halloween. This time of year can be really fun for families, but for us pets, it can be a nightmare. After 4th July, Halloween is the scariest time of year for pets. Here are my tips for keeping pets safe at Halloween.

1. Costumes I love to dress up and play lots of different parts! Not all pets like to wear costumes though. It might look adorable to you, but your buddy may feel restricted or frightened at a time when stress is already high. It could be too tight or pulling our fur. Bottom line, don’t force us to wear a costume. If we appear distressed in any way, take it off.
2. Trick-or-Treating - Halloween is probably the busiest night of the year for the doorbell. Some of us doggies get very stressed when there are visitors at the door. Keep us in a safe room with the door closed so we don’t bolt out the door. I’ll be in a room with my ZenCrate to keep me calm. If you do take us out tick-or treating with you, understand that we may be stressed and unpredictable.
3. Goodies - candies and chocolate are not good for us! Ever. We can be poisoned by chocolate and xylitol. Even if it does not have these nasty things, we eat so much candy that we get very sick and need a trip to the ER. It’s best to tell your kids not to share their candy with us too and make sure they know why.
4. Scary Decorations - be careful not to leave us unattended with jack-o’-lanterns and candles. We might be tempted to stick our noses in and knock them over, creating a fire hazard. Fake cobwebs, spiders and bats can be very enticing. To make sure we don’t choke on things like this, keep them high up, out of our reach. Or don’t have them in the house at all.
5. Keep us Indoors - many tragedies have happened with pets at Halloween. Pets have been teased, injured and even killed just for fun. Keep your pet indoors, safe from pranksters and predators.
6. Fireworks - the big one for most of us. Again, it’s so important to keep us safe in a closed room in the house. During fireworks, we might get scared and try to run away. If possible, make a special place for your pet to feel safe in. An enclosed space is best, with a favorite blanket, soothing music if possible. Close all windows and secure cat flaps. Stay calm and don’t try to coax a pet out if they hide. My ZenCrate is the perfect place for this as it insulated against sound and vibrations whilst playing me soothing music.

We want you and your furry friends to have fun this year! Is your dog afraid of fireworks strangers or loud noises? What do you do to calm your pets at Halloween?

If you like my blog, please like and share! You can also sign up to my newsletter to keep up to date on my latest posts.

Charger